Fuel Pump Resistor symptoms

A couple days ago I noticed this guy bolted in front of the battery and behind headlight:

Toyota Genuine Parts - Resistor Assy, Fuel (23080-31010)

https://www.amazon.com/Toyota-23080-31010-Fuel-Pump-Resistor/dp/B00TNNRLKW


The wires connecting mine to the plug are frayed and insulation ripped off. Couple things I have been chasing...

-truck takes a little longer than I would like to crank over. Not like I have to crank it over twice, but a beat or two longer than I recall doing when I had a 2008 4runner. New plugs, cleaned MAF, new filters and fluids all around.

-mpg is pretty bad. I got 15 on an all around town tank. Drove a mostly highway tank yesterday and got 16.3 mpg. I just got the truck but was thingking I would get about 16-17 in town and 19-20 on the highway. My 4runner did about this, but it was automatic. Tacoma is a 6sp.

Edit: 265/75/16 e rated tires, stock wheels, lifted 2in on OME shocks and 884. Cap and rack on the back, but not more than couple hundred lbs extra.

Could the fuel pump resistor impact any of these things? Should i replace the resistor if it has been exposed to moisture or just throw some new wire and/or heat shrink over wires exposed and keep rolling. Looks like resistors are going for $45-60 so didnt want to just throw money at it.

 

If it were mine, I would replace it.

 

Ok, more curious about what the resistor not functioning or functioning improperly might cause in terms of symptoms?

 

Here is a schematic and description of what it does.
https://www.customtacos.com/tech.ol...6toyewd/06toypdf/ewd/2006/tacoma/h/em01d3.pdf

The engine control module supplies current to TERMINAL FPR, and controls the operation speed of the fuel pump with the FUEL PUMP relay

** So basically when engine demand is high the ECU de-energizes the Fuel Pump Relay which removes the resistor from the circuit and the pump runs faster. When Idling or low demands the ECU energizes the Fuel Pump Relay and places the resistor in series with the pump and slows it down.

 

@Jimmyh , so next time I blow my fpr, can I safely just short it out and keep driving for any length of time?
I'm having a hard time finding a good cheap one online, can I just use any resistor of the same resistance?
What is the resistance of the fpr?