??? jeep surging at high RPM's

i've got a 95 ZJ with the 4.0, it's got about 160,000 on it and has run great till now. after it's warm it'll surge at high RPM's. i'm not talking like a fire issue, it still has power at the height of the surge, but it has a consistent surge. i noticed that it's mostly at or after 3000 RPM's, and when under load. but as i climbed a steady hill about 2mi long of consistent pitch, it held a steady 40-45mph, but just strained to get any more than that. i'm thinking it's a fuel issue, and about a week prior, my girl ran it completely out of fuel. and i don't know if that would be the cause or not. i'm really thinking it may be a fuel pump problem, but would like a little input before i spend $300-$500 on a new one. any help on this one would be greatly appreciated. ???
thanks,
Larry

try replacing the fuel filter.

ck. or have someone ck. the fuel pressure also have a diagnosis done to the engine may save you some money a computer diag should cost no more than an hours labor may be as simple as an 02 sensor which is very common and they wont always give engine codes