The original ECTS was made of resin, and would be eatin through by the coolant. the new brass one will last the life of the car. get it replaced asap while also checking the connector for any corrosion. 13mm deep dish socket with a 3/8 drive is all that is need
if you hear the fuel pump priming then check the shrader valve on the fuel rail using a screw driver or something small enough to push the pin in. gas should squirt out, however wear protective eye wear so it does not get in your eyes. if fuel comes out (not just dribbles) then your pump should be working.
pressing the accelerator pedal to the floor while starting, puts the car in flood mode. this will turn of the injectors, so if the cylinders are flooded they will clear out. i would do this since youve been continously cranking. i would take out the spark plugs and crank the engine. this will get rid of any fuel and let you start clean.
what kind of spark plugs do you have? NGK coppers are the best. no platinums or other fancy plugs
have you checked all the fuses? both in the cabin and under the hood?
the '97 did not have problems with the fuel pumps, but rather the check valve after the pump (just so happened it was all in one unit). the check valve would leak, letting the fuel rail depressurize so an immediate cold start would not happen. you would need to wait 2 seconds for the fuel pump to repressurize the fuel rail, and it started up dandy
