Disconnect your IAC and make sure it is't causing anything funny maybe?

i would feel around for any hidden vac ports that didnt get a hose. and if that didnt work, i'd systematically replace ALL the vacuum lines in that general location. You may have a cracked/torn vac line that you can't see.

you mention the fuel rail specifically... did you maybe forget an injector grommet? kinda hard to see with the manifold installed but could leave a hole big enough to leak air in.

As expected, the solution was the result of me being a total jackass. With this install having spanned over two months time (long story), I had a cloud of ignorance obscure the logic regarding injector grommets.

As the RC 550s seemed to fit fairly well sans grommets, and it having been so long since I had RCs in the car, I forgot about them. Imagine this, with the grommets on the injectors, the cars idles pretty good! Wow.

Now, having spent so much time searching for a vacuum leak in and around the IM, I realized that the oil sending unit power wire had come off. Had the OE oil pressure gauge not read normally, I might have realized this before. With the wire hooked back up, the gauge reads nothing. (Yes, I'm saying that with the wire hooked up it reads nothing, and without the connection the gauge reads normally).

This being so, I decided to remove the OE oil sending unit from the T-block provided in the BEGi kit. Starting the car with the plug wires disconnected resulted in no oil coming out the side of the block. So, in other words, no oil pressure. I'm pretty pumped that I get to pull the oil pan and replace the pickup tube that was damaged in drilling my pan.

Good news and bad news! Good that you found the leak and that it led to the discovery of your oil pressure, bad that you have an oil pressure problem!

You have to see the humor in this.

but at least you now know what your problems are and can fix them...

Damn straight! I like to think of myself as someone who can roll with the punches on most any topic, although this one is leaving me just a tad raw in the wrong places...

Indeed, the vacuum leak probably saved my engine, leaving me to remain one of those who believes that everything happens for a reason. I am, however, still attempting to understand exactly why I was meant to drive my Subaru into a massive puddle while "rallying," resulting in a hydro-locked engine;) (Oh yeah, I'm on a roll...)

Today I ordered a new oil pick-up, oil pump and oil pan gaskets (front and rear seals). Given that I really need my car to work next week, I sprung for the whole shebang. I suppose we'll see here soon just how much I'm meant to suffer.

Oh, and once more, thanks a ton to those who helped in trying to diagnose the problem. For y'all, I hope to have some good dyno numbers very soon.

John

hey glad you figured both out. those grommets are a pain!