Fuel pump doesn't seem to be losing power

Ok I drove the car to work one day and everything went fine. Then when I went to head home the car wouldn't start. The engine turns over and all the lights/ac/stereo turn on. I tried getting a jump and that didn't work. I noticed that there was no smell of fuel when trying to start the car. My first thought as wellas the thought of multiple people more mechanicly inclined was the fuel pump was bad. I did check all the fuses and made sure they were good. I replaced the fuel pump and I can hear it whirring when the car is put into the on position. However the car still won't start. It did start when starter fluid was sprayed into the air filter but even with me giving it gas the car would die again after a few seconds. We checked things with a voltmeter and it seems like the car is losing voltage somewhere on the way to the fuel pump. When checked at the connector under the back seat it only reads at about 8 amps. I am at a complete loss at this point and so is my friend. I really can't afford a mechanic so I am hoping for an easy solution. Thanks in advance.