Fuel Regulator or ?

I have a 1994 Ram B350 w/360 and can't go anywhere anymore with it since it will backfire like it doesn't have any gas. I did run out of gas with it a couple of times and now I have this problem. Could I have damaged the fuel pressure regulator/fuel filter? It does have 152,000 on it, but it runs really well. The problem started out with it not being able to handle highway speeds and I could only drive in city. Now the problem is practically all the time. I can also hear that clicking sound as well. What's going on?

I have a 94 ram van-3.9 v-6. this summer my van started running rough---heard a clicking sound in front dash. It was the mother board. My o2 sensor was bad but it was a short in the wiring harness near the transmission...go for it..

The problem started out with it not being able to handle highway speeds and I could only drive in city.

It sounds like your fuel pump is not giving sufficient fuel flow. A pressure test should confirm this for you.

Thanks for the info. I'll be checking into it on Monday. I'm in Minnesota and it's just starting to get cold so I need to fix this ASAP. I think I'm just going to replace the entire pump, since it only makes sense.

Back firing is usually a problem with a bad cam shaft, a broken valve spring or a burnt valve. A bad plug wire can also cause a back fire. Start by doing a compression test and isolate the bad cylinder. A bad timing chain will also cause a back fire. Remember you can change a broken valve spring by putting some thin rope in the cylinder and turn the motor over by hand until it is touching the valve. This will keep the valve from falling out while you install a replacement spring.

You left out a lean fuel mixture as a cause of backfiring. A lean mixture can be caused by a weak fuel pump due to insufficient fuel flow.

Just a quick thanks for the help. It is insufficient fuel pressure, so it really wouldn't have made much sense to change the regulator when that's only part of the problem. By replacing the entire thing, I can move in to other things, like stabilizer bar linkage bolt which broke after a minor fendor bender. Thanks again!!