One way to verify a fuel pump diagnosis is to pump the primer bulb when the faltering condition starts to happen. If the engine picks up and smooths out, the pump is a very strong possibility. If this temporarily solves the problem, I’d just go ahead and try a new fuel pump. They don’t cost a lot. However, it can also be from air leaking into the fuel line, anywhere from the pick up in the tank, to the filter on the engine. You would likely see a fuel LEAK, too, if you pumped the primer ball and the air leak was anywhere beyond the primer bulb. An air leak before the bulb can be a little trickier to find.
Long live American manufacturing!
