KA24E; bucking / power loss

[ryandevilhorns]

I had an SR S13 a while back and this is my first go-round with a KA. I got an 89 S13 a few weeks ago and it drove fine for a week or so, but I've had nothing but problems since. I've been driving it a little harder than I normally would because I have two cars right now and I'd like everything to break while I still have that luxury. The car is complying with that for sure.

Day 10ish: Only sign I had that bad things to come were after fixing a taillight problem, I drove a it a few miles; car died getting off the freeway. I was able to get it started and driving home, just hoped it was a fluke.
Day 14ish: Drove to work, co-worker comes in after says I have a pool of coolant under my car. Filled it up with water and drove it home fine, so I thought the rad cap wasn't on tight and the coolant had all rushed out.
Day 15ish: Drove to work again, took a left hand turn a little hot, car loses power and bucks; clutch kick and it steadies again in time to come up on a right hand turn. Make the turn a little hot, same thing. Come up on the last turn before my office and come in a little hot again, same thing except the car dies and I can't get it to start. Got to push it the rest of the way. Come out when it's quitting time, won't start at all.
Day 16-20ish: Took some time to replace the radiator, and some P/S lines that were leaking; partially in the hope that it was shutting off from running too hot.
Yesterday: Got everything back together, starts up perfectly, drive it down my street fine, make a U-turn and the car dies; got to push it back to my house where it sits now.

So cooling and P/S systems are fine now, looking into other areas, my suspicions are:
-replace cap / rotor / wires / plugs; never replaced before; this is my first distributor equipped car.
-fuel pump - The guy I bought it from said that he replaced the injectors, the cover for the FP wasn't fully bolted down and the pressure/return lines look fairly new. I have fuel pressure past the filter though and my unscientific eye sees plenty of fuel being pumped out.

What do you guys think is my problem here?

[jeremy242]

So you are loosing power, or it dies, when you make turns? If that is the case how much gas do you have in the tank? If it is low on gas and the sock on the pump is broken the pump might be running dry.

[ryandevilhorns]

So you are loosing power, or it dies, when you make turns? If that is the case how much gas do you have in the tank? If it is low on gas and the sock on the pump is broken the pump might be running dry.

I had a hunch on that as well the first time it happened, I was about a 1/3. It's full now though.

[ryandevilhorns]

It looks like my FP is missing something - can someone confirm? I don't see loose pieces in the tank, not sure if thats good or bad. LOL.

What is that piece called? Is it just called the sock?

[ryandevilhorns]

"fuel pump screen," $25 at Pep Boys. The attachment is sketchy as hell, but it works, got the car running long enough to pop a radiator. f you right back, 240.

EDIT: also, there was some gunk on the pins of harness connector just beside the pump cap; scraped that out, might have had something to do with it.