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Laremy,
If the wires are frayed on the CPS, replacing it is certainly the right move. If the CPS is providing bad position data nothing else you do is going to make a difference. Take a look at Lucid's troubleshooting steps. (BTW, that is one of the best synopses you are going to find on the subject; you might want to print that out for future reference.)
At this point I think it is best just to wait until you have the new CPS in place. It is beginning to sound like it might just be THE culprit. I say that because you had fuel and later you did not. You had spark but you also had sooty plugs. Too much fuel, no fuel, spark, no spark. Sounds like a bad connection to me.
While you are waiting for the CPS to come in the mail, it might be a good time to clean the flame trap, renew vacuum lines, and familiarize yourself with the system. BTW, what is your background? Do you do technical work for a living? Is this coming easy for you or are you a bit baffled by it? The reason I ask is because it is hard to know how to answer someone's question without knowing their point of reference.
...whether or not it is possible that somehow I screwed up my fuel pump in the course of an afternoon.
I think it unlikely that anything you've done damaged the pump. If a pump failed, it was on the way out anyway.
What is the best way to test the pump? Fuel line in a bottle? Is there another way?
A long time ago I was told that there are three ways to complete any task: The right way. The wrong way. The Navy way. I have always started with the fourth option that was conveniently omitted by my instructors -- the easy way.
There is not one "best" way. If you are broken by the roadside, the best way is to use your senses. Can you hear the pump? Can you feel the vibration of the pump? Pull a spark plug and see if it is wet. All are valid.
If you are in a fully equipped shop working on a hard NO START condition the best way is to measure pressure and volume and check the specs. Does it meet specification or not?
In between those two valid checks is where the average shade tree mechanic works most of the time. Pumping into a container is as valid as any other check -- if you know what good volume should be there. If the results confuse you, obviously you need to study some more or perform another check that will make sense to you.
Is there another relay or something that would not make the fuel pump run even it gets power?
Not on your car. The fuel pump relay, as you know by now, is actually two relays in one box. Both have to be made in order to make fuel pressure but, as you can see, forcing them closed WILL make the pumps run.
BTW, don't take that drawing as representative of your system. I have no idea what year or model that is. I put it up just to show the double relay.
What is the best way to listen to that?
The pumps run at a relatively high frequency. Some people have hearing roll-off or dips at certain frequencies. You may just not be able to hear the pumps. Put a hand on the under-car pump. You can feel it vibrate when it runs. To maximize the sound you can try putting a screwdriver against it and listen to it at the handle of the screwdriver (a stethoscope). The in-tank pump can be heard at the filler tube. The lower the fuel level, the more noise you will hear.
I also did check the spark...good.
Not if the CPS is bad. Still, I think you are best served by replacing the CPS and waiting until that is done before you try to troubleshoot this problem any further.
--
Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- I've taken to using mister because my name misleads folks on the WWW. I am a 53 year old fat man. ;-)
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