Fuel Pump failing, warning signs?

Failing fuel pumps have no warning signs, they just give out. Please explain, no fire means no spark, are the spark plugs working or not? Did you pull out the plugs and check if they smelled like fuel? If they are dry, then you have no fuel to the spark plugs. I would check all of them.

Edit:

I wish there was a way to vote people off a section if they don't know anything.

If they smell like fuel and they are covered in oil, 1 and/or a combination of 2 things are happening. Oil is one of the best things to foul a spark plug and keep it from firing. This indicates that either the piston rings are worn and allowing the oil into the combustion chamber or the PCV is faulty and allowing oil into the air intake then into the combustion chamber. If this is happening, it will not allow the spark plugs to fire and that's why they smell like raw fuel because they aren't working. Everything else is though, like the fuel pump. You should do a compression test to verify the piston rings are worn.

Carburetor, you say? It would be a low pressure fuel pump, quite possibly engine mounted, and those often squirt gasoline inside or outside the engine when they die. In fuel injected cars I've never had any warning - the pump just suddenly died and stayed dead.

But that's academic. Since it does not run when you put starting fluid in the intake you have a problem beyond fuel. You have a spark of some sort, so at this point I think we need to know the make, model, and year. I am suspecting the timing belt or chain may be at fault.

Your car would start acting like it was running out of gas, well, it would be, if the pump started acting up. It might pump at times, but then not pump and so your carb would go dry and your engine would just stop running or running badly. If electric pump, if it stopped suddenly, it could be a ground wire or something. If mechanical, it will go out slower.

But it seems to me that it is more an electrical problem (Not electric pump, I mean ignition). You are not getting fire, because if you did, your car would run when you put in the starting fluid.

Unless you have a spark and it is out of time. Timing chain slipped or broken. But then you would get some back firing , because your gas and spark would still be there, only out of sequence. Your car would back fire. I had a timing gear break some teeth, and the car tried to start but would backfire, and it would skip the teeth and get more and more out of time, as I cranked the engine, I had to replace the timeing gear. (Old Jeep )

A failing fuel pump will not create enough pressure in the fuel system, potentially resulting in a loss of engine power or a "no start" condition or begin making too much noise,. You may also have a lean running condition that can set a diagnostic trouble code and turn on the Check Engine Light

Fuel pumps can go on and off. dont know the 2003s, but most have a schrader valve on the fuel rail that wil allow you to check for fuel pressure. Could also be a crank or cam position sensor going bad. Buy a manual for troubleshooting for all these problems.

well i have ran into this myself before.yea you can check your fuel pump lisen for it to pump, get a fuel pressure test dont, before you drop 300 into a new fuel pump tho try looking into replacing the crank sensor first. my car just turned over ond over one day,thought it was a bad fuel pump, changed it to find out it was a part for less than 60 dollars that fixed it. I would try that before you mess with any timing isues