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Thoughts on EA81 Build


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So here is the deal, my 82 wagon needs new head gaskets because the are leaking oil pretty badly now. I have an original 1.8 turbo (ea81t) but the wiring is really messed up. I was thinking that I could make a turbo carb engine and was wondering what i should use for parts i have several ea81s and a ea82 and the ea81t. I was thinking a pretty stock motor maybe a little port and polishing, using the turbo pistons, all the turbo bits and my weber. Anyone have any ideas??

 

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Hi This is Jerry, far cheaper to EJ it. If you look at the wcss 12 pictures there is a light blue hatch that has a 93 impreza 1.8 engine and the wiring is alot less than the legacy. I check the mileage and i am getting 34.8 miles per galon i am a happy camper. If you want to know more let me know. Thanks Jerry

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Aren't pistons from a turbo always lower compression than others?

 

Yes they are dished pistons.

 

This is just my opinion but most of the time turbo carb setups are more trouble than there worth and you have and ea81t those are very rare engines these days If had a good rust free ea81t body with a running ea81t I would fix the wiring And put It away somewhere in a few more years they will be well worth what ever it takes to fix them now.

 

I have two ea81ts running compete cars a Brat and a Wagon they both are rusty but I have still put them up in barns there were only around 2500 turbo ea81s imported to the US in 83-84 and that was mostly wagons and hardtops the brats were the rarest with only around 650 made

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Jerry that sounds great, I have a 97 impreza brighton that has lived the last of it's days but the engine is still strong! I am hoping to do a 2.2 swap in my brat this winter so that idea may have to wait...The engine was in my brat, (originally a non turbo) i went back to the carbed engine. I could never keep it running I could drive it like 2 miles and it would die and then i could go back after it cooled down and it would start but fowl plugs, and it didn't seem to have any power over 3500 rpm. The 1.8 t was just rebuilt, new mains and all, newer turbo, new up pipe, custom 2.5" down pipe, when it ran right it went like crazy, but that was only once in a great while. the harness is still in the brat, and the original turbo went to the crusher because it was the rustiest car I have ever seen in my life and I live in VT! I just want to put this rare engine to use! I just have no idea where to begin with the harness because the wagon the engine was in sat in a swap for (not joking) 11 years.

Edited by 1982gl4
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Use MegaSquirt then I should fix all of your wiring problems and you can get more power out of the engine than with the stock setup you probably could get the some power as the EJ out of it with some work no one has really tried to find the limits of the ea81t yet and yes they do have problems but if this thing s just going to be a toy why not. Besides the ea81 has no tbelts to worry about and is a very simple engine to work on. But the carb turbo setup is very problematic you have to build a box around your carb and it has to be air tight the jetting has to be just right too.

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I'm still pretty new at this... So what's megasquirt?? And it seemed to have crazy power with the few mods that I did to it in the first place :banana: , just it wouldn't stay running. And I have heard all of those things about the turbo carb, it just seems like a waist not to use all these amazingly rare parts that I have. Plus I love boost!

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http://www.diyautotune.com/?gclid=CIfY6L3O5KMCFd9n5QoduTUolQ

 

Megasquirt basically takes a lot of the guess work out of computers and tuning. My buddy just threw a megasquirt computer in his turbo merkur and it really hauls. It really allows you to fine tune the engine..but at a price. To do it right (and i assume you do) you will need a wideband 02 (around 200) to actually see what your changes in the computer are doing as well as the computer itself (probably looking at around 400 for that). So by the time your done you will have somewhere in the range of 600-700 dollars in the wiring and tuning supplies to run the EA81T. It would be awesome to do and def a headturner but...the more logical thing would be to run the 2.2 with the 2.2 wiring and be done with it. More power + less money = no brainer. Not as interesting for sure but probably less headache in the end.

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That would be so sick!!! :lol: I don't really want to do a 2.2 in both I feel like the ea81t would be amazing with stand alone and really its not that bad. I probably would have to have a Microsoft computer as well i take it? As in i have a Mac now so I'd need windows to run it? Also which kit would be the best to get?

Edited by 1982gl4
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I am running it on my spfi 82 brat with a built ea81 and just changing over to megasquirt from the stock setup I was able to gain 10hp on the dyno with the stock ecm my brat was dynoed at 102hp at the front wheels with the megasquirt it was 112hp at a lower rpm and now the thing finally idies right which it would not do with the stock setup. But I think I have reached the max output for the n/a ea81 running stockish US big valve heads now if you could get a set of dual port or reversed valve heads the sky is the limit

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A blow-through carb is possible, and actually not that hard. There's a few modifications to the carb that are needed and also some fancy fuel pressure regulation. I've done it with a Weber DGV but the carb is not ideal as it's progressive linkage makes tuning a real chore. You can PM me if you want more details but I can tell you that on the project I was involved with that uses the blow-through setup we are moving to Mega-Squirt and a throttle body system as it's more tunable. There is a special engine being built for the project as well so the MS is part of a substantial upgrade and increase in boost pressure.

 

What I can tell you in brief is that if you are planning 10psi or higher you should stay away from the carb setup. FI is much easier to work with. Right now the system we built is running 7psi from a VF7 into a 1.3L Samurai engine - it runs like a frieght train.

 

GD

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Right now I'm thinking an 82 wagon with the ea81t would be pretty amazing, I really like the idea of the FI just because I really dislike carbs already, and adding a turbo is just going to add to those issues, My only concern so far is fact that some of the sensors and such may be bad on the engine itself and not all of it was the ecu and the wiring, but most of it could probably be replaced easily. Also i would have to put my 5speed in it at the same time cause the gearing is awful right now, and i would want a much better clutch. Also i want to put this motor to use :rolleyes: Now everyone has me thinking i should completely rebuild my 1.8t again and make it perfect and then do the FI!

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