Well I can promise you the filter will be much more useful to you after the pump.

I think you should try it without and get back to us. I'm also postive it can't go there, no way will it work.
Also I think you should jet it up one step too and make sure it's not building heat from being lean.
How's the motor run? If it is lean, it will get the motor hot and affect fuel pump performance. Or it could be timing...