200 no fuel

[e2e]

Hi all my 200tqa wouldn't start this morning. The battery was down (it's
old).So after boosting it the car wouldn't go, I noticed the fuel pump
wasn't whirring as it normally does. So I checked it out fuse ok, voltages
across the various terminals (as per SJM) ok, shorted out across the large
relay sockets voila, the pump goes. So then I cracked the fuel filter and
gas rushes out with pump shorted, but not with the relay in or with a fuse
in the top of the relay. Then suddenly vroom the car starts and now runs
fine (yes I have tightened up the filter).Any advice out there as to what
is/was wrong cos I'm not sure what I did to fix it.
-- 
Sam Clarkson