My old lady told me the same thing or at least the wasting money part. Why get rid of the filter before the pump?....seems like the more the merrier. What do you mean by..."could be the sock in your tank"? I'm thinking your right about the dirty tank. Do you have any tips on cleaning, etc. Can the fuel pump have an intermittent problem or is it either 100% or 0%? I took the top off of the pump and noticed that the diaphram has a stretched appearance. I will trouble shoot as you suggested on my next road test....thanks.