talldude Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 I put an EA82 in our 71 Bug convertible about 8 years ago, now 15k miles later, it is burning a lot of oil. Rebuilt the heads 2 years ago, so valve stem seals are ok, so I'm pretty sure the rings are worn out. The engine did get hot a few times (240 degrees or so while working out radiator issues), but not enough to blow head gaskets; it kept running and always got us home after we let it cool off. My friend who runs a Subie shop says the rings are worn and most likely the cylinders are no longer round and will need to be bored. He doesn't know of anyone in the area that will touch a bore job on this engine. I've read several threads that recommend just a hone. Has anyone ever bored out an EA82 and is it worth the trouble. Are oversize ring kits available? Am I high to not just grit my teeth and put an EJ22 in this car? Other than this the engine has been a lot of fun in this car, and way more reliable than an aircooled VW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 you might find a good bottom end in a used engine if trying to rebuild this particular unit. You can likely have one given to you by someone around here if you are near any one area. On opinion here, if you know enough subaru folk you can likely get an engine avg 100-150,000 mi for some 50 or 100 bucks. May be overall cheaper than sourcing rebuild parts. If you don't know any subaru folk, then no one is going to know what you are talking about:-p. get a good block and use your own heads Not to say you shouldn't rebuild an engine. If yours got cooked you should consider another block that you can rebuild without an overbore. With a cooked block there is a chance you could spin out a sleeve during the bore and then your block is ruined. Cooked blocks are more likely to strip threads on head bolts if you torqued them again this is general knowledge coming from me. Someone with such experience will chime in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obk25xt Posted January 26, 2010 Share Posted January 26, 2010 if you have the time/resources, the ej22 may be the way to go. you already have the watercooled aspect of the project handled, now all youd have to do would be the adaption, which i guess would include flywheel mods, and then i guess youd have to do the electrical, and f.i. pump (if its not already a spfi), its probably quite a project actually!? BUT! puttin an ej22 in there would nearly double the hp your running now and man would that be mean!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talldude Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 I'll be pulling the engine out in the next couple of weeks. I think I'll just dimension check everything and go from there. Seems like the rings give up the ghost when the engine gets hot. Hopefully I'll just need to do a quick overhaul on the block with a ball hone on the cylinders. I decided to keep the engine in this car because it is a good match (SPFI runs great, especially with the altitude changes we put the car through) and I don't want to retrofit again right now; especially with the gen 1 BRAT in the driveway clamoring for an EJ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quidam Posted January 28, 2010 Share Posted January 28, 2010 15K in 8 years or so is pretty low use. Every time an engine is shut off and cools down, there is the possibility of rust that forms on the bore surface, from about 120* F to 70/90* F. What you may find is the lower oil control rings gummed/seized up. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talldude Posted January 28, 2010 Author Share Posted January 28, 2010 I would take that for a round bore; either way it gets rings and bearings. Part of the problem may be that I bought this as a longblock from an engine importer. They claim low miles but no way to really know. Maybe its just tired... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 If you don't mind going to a self serve yard I bet you'd find an acceptable longblock in the yards in Rancho Cordova, about 45 min from Placerville, for less than I imagine a rebuild costs. I go to Pick-N-Pull there occasionally and see at least one EA82 literally every time I go. There's a Subaru specific yard there too - mostly EJ stuff, higher prices though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 29, 2010 Share Posted January 29, 2010 You should do a leak-down test before you do anything. You may indeed find that it's rings - and I think it's likely that as well being you did a head job on it - anytime you do the top-end without doing the bottom end you put higher stresses on worn components. The valves might seal good and run great for a time, but that means higher compression and more stress on parts left untouched. Subaru engines in general do not typically exhibit ring/bore problems. Though it's not impossible, it's way down on the list. Valves stems are a much more common way to burn oil. You may find something entirely unexpected though. And have you checked the PCV system? I bet it's not routed properly and that can both cause oil consumption issues, as well as not exctract acidic blow-by gases that can cause internal damage - especially if the engine isn't run up to operating temp or sits for long periods of non-use. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talldude Posted January 31, 2010 Author Share Posted January 31, 2010 I pulled the engine yesterday, everything is routed correctly because I transplanted it completely stock, down to the charcoal cannister and O2 sensor. The wiring took the longest, as I rewired the whole car at the same time (the VW wiring was a nightmare, left my wife stranded many times, so it all went away). Teardown and dimension checks to follow soon. At this point a rebuild is less of a hassle than going down the hill to the yards and pulling another engine, although I did find one with 150K on it at the RC yard recently. Thanks for the great advice so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 My friend who runs a Subie shop says the rings are worn and most likely the cylinders are no longer round and will need to be bored. I'd be suprised... I took apart an EA82 with 230,000 miles and could still see the original cross hatching on the cylinder liners... maybe it needs new rings, but in my, limited, experience, subaru bores don't wear out like some other engines do. Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quidam Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 FYI. A simple dry compression test will tell you how good the rings and bore are on any engine. That one should be around 168 if the bore and rings were like new. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talldude Posted February 3, 2010 Author Share Posted February 3, 2010 Before I took it out I did 2 compression tests- a standard and a differential with an aircraft engine compression tester. Standard showed 120-130 all around, and the differential showed very minor leakage out of the crankcase. I am by nature optimistic and will assume for now it needs new rings and not a bore job. Now I can't wait to tear into it to see what's going on! Maybe next week... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Just tore one down to the short-block with 250k - factory hone marks still very prominent. Granted it was little-old-lady driven it's entire life, but still - it's not uncommon to see on EA's. Subaru's do tend to use a bit of oil just due to their cylinder's being horizontal rather than near vertical as most other engine's. Mostly valve stem seals is what I have seen fail unless they have been abused at some point in their life. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talldude Posted March 19, 2010 Author Share Posted March 19, 2010 Tore it down last week; no internal issues, just needs a hone and new rings, bearings, and gaskets. I guess I could have kept driving it forever as long as I put a quart in every 500 miles or so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talldude Posted April 28, 2010 Author Share Posted April 28, 2010 Finally did the overhaul. Everything dimension checked standard, so I ball honed the cylinders and installed new rings/bearings/seals/gaskets. It's back together now and ready to put in the car. The only things I found was a few of the oil control ring grooves were a bit carboned up and #4 rod bearings grooved from some contaminant- the crank journal was fine. I believe that with the exception of the rings losing a little tension due to mileage/heat stress, this is a very durable little engine- I saw virtually no wear inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Txakura Posted April 30, 2010 Share Posted April 30, 2010 Some folks have declared their disdain for the EA82, but I have had 4 with few major issues... that does not mean they did not have niggly little annoying problems, and leaks but I think they are fine, it depends what you do with them... and what you expect them to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
talldude Posted May 7, 2010 Author Share Posted May 7, 2010 I agree- a very smooth running little engine. It sounds like a sewing machine in our 71 vert., much better than the air cooled VW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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