Yesterday I noticed the tell-tale anemic response of the car (the 91), very suddenly and noticeably, alerting me to the fact that I need to replace my fuel filters...which I will do this afternoon. However, later in the day and this morning, the responsiveness of the car seemed to have improved somewhat.

Question 1: When a clogged fuel filter affects performance, can things get a little better for a while, or do they only get worse? I've only experienced clogged filters one other time, so I don't have a lot of experience.

Question 2: What other problems, other than a vacuum leak of some sort, could produce symptoms similar to a clogged fuel filter? I'm especially wondering what it "feels like" when a fuel pump is about to go.

Thanks.

__________________
14 E250 Bluetec 4Matic "Sinclair", Palladium Silver on Black, 159k miles
06 E320 CDI "Rutherford", Black on Tan, 178k mi, Stage 1 tune, tuned TCU
91 300D "Otis", Smoke Silver on Tan, 145k mi, wastegate conversion, ALDA delete

19 Honda CR-V EX 75k mi
Fourteen other MB's owned and sold
1961 Very Tolerant Wife