Well, after lurking off and on at the brickboard for a while, my car has decided it's time to seek the advice of those 24 gurus... Our wagon has started to miss/hesitate(mildly)when cold, skip a beat (hard) at speed, whether that be around town or on the freeway, and is burning a little more gas for a little less performance lately. New plugs, rotor, cap, gas filter,wires checked with ohm meter, new pre-pump and sock, haven't done a full on vacuum leak check yet, and, for my final clue....drum roll please....the main fuel pump is whining like crazy!

My initial diagnosis leads me to think that I've got a faulty fuel pressure control valve. But that cut out thing just makes me think it could be ignition somehow. All the big electrical connects are good and clean though - timing is on...

Your comments are most welcome! - J

Other fuel items to consider:

clogged filter

blocked return line

air leak into the supply line

Don't forget the Fuel pump relay. Replace it anyway or resolder if it's an original, cost 20 bucks

I had a similar problem not too long ago with my car bucking when cold. Turns out the hose between my air mass meter and the throttle body had come loose enough to allow a good bit of air to bypass the meter. Check that hose for any wear because quite often it will rub aginst the strut tower.

I also had a sedan that had a loud fuel pump and it turned out to be the fuel pressure regulator had gone bad. Good luck!