EA82 Turbo

[briankk]

I've noticed that the EA82T is widly dissed.  Why?  I've found one in a junkyard, and am thinking that if I fix the turbo oiling problem, it might be a pretty good engine for use up in the Sierra Nevada, above 5000 feet where the air begins to thin a bit..

[coxy]

I think too many people put a secondhand engine in and expected a bulletproof EA81,They have the same well known problems as an EA82 plus additional normal bush bearing turbo stuff if not looked after, Spool down warm it up etc.

 

Used wisely after a thorough check it will do the job at altitude, But then again so will an EJ and they are bulletproof with more torque.

[skishop69]

It's not a turbo oiling problem. It's a poor cooling jacket design inside the engine case that makes it prone to overheating if ANY part of the cooling system fails or you drive it like you stole it. Stay on top of cooling system maintenance, make sure you do HG's (Felpro) before you install it and you 'shouldn't' have any issues. If you're transplanting anyways, spend the extra time and money on the EJ swap especially if you're going to pound on it.

[MilesFox]

I've noticed that the EA82T is widly dissed.  Why?  I've found one in a junkyard, and am thinking that if I fix the turbo oiling problem, it might be a pretty good engine for use up in the Sierra Nevada, above 5000 feet where the air begins to thin a bit..

Because people want to tune them like modern day imprezas and cry when they fail. Leave it stock, replace all the old hoses and you will have a reliable engine. 

 

My opinion is they are not all that bad if you already had experienced them. If you have ever done head gaskets on one, then there is nothing to be afraid of having to keep one up in maintenane.

[NorthWet]

Because people want to tune them like modern day imprezas and cry when they fail. Leave it stock, replace all the old hoses and you will have a reliable engine. 

 

My opinion is they are not all that bad if you already had experienced them. If you have ever done head gaskets on one, then there is nothing to be afraid of having to keep one up in maintenane.

+1

[Txakura]

+1 (also) I have put lots of mileage on my almost totally stock RX. I added an intercooler to try and help it live a longer life and it has been my daily driver for almost 3 years. Decent mileage, amusing acceleration... it ain't a world beater, but it still makes me smile. Someday the fun might end, but not today.

[Buddy]

Yupp I had an 86 GL-10 turbo front trac wagon and it was bone stock and pretty reliable. I felt that it had more than enough power under boost to keep up with traffic and stuff. I was sad the day I had to part with it cuz of the strict smog laws here in California plus we where moving and didn't have room to store it and didn't want to leave it in the field in the back of the house.

[WoodsWagon]

By finding one in a junkyard, do you mean fixing up the whole car or just swapping the engine into a non-turbo subaru?

 

If you're thinking of swapping, I wouldn't. You'll have to pull the dash and switch out the whole wiring harness from there forward. For the mediocre increase in power and the decrease in reliabilty, it isn't worth the effort. That kind of work is better put towards an EJ swap.

 

On the other hand, if you plan on rescuing the whole car, then its a different thing altogether.

 

One thing to wonder is why it's in the junkyard in the first place. An old, not very robust and most likely neglected turbo engine is not the best gamble to take from a junkyard.

[Gloyale]

By finding one in a junkyard, do you mean fixing up the whole car or just swapping the engine into a non-turbo subaru?

 

If you're thinking of swapping, I wouldn't. You'll have to pull the dash and switch out the whole wiring harness from there forward. For the mediocre increase in power and the decrease in reliabilty, it isn't worth the effort. That kind of work is better put towards an EJ swap.

 

On the other hand, if you plan on rescuing the whole car, then its a different thing altogether.

 

One thing to wonder is why it's in the junkyard in the first place. An old, not very robust and most likely neglected turbo engine is not the best gamble to take from a junkyard.

strip the MPFI harness down to just bare engine wiring.

 

piggyback in a'la EJ swap.  no removing dash and entire harness.

 

XT 4cyl engine harness is nearly entirely standalone, and easy to seperate from the other loom.....Turbo GL harness is pretty easy to strip out headlight, a/c, etc......

 

Time really better spent EJ swappign though.  It would be good practice for an EJ swap and get the F.I. pump in place.

[briankk]

It's a '87 GL wagon with only 76k miles on it, in the junkyard, in about twice as good condition as my 400k Loyale, but for having some junkyard stuff dropped on it.  The junkyard refused sell it me, they want to part it out.  I'll be going back for the entire rear suspension and disc brakes, shortly..

 

I hadn't really thought about the electrical consequences of putting an EA82T in place of a plain vanilla EA82, just imagined that changing out the CPU would deal with most of the issues...

 

Looking at how pristine the car is, I figure it must have blown the engine, why else would anyone toss a lovely car like that?  But no worries, I've a deal of experience with turbo engines, lastly a 2.3 Ford SVO, one of my all time favorite engines.  Mostly, turbo motors die of neglect and failure of the steering wheel operator to understand just how much heat a turbo generates.  I'd be surprised to see any damage to the bottom end, problems would be confined to the heads and turbo.. I think it's a small IHI.