Good catch Mark. Yeah, what he said Mad. If you can get rid of it by dowshifting, it's not likely the pump or filter. Unless...
However, downshifting under just the right circumstances does sometimes use less fuel, not more. But more often than not, you're going to "suck air" just as much either way.
Q-jets have LOTS of things that can go wrong with them. They're amazing devices really, and work really well most of the time. But if a metering rod breaks, or gets stuck, or something else inside gets gummed up, you could have strange issues.
So to clarify, just where and when does downshifting help the problem go away? Got video?;D
Good luck.
Paul