How do I tell if the fuel filter or pump went bad

is there any check engine light on?

You can have someone stand by the truck and they should hear the pump kick on when you turn the key in the on position. Can you spray fuel into the throttle body and will it start that will tell you if the ignition is ok or not and also tell you if you have fire to the cylinders. If it start right up and shuts off you either have a bad fuel filter, fuel pump or a plugged catalytic converter in the exhaust system.

You will have to have a fuel pressure test done on the vehicle ,but it is either the fuel filter,or the fuel pump witch has gone out,it is not a relay,or fuse,or the pump would not work at all.Replace the fuel filter and see if the engine performs correctly .If the fuel filter helps,but the engine still runs poorly,replace the fuel pump,if the fuel filter went to long,being restricted,it will wear out the fuel pump.

hi , i would check the fuel filter ,it might be clogged if , not the fuel filter i would check the fuel pump could pick up particals on the screen. thanks hope this helps

First there no elec. wire to fuel filter, so how can they tell you it's a bad fuel filter, now there telling you it's the fuel pump. I say noway, this is just a selling thing for them, do not buy anything else till it get diag., see if they will give you the trouble code, get back with us with that code number, so we can help you with your trouble code

Careful doing this. Disconnect the fuel filter line between the tank and the filter. Have a bucket or equivalent below to catch incomimg gasoline pouring out. Have some one turn the ignition key to on. Do Not Try and turn the key to START!! Just turn the key to the ON position. This will kick in the oil switch to feed gas to the engine for 5 seconds. If gas comes out the pump works. Reconnect the filter and try again. If no start is happening still disconnect the fuel filter's line towards the front of the engine this time. Turn the key ON. If gas comes out the filter is fine. If not the filter is clogged up fully

if the pump is known to be good, check the fuel filter. the fuel filter may have never been changed and this may very well be the reason why the pump went out in the first place. hope this helps... visit again and rank this answer if I helped thanks!

Are you certain that the fuel filter isn't bad and leaking gasoline?

There is a cheap plastic locking mechanism holding the fuel filter inline with the outlet side of the filter. Mine went bad and started leaking fuel everywhere i went. Especially when I was stopped at a light for a long period of time. A cheap tool can be bought at any automotive parts store to remove the old filter , you will need the tool to install a new filter.

If the filter is okay then I would just disregard my post.
thank you

the (ECM) tells the fuel pump to turn on.

BE WARNED!!! i was a GM mechanic for years, i personally found out for myself, that many if those pumps bought from parts stores auto zone, orielly's, napa, etc... have the possibility of being bad from the factory, i once worked on a 98 silverado, the customer had replaced the pump 3 times with an auto zone pump, every time the pump would either not even start the truck or it would loose pressure within a week or two. after we installed a new GM pump he no longer had an issue, sometimes its worth it to pay a little bit more and buy a pump from a dealer, plus if you buy a GM part, it comes with a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty, even if you buy it over the counter and install it yourself.