I'm wondering if you might have a pinched hose? I know they are plastic, just having done the same job on my 2001 ML320 last week, and I know how difficult it is to get to the hoses and filter. If you had a folded over hose that has sat long enough to pinch itself off you would have the situation you've described. Maybe you should eyeball your work for possible problems in that area. It's also possible that your fuel pump has chosen this moment to die. (edit to add this comment) Another thing is that the fuel gages on these vehicles is known to have problems reading less than 1/4 tank of fuel, and it is entirely possible that you are just out of gas!

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Richard Wooldridge
'01 ML320
'82 300D 4.3L V6/T700R4 conversion
'82 380SL, '86 560SL engine/trans. installed
'79 450SL, digital servo update
'75 280C