Fuel pressure/pump help wanted

I have a fuel question for all the guru's out there. I've been trying to find someone with a similar problem but can't seem to find that right mix of symptoms.
Here's my setup:
Fuel tank --> electronic fuel pump (mounted on top side of fender well) --> regulator --> pressure gauge --> carb
Not sure what fuel pump was rated at but says it's good for 4 and 6 cylinders.
Regulator is simply turn dial capable of .5 - 5.5lbs.
Carb is stock.

symptoms:
hesitation at random times.
Fuel pump clicking loud.

what I've found:
from cold - runs fine
warmed up and moving - fine
warmed up and stopped for long lights - fuel pump starts clicking
warmed up , just starting to move, second and third gear(ish) - fuel pump clicking and hesitation starts. It's certainly a "i need gas" hesitation.

how to stop the hesitation while moving:
let up on gas pedal to the point where your not accelerating. It will clear up in a moment OR press clutch and idle the truck while still moving

What I saw while running the truck at idle in the driveway:
Fuel pump puts out 2-3lbs pressure.
rev the engine and pressure drops slightly.
when the fuel pump is clicking, there is very little to no gas in the filter. Once revved down, you can see an obvious spurt of gas into the fuel filter.
turning up the regulator reveals that it doesn't exceed 4lbs but the regulator can be set at 5.5lbs.
AC doesn't seem to have an impact but it has hesitated while running it.

Extras:
Engine was rebuilt 5k ago
carb has custom filter on it
All hoses inside the engine bay were replace with 5/16" fuel line
1986 B2000
5spd manual
timing good - 6 BTDC
plugs and wires are good
not leaks in fuel lines found but that's not to say there isn't a pin hole somewhere.

The obvious problem is fuel pump BUT I've changed it out (thats not to say the new one isn't bad). The old electric fuel pump did not give the hesitation but did click. I can't seem to nail this. It's so random it's not funny but the common factor is warmed up and just starting to move.

First question: Any thoughts on this? I know what it should be but there are inconsistencies.
It's quite nerve racking when it happens thought it doesn't last long. The fuel pump does click quite often however.

Finally, my last question is this: after shutting off the engine and letting the truck sit, should the fuel pressure drop over an hour or so or is the fuel pressure supposed to stay where it is even after a day of sitting?

Thanks for your input o' knowledgeable board members!!!

Have you tried taking that fuel pressure regulator off to see if it makes a difference? There was on my truck that made it run like absolute crap.

Is there a reason you are not running the mechanical fuel pump? You might want to try the mechanical pump and see if that clears up your issue.

elbine, I have not tried removing the regulator. Do you think it would put too much fuel into the carb and maybe flood out?

matt, I removed the mechanical years ago because I kept having a chronic problem with it failing. I went through 4 of them in the first year I had it. I still don't know why they failed but after reading online, the electrical made more sense. I couldn't find anything out of the norm that made them goof. I will note that I've had the electric system for about 8 years now. It always worked like a champ. Even now, the problems are sporatic.

Was there anything that provoked this? Not really. The last electric pump was pumping wierd and had lasted about 5 years. I swapped it out and then the hesitation started up. I'm thinking that this pump is not pumping enough but I'm not even sure what the pressure should be at.

It would flood it out if you just let the pump run. As long as the truck is running it should be fine. Maybe something is clogging the regulator and causing problems. Its worth a shot to check it out anyways.

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like mazdatweaker said i belive the pums should push it not suck it. i would try moving the pump closer to the tank. i had an inline on my sb s-10 that was close to the tank and worked like a dream.



-justin

Can you guys give insight on the last question? Is the pressure in the system supposed to stay or dwindle down? I would assume dwindle down but that would signify a leak I think.

I can agree that the pump should be pushing. Gawd...another few hours of trying to figure out how to put it inline in the rear without removing the bed or dropping the tank. There's only about 6 inches of rubber tubing from the top of the tank to the metal fuel line that leads up front.

I love my mazda!!

Oops...forgot...
Elbine, the regulator was new with the pump. I changed everything out about 45 days ago from the metal fuel line coming into the engine bay to the carb.

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