I have a 1988 5.7 TPI trans am GTA, the car was running fine and a few minutes later I went to start it and it would hardly stay running, one thing I had noticed is that now I do not hear the fuel pump running at all but it will still start but I have to feather the gas pedal and when I rev it up it runs rough and miss firers and the exhaust smells rich with some black smoke, any ideas if this could be that I need a new fuel pump or...?

 

have you pulled the engine codes to see if anything amiss ?

Running rich
Many possibilities
Bad CTS telling the computer engine is colder than what it is so it adds too much fuel ?
Leaking injectors maybe ?

Unlikely the pump is the problem if engine is rich
Have you done a fuel pressure test and a leak down test on the injectors.

 

I had a code for the MAF burn off relay and replaced it with no change in the way it runs, that is all I have done so far, the main thing that I have noticed is I do not hear the fuel pump come at all, I could always hear it come on before starting it and after it was running, Thank you for responding.

 

Think about it.
If the pump wasn't running neither would the engine

 

I know, that's the weird thing about it.

Why do you think the pump is NOT making any noise but yet it will still runs half azz .......... ?

 

Need to check fuel pressure with a gauge. Sounds like a bad fuel pressure regulator.

 

I second the fuel pressure thought. There is a thin rubber diaphragm inside the fuel pressure regulator that can tear. Once torn, you can smell gas from the vacuum line that is connected to it. I attached a picture of what it looks like

 

Update, I solved the problem.

It was the pick up coil and what ever the thing is called in the last pic was hitting the outer piece, car now runs great after 2 years sitting in the garage with a new distributor installed...