man on the moon

It may not be a gasket at all, if things are nice and tight and you have good compression. Could be a leaky PCV valve and/or hose. Could be a leaky oil pump, or camshaft seals. Last but not least, if it's an old motor and never been cleaned...there is a saying (I didn't invent it) that "if it's not leaking, it's probably out".

The fuel pressure sounds a bit low for an SPFI motor (I'm assuming it's not MPFI since you only mention a single injector. Or is it carbed?). Have you replaced the fuel filter?

You mean the motors AREN'T supposed to look like that?

Are you looking for Subaru generated stuff? Or big kinkos printed pictures of our various vehicles?

Glad you found the culprit

It is entirely possible it is a suspension problem. At low idle the car may developing a standing wave, like what a guitar string does when it is in tune. Or a tuning fork, how it seems to grow louder after several seconds as opposed to when it is first struck. After several seconds you could conceivably, at the right frequency (idle speed) have vibrations that resonate with something in the suspension or mounts and cause bouncing. If this is the case, it should also happen at multiples of that speed (700, 1400, etc), however, it is unlikely you would keep the motor at that precise higher frequency long enough to develop the 'bounce'. Even if your motor mounts are tightened down, they could be dried out enough to transmit vibrations to the crossmember and, by extension, the frame. They should be solid, but with enough 'give' to absorb/dampen those vibrations. If your struts are toast, that wouldn't help the situation Please note that all this is only a hypothesis, and not a diagnosis.

Water in the gas will act up all the time, not just when you're going up an incline. Are all the fuel system components around the motor bolted tightly down? Loose components may be shifting when you start climbing. Check non-bolted bits, too, in case a weld or other joiner has come loose on accident. Check your fuel lines--while unlikely, it is possible there is a crack or gap only opening when you are on an incline or under load. Gas evaporates quickly enough that you may not smell it if you check things 15 minutes later. For myself, at least, I try to rule out stupid and unlikely problems before I get to expensive ones.

I have a bottle of solvent something I use to get rid of carbon and oil build-up. It is a purple bottle. I forget the exact name, but you can buy it at auto-zone and o'reilly's. It resembles this, except in a squirt bottle and not aerosol: http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/ORC2/72415/N0442.oap?******=Search_N0442_-1_-1&pt=N0442&ppt=C0090 Almost anything along those lines will obtain magical properties if it is accompanied by the proper persuasive tool.

It comes out the other end . Or did you mean starter fluid or some sort of cleaner?

Also wouldn't hurt to check your engine mounts for snugness and completeness. (That they aren't cracked or dried out or whatever).

I've had that conversation...many times. I sometimes wish I could do this to that darn computer:

This is where I would say:

I had better luck doing it from the top than from underneath. Pull the working spade piece out as far as you can (within reason) and stuff it in place, then hold it via the cable housing while you mess with the threaded part. It takes a bit, but it will go in eventually.

You know NAPA has orange bulbs that will fit, right? The bigger ones will anyway, and if not bop them over the head and ask for the guy who can look at all the lights in stock, not just use the computer prompt to say "oh the Loyale needs white ones"...

Mine used to do it only under load. Now it does it all the time. Gonna fix it one of these days...

Exhaust leak, maybe? New exhaust gaskets and snuggley bolted down?

You win best idea for that clock hole yet! Love the OBDII thingy. I miss my Android and will probably trade in the Iphone for one this summer, I wonder if the 'Droid will fit...similar concept, just requires mini-USB instead of big honking Iphone connector. Phone size should be similar/same.

Awesome! I love when it turns out to be a cheap, easy fix (albeit a bothersome one). Glad it worked out!

You may have a loose wire in the ignition switch that wiggles just enough to short occasionally, and not other times. The battery is (probably) ok. Next time the 'thing' happens, turn on your headlights and see if they come on, even if the dash doesn't. They are wired through the ignition, and should only be 'on' if the key is 'on'--turning the ignition off normally kills the lights. Try them with the ignition 'off' as well. Then try the 'virgin' switch on the top of your steering column. This should turn on the parking lights even if the car is off and the key is out of the ignition. Let us know what happens. Some information will prove useless at the end, but we don't know which facts those will be until we've figured it out. Until then, assume any information could be useful.

Got a new job! That I don't have to drive to! So I called Shawn and told him to drop the EA81 he has in the shop in my car (Loyale) when he gets a chance over the next few weeks. This should be great.

I like that pulling motors is "routine maintenance" (I keep tools there when working on the car, too)

1--Did it start before you replaced the pump? 2--Is the wire connector thingie coming off the fuel injector plugged into its mate in the wiring harness with a good, clean connection? (Not gummed up) If it's not either of those simple things, and it starts with starter fluid, then we'll cross them off and move on to more involved stuff.

It will weigh significantly more on the way out

You chose a good board . Welcome. Nice color, btw!

When the car is being flat towed (all four wheels down, with a tow bar or strap) the axles are spinning in front. That in turn spins the bits inside the transmission that fling the oil around. When you lift the front wheels and only spin the rear, you spin the rear drive shaft. This may or may not spin the bits that fling the oil around, based on what I've read I guess 'no', but haven't pulled one apart or bothered to ask (I'll take an answer if someone gives one!). But not all parts stop spinning. I don't understand how this works if the 4wd is disengaged, but like I said--I haven't torn one apart. Front wheel towing is fine if you are just going around town, but over the course of a thousand miles that is a lot of heat and wear and tear if the oil is not being fling around to lubricate things. You can also tow it with the rear wheels up, and escape all the above problems, though you create another if the 1--alignment is off (tire wear), and 2--if the steering wheel spins...have fun. It shouldn't, but not worth risking, especially if the alignment is off. You want her to track true, and not off to the side. I saw a wrecker doing just this today, in fact, I was fully expecting the car in tow to angle over onto the shoulder, wondered why he didn't at least strap the seat belt to the steering wheel!