Same exact symptoms of a failing fuel pump. No start, cutting out while driving, etc.

I am getting consistent spark and fuel pressure just won't even try to start

I think I am going to replace the fuel pump. Is it normal for the fuel pressure to slowly drop after a few min if it'* not running? Could that be from a bad pump? I feel like there isn't enough pressure to get fuel to the cylinders.

No, that would be from a bad Fuel Pressure Regulator. Or, you got some really bad poppet valves on the injectors.

i would take the upper intake off, refit the fuel lines and have someone pressurize the system while you watch for leaks. if you dont find any leaks its likely the regulator. you may want to consider getting the mpfi conversion, it make the car run a ton better and comes with the regulator. when i did my pump it brought the pressure back up to spec but it ended up being too powerful for the old reg and poppets, so i tried just replacing the reg to be cheap and it ended up overpowering the crap poppets so the short story is they all work together and if you intend to drive it a while you might just replace it all at once. yes its going to be 500 bucks if you get the good quality delphi stuff but you will never have to worry about it again and mine gets better mileage and smoother idle than it did new

I will take it apart tomorrow, I will also do the lower intake gasket. Does anyone know of a good diy on the lower gasket? I don't know if I will do that conversion due to its not my truck its a friends and he needs to do it as cheap as possible but if it were mine I would. Thanks for the help I will update as I go!

So I took it apart and pressurized the system. I don't see any leaks but there is some fluid in the area possibly gas. I pulled one of the injectors out and fuel definitely isn't going past the regulator. Does anyone think this is a sign of a bad regulator?

the way your pressure is it seems like it could be either the pump or regulator, hard to tell. normally if the pump is good it will spike to 58 to 60 then fade off if the regulator is bad but normally if the pump is bad it wont be as high as what you have, thats why i said it seems like both are failing. how many miles on it and how long does the guy intend to drive it?

as far as the lim gasket, make certain you are super accurate marking the dist, and the manifolds are inch lbs


Removal Procedure
Important: You do not have to remove the upper intake manifold in order to remove the lower intake manifold.

Disconnect the battery negative cable. Refer to Battery Replacement in Engine Electrical.
Remove the air cleaner outlet duct from the throttle body. Refer to Air Cleaner Outlet Duct Replacement in Engine Controls.
Disconnect the accelerator control cable from the throttle shaft and the accelerator cable bracket. Refer to Accelerator Control Cable Replacement in Engine Controls.
Disconnect the cruise control cable, if equipped from the throttle shaft and the accelerator cable bracket. Refer to Cruise Control Cable Replacement in Cruise Control.



Disconnect the vacuum hose from the intake manifold, if equipped with A/C.
Disconnect the power brake booster vacuum hose



Drain the cooling system. Refer to Cooling System Draining and Filling in Engine Cooling.
Remove the radiator inlet hose at the water outlet. Refer to Radiator Hose Replacement in Engine Cooling.
Remove the heater hose from the intake manifold. Refer to Heater Hoses Replacement in Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning.
Remove the water pump inlet hose form the intake manifold.



Disconnect the following electrical connectors:
• The fuel meter body assembly (1)

• The EVAP canister purge solenoid valve (2)

• The manifold air pressure (MAP) sensor (3)





Disconnect the following electrical connectors:
• The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve (3)

• The ignition coil (2)

• The ignition control module (ICM) (1)

• The generator (4)





Disconnect the following electrical connectors:
• The idle air control (IAC) motor (3)

• The throttle position (TP) sensor (2)

• The A/C compressor cutoff switch, if equipped (5)

• The A/C clutch switch, if equipped (1)

• The engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor (4)

Remove the engine wiring harness clips from the brackets.
Move the engine wiring harness aside.



Remove the accelerator cable bracket from the throttle body and the intake manifold.



Remove the accelerator and the cruise control cable bracket from the throttle bracket.
Leave the accelerator and cruise control cables on the bracket.





Disconnect the PCV hose assembly from the intake manifold and the valve rocker arm cover.
Remove the EVAP canister purge solenoid valve. Refer to Evaporative Emission Canister Purge Solenoid Valve Replacement in Engine Controls.



Remove the spark plug wire harness retainer from the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve inlet pipe.
Remove the clamp bolt for the EGR valve inlet pipe.
Remove the EGR valve inlet pipe from the intake and the exhaust manifolds.
Remove the distributor. Refer to Distributor Replacement in Engine Electrical.
Disconnect the fuel supply and return pipes at the rear of the intake manifold. Refer to Fuel Hose/Pipes Replacement - Engine Compartment in Engine Controls.



Important: Do not discharge the refrigerant.

Perform the following in order to remove the left front bolt for the intake manifold:
25.1. Remove the drive belt. Refer to Drive Belt Replacement .

25.2. Loosen the nut for the power steering pump rear bracket at the side of the engine.

25.3. Remove the secondary air injection (AIR) reactor pipe bracket nut from the power steering pump rear bracket front stud, if equipped.

25.4. Remove the nut for the power steering pump rear bracket at the front of the engine.

25.5. Remove the bolts and the nut for the power steering pump mounting bracket.

25.6. Leave the A/C compressor, if equipped, and the power steering pump on the power steering pump mounting bracket.

25.7. Slide the power steering pump bracket forward to access the bolt at the front of the intake manifold.

Remove the lower intake manifold. Refer to Intake Manifold Removal .
Disassemble the intake manifold assembly if replacing the lower intake manifold. Refer to Intake Manifold Disassemble .
Important: Do not immerse the assembled intake manifold in cleaning solvent.

Clean all sealing surfaces. Refer to Intake Manifold Cleaning and Inspection .
Installation Procedure
Assemble the intake manifold assembly if replacing the lower intake manifold. Refer to Intake Manifold Assemble .
Install the lower intake manifold. Refer to Intake Manifold Installation .



Position the power steering pump mounting bracket.
Loosely install the power steering pump mounting bracket bolts and nuts.
Notice: Use the correct fastener in the correct location. Replacement fasteners must be the correct part number for that application. Fasteners requiring replacement or fasteners requiring the use of thread locking compound or sealant are identified in the service procedure. Do not use paints, lubricants, or corrosion inhibitors on fasteners or fastener joint surfaces unless specified. These coatings affect fastener torque and joint clamping force and may damage the fastener. Use the correct tightening sequence and specifications when installing fasteners in order to avoid damage to parts and systems.

Install the nut for the power steering pump rear bracket at the front of the engine.
Tighten
Tighten the power steering pump mounting bracket bolts and the power steering pump rear bracket nuts to 41 N·m (30 lb ft).

Install the AIR reactor pipe bracket nut to the power steering pump rear bracket front stud, if equipped.
Tighten
Tighten the AIR reactor pipe bracket nut to 41 N·m (30 lb ft).

Install the drive belt. Refer to Drive Belt Replacement .
Install the fuel supply and return pipes to the rear of the intake manifold. Refer to Fuel Hose/Pipes Replacement - Engine Compartment in Engine Controls.



Important: In order to install the distributor for the correct engine timing, position the engine to number one cylinder top dead center.

Remove the spark plug for number one cylinder.
Rotate the crankshaft until number one cylinder is in the compression stroke.
Align the two reference marks on the crankshaft balancer (1) and (4) with the two alignment marks (2) and (3) on the front cover.
Install the spark plug. Refer to Spark Plug Replacement in Engine Electrical.
Install the distributor. Refer to Distributor Replacement in Engine Electrical.
Install the EVAP canister purge solenoid valve. Refer to Evaporative Emission Canister Purge Solenoid Valve Replacement in Engine Controls.



Install the EGR valve inlet pipe to the intake manifold and the exhaust manifold.
Tighten

Tighten the EGR valve inlet pipe intake manifold nut to 25 N·m (18 lb ft).
Tighten the EGR valve inlet pipe exhaust manifold nut to 30 N·m (22 lb ft).
Tighten the EGR valve inlet pipe clamp bolt 25 N·m (18 lb ft).
Install the spark plug wire harness retainer on the EGR valve inlet pipe.



Install the PCV hose assembly to the intake manifold and the valve rocker arm cover.



Install the accelerator cable and cruise control cable bracket to the throttle body.
Tighten
Tighten the accelerator cable and cruise control bracket nuts to 9 N·m (80 lb in).





Install the accelerator cable bracket to the intake manifold and the throttle body.
Tighten
Tighten the accelerator cable bracket studs and nuts to 12 N·m (106 lb in).





Position the engine wiring harness.
Install the engine wiring harness clips in the brackets.
Connect the following electrical connectors:
• The idle air control (IAC) motor (3)

• The throttle position (TP) sensor (2)

• The A/C compressor cutoff switch, if equipped (5)

• The A/C clutch switch, if equipped (1)

• The engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor (4)





Connect the following electrical connectors:
• The fuel meter body assembly (1)

• The EVAP canister purge solenoid valve (2)

• The manifold air pressure (MAP) sensor (3)





Connect the following electrical connectors:
• The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve (3)

• The ignition coil (2)

• The ignition control module (ICM) (1)

• The generator (4)





Connect the power brake booster vacuum hose.
Connect the vacuum hose to the intake manifold, if equipped with A/C.



Install the water pump inlet hose to the intake manifold.
Install the heater hose to the intake manifold. Refer to Heater Hoses Replacement in Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning.
Install the radiator inlet hose to the water outlet. Refer to Radiator Hose Replacement in Engine Cooling.
Install the accelerator control cable to the bracket and the throttle shaft. Refer to Accelerator Control Cable Replacement in Engine Controls.
Install the cruise control cable, if equipped to the bracket and the throttle shaft. Refer to Cruise Control Cable Replacement in Cruise Control.
Fill the cooling system. Refer to Cooling System Draining and Filling in Engine Cooling.
Install the air cleaner outlet duct to the throttle body. Refer to Air Cleaner Outlet Duct Replacement in Engine Controls.
Connect the battery negative cable. Refer to Battery Replacement in Engine Electrical.

I am going to end up replacing both the regulator and the pump. I purchased the intake gasket kit that comes with valve cover gaskets as well since I am there. Do you happen to have the torque sequence for the lim and the uim including the throttle body torque. I found this sequence online but want to make sure it'* right!
Torque: 1996-2000 model years: Tighten in three stages... 27 inch-pounds (about 2 ft-lbs), then 106 inch-lbs (about 9 ft-lbs), then 11 ft-lbs.

It has a picture of the sequence as well also is says upper intake is 88in lbs in a criss cross pattern. If any of that is wrong let me know.