The first things to check are the air intake, the fuel pump/filter and the governor.
The price of pineapples in Hawaii is less likely to cause an engine to hunt or surge.
my sparkplugs are gaped to wide can that cause my car to surge and poor starting
the engine to stall and surge at idle
You probably have a dirty carburetor causing that surge.
Check your vacuum lines this usually the cause for a surge in engine speed when idling or running.
probably the governor going bad
Engine overheating will cause the anti-freeze to surge into the overflow tank. A blown head gasket will also cause the anti-freeze to surge into the overflow tank.
There are pages and pages of things that can cause a check engine light. You need to have it checked with a scantool. Then the code can be diagnosed and repaired.
Any number of things could cause your vehicle to surge. You need to take your vehicle to a tune-up shop and have it diagnosed.
The RPMs and the engine of the 2001 Oldsmobile Alero might surge if there is a problem with the oxygen or fuel sensor. It may also surge if there is a problem with the fuel injectors or the fuel filter.
Your 1994 Honda Civic will overheat when the thermostat is malfunctioning. The overheated engine can experience the idle to surge. The engine should be turned off immediately.