The other day when i was getting off the highway my car started to hesitate very badly. Every time i tried to give it gas it tried to die. I made it across town and got home. Then the next day when i tried to start it, it wouldn't start. With the hesitation and no-start condition I thought it was a fuel problem.
I cranked on it for a while, and then checked the schrader valve on the fuel rail. There was a little dribble of fuel. It certainly didn't seem to have enough fuel pressure. I then disconnected the fuel filter and cranked again to see if the pump was actually pumping fuel. It was not. So i checked the pump relay, fuse, wiring, connectors. Everything seemed to be in good shape the relay was fine and the pump was getting power. I then went through the chore of dropping the tank and getting the pump out.
After removing the pump I energized it with 12v and sure enough it started pumping. I then checked some of the wires again just to make sure they were okay. Everything seemed to be fine so i put it all back together. I left the fuel filter off and cranked the engine. When I did that fuel came out of the line. I reconnected the fuel pump and tried to start the car. It started but quickly died. It just kinda sputtered and died out. Now it will not start for anything. All it does is crank and crank. It will try to start but never does. I checked to see if there was fuel getting to the rail, and sure enough fuel came out when I pressed the schrader valve. I don't have a fuel guage so I couldn't check the fuel pressure, but my guess is that the fuel filter is clogged since it started once and then quickly died. Any suggestions?

 

Just replace the fuel filter. That sounds like what it is since you said the car started when you took it off.

 

You need a fuel pressure gauge. you can try the filter but it will most likely be the pump when you put it in and it has to pump the fuel to the front it is not getting the pressure it needs to start.But to make sure you need a fpg.

 

Strange that you would do all that work and not have replaced the filter first (even if it ends up not being the problem).

 

Well, if it was me I would put in a new pump and a new filter if I was going to all that trouble.
Really need a fuel pressure guage, the fuel pump can pump fuel and still be too weak to pump enough fuel.
I had an 88 IROC 350 and it seemed to be running fine but I raced this mustang one day and got whipped real bad, so I took it to the shop (lived in an apartment then and had no real tools) and sure enough the fuel pump was weak.
Like I said the car seemed to run fine but all was not well with the fuel pump.