hello all i rebuilt a 98 16v tracker about 6 months ago and has drove it everywhere but today i got in and started it fine but once i left my drive and put it into 2nd gear it started sputtering and tried to die so i tured around and got it back to my drive and now it starts but wants to die unless i hold the gas to it and still then it spits and sputters so i wonder if the pump went bad or maybe the mass air sensor???

Any check engine light or anything? Checked your fuel pressure?

My fuel pump died a couple of weeks ago. There i was almost to work on a Monday, and I make a left turn, coast down a hill and shift into 2nd to go back up, and she dies and wont start back up .

The pump motor would turn on but there was no fuel pressure. I took the opportunity to raise my tank a couple of inches , since I already had the tank down and everything.

well i finally got back around to working on the tracker, replaced fuel filter and still no luck, it runs but to keep it running i have to hold down on the gas and when i do it lopes and soon as i let off the gas it dies, i also checked the cam and everything looked ok so i wonder if it could be a sensor  who knows lol     

Sounds like a vacuum line

Sounds like it could be the fuel pump. 
Maybe got some bad gas?
If it is a sensor problem, then the check engine light should be on.  As long as the light is working and is not on, then I would not suspect a sensor.

what would be the best way to check the fuel pump, just take a gas line loose and hit the key and see if it pumps? i can hear it wine a lil when i hit the key but dunno

what would be the best way to check the fuel pump, just take a gas line loose and hit the key and see if it pumps? i can hear it wine a lil when i hit the key but dunno

That will tell you if the fuel pump is pumping. But it won't tell you if it is pumping the proper pressure.  The only way to know for sure is to hook a pressure gauge up to it.  But as long as it shoots a full stream of fuel out without any sputtering, then it is probably ok.

unhooked gas line and hit key and plenty of gas came out, all i know is the last few times i drove it i could smell gas kinda strong so i guess it was running to rich and now it hardly runs at all lol

now back to my tracker, finally got around to working on it again and just been cheaking the injectors and no luck there but i still think its flooding itself but don't know what could cause that, i also checked the distrib. and wires and plugs which were ok

When you say you checked the plugs, did you actually take them out and look at each one after you ran it?  You say your hunch is that is flooding-do your spark plugs indicate that?  Are they wet-fouled?   And throughout the thread you never said if your CEL (Check Engine Light) is on.  That would be some helpful information in helping you diagnose this.

ok the check engine light is on and i checked the plugs again and they are black and have a strong gas smell to them i also shined a light down into each hole and found that everything is dry on the top of the pistons except the rear piston next to the firewall which it is wet on top may have some problem on my hands

If you can, find out what code set the CEL.  May be a leaking injector, or possibly a head gasket leak?   Have you compression tested the cylinders?  I'm afraid to know the answer

yea i was afraid to check them but i just did and they are all holding good pressure Except the rear cylinder, figures which is didn't gauge any     sounds like i get to have a lil fun don't it  but i still don't get how it happened all at once, left my driveway and pulled out on the street and put it in 2nd and blaaaa  but anyway thanks for all the help

It is weird how it just happened like that.  Glad we could track it down though.  Hope you get it back up and running soon.