One more clue with the no fuel pump part of my problem; Under normal conditions, when you turn the key to on (not start), you hear the fuel pump run for 3-5 seconds, then the relay clicks off. It will start fine after that (still have the gas peddle pumping to do to keep it running). At times, when I turn the key on, the fuel pump does not sound normal, and the relay never clicks off. I finally noticed that under these conditions, the ‘check engine’ and ‘brake’ lights are dim, leading me to assume there is low voltage to them and the pump and maybe more. I have replaced the ignition switch thinking it might have bad contacts, but no luck.
I have a Ford electrical manual, but it has no mention of those ‘status/warning’ lights or where they are powered from. If I knew that, it might go a long ways toward troubleshooting.