I need real advice from the experts
 

Heres the problem: 96 Explorer XL, it ran out of gas, put a gallon in, tried the key"on" key "off" many times, still wouldnt start, called AAA, they sprayed "foam?" into the intake, started up for a second and died. I tried again and my intake cought fire. brought it home, added 3 more gallons, it will now turn over without adding gas or anything to the intake , will rev up but dies a couple seconds later. I can hear the fule bump run when i turn the key to the on position. tried jumping with no sucess and checked all the fuses and relays. this HAS happened before but it started up after a few hours. been at it for 3 days now. Any ideas?

Unfortunately when we run the tank out of gas the pump sucks up the stuff in the bottom of the tank and some will clog the filter sock in the tank and some will plug the fuel filter under the vehicle. You might try changing the under vehicle fuel filter first and see if that filter is clogged. Don't forget to relieve the pressure in the system before disconnecting any fuel lines or you will get a fuel bath. Let us know if you need any further assistance.

One trick that works (sometimes) I've used to diagnose bad fuel pumps (which certainly sounds like what you have) is to have someone crank the car, and while cranking, whack the bottom of the tank (usually covered by a skid plate) with a rubber mallet. If it starts, there you go. And, of course, Hanky is right; you've sucked up all the muck at the bottom of the tank, which is the cause of the condition. PLEASE NOTE: This only works ONCE, and just to get the car started and possibly moved to wherever you need to work on it!
Also, when buying a new pump, get a relatively well built one. Many, many of the 'new' pumps I've installed for customers work fine when Ford builds them, but the ones in the aftermarket are a classic case of 'you get what you pay for!'
Good luck!

Welcome to the site..

Does sound like a pump issue.

Also remember, that these in tank pumps need fuel to help keep cool. Running the tank low/empty consistantly will shorten the pump life. If it doesn't start and the pump runs, a pressure/volume test at the schrader valve on the fuel rail would tell the story..

Guys, the pump is sucking fuel from the bottom of the tank at all times. Any debris that falls to the bottom will clog up the siphon filter on the tank, or get pumped through the system. Also, because fuel is an oil product, its not as dense as water, so any water that gets into the system will fall to the bottom of the tank and get pumped through the system way before you empty the tank. So making the statement that running you vehicle out of fuel and sucking up nasty debris is completly false. The only real way the check for fuel pump issues is to change the fuel filter then proceed to attaching a fuel pressure gauge and check the pressure. Further diagnostics would be required if pressures fail. You can go to your local auto parts store and have them retreive the PCM trouble codes. That should point you in a direction to start looking.