2005 MK4 BEW PD no start

About 2 years ago I had a similar problem. While driving and the low fuel light on the car would sputter and sometimes die. I would always be able (sometimes after sitting) to get it going again, find a diesel station, fill up a proceed with no problem. As long as I filled up prior to the light coming on everything was fine. I took the fuel pump apart cleaned it, tested it and everything seemed fine. I put it back together and 2 years later I have a no start problem. This time I had to get towed home. This time I was approaching a stop sign and I felt a little hessitation, enough to say out load what was that? Then when I pushed the clutch in it died never to return to life again, yet. The fuel pump was bad so I replaced it and the filter. Lots of air in the lines. I removed the line from the filter to the tandem pump and cranked until fuel shot out. Reconnected and no start. I cranked a lot (several times) to bleed air, no start. I connected clean lines to and from the tandem, very little cranking produced no bubbles and no start. I used my OTC code reader, no codes. A tiny shot of ether produced a little start and then died. I've read a few good writeups on here. I have good volume of fuel from the filter. The return is slow, but the writeups say it should be. I suspect no fuel (pressure) to the injectors. Everything I've read indicates that if the tandem pump went bad it would be gradual, not like flipping a switch. I thought about the Crankshaft Speed Sensor going bad, but a paper said that if it fails the Engine Control Module will use a default value. It seems the VW Jetta's sensors all have default settings in case of failure so as not to leave you stranded. Not in my case.

So what can cause the injectors to not have fuel or not to fire? I see there are pressure sensors in the fuel system that could have failed.

I have come to the conclusion that my fuel pump failed some time ago and the high pressure pump was able to suck the fuel that it needed and the bad fuel pump didn't cause this issue.

Any ideas? What should I check?

Thanks in advance!

2005 MK4 BEW PD no start