You should be getting right around 30mpg in a 240. Some get a little more, some a little less. There should be a crush washer under the bolt head that hold the filter to the filter stand. Usually you can get away with reusing it several times as long as it's not totally mangled, but they do need to be replaced every so often.

The sucking sound makes be think you have a clogged tank vent. If you can get it started again, let it run for a while, then pull the fuel cap off. If you get a big suction sound your vent is clogged. There is a little bell shaped rubber end on a steel line at the rear of the car, I can't remember the exact locale off hand, but it often gets clogged with mud and crud.

Your tank strainer may be clogged as well. Try swapping the return and supply lines in the engine bay. This will bypass the tank strainer and tell you if the strainer is clogged. Or you can also use a small can or jar of fresh fuel in the engine bay with the supply and return lines in the container and see if she'll run. If the problem persists with either of these option, then you've got lift pump or injection pump issues.

If you're unsure that you actually had fuel I'd try the fuel in a jar trick from above and see what happens. The fuel level senders on these cars a rather finicky at 30 years old. They are often jump and read incorrectly especially when the level is low.

Also if you post your location, there might be a member here that can stop by and help troubleshoot.

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