Got an RX.... now what?

[Snowman]

I am now the owner of an 89 RX, oh yeah!!!!!!!!!

 

I'm not sure if I'll keep it for my road car or sell it for some $$$. Now the bad part:

 

The reason I got the car is that it has had ongoing cooling issues and I'm pretty sure it eventually blew both head gaskets. It cranks fine but doesn't even try to fire, and I tested #1 and #4 and got compression readings of less than 50 psi. There are several options that I'm considering. At a bare minimum, I could do the head gaskets and have the heads resurfaced. However, the heads are likely cracked if it got that hot. I could get the heads off of the spare engine that comes with the car, which should be rebuildable by a machine shop. I don't know their exact condition, but I think that engine had a burned valve or something. New heads are also an option, but rather pricey. By this point, I would be considering a total rebuild, since it wouldn't take much more time. That would be in the $1000-$1200 range though. What I'm wondering is if it's likely that there is any damage inside the short block from getting that hot, or at worst, could the block be toast as well? Finally, we come to the option of just replacing the mofo. A CCR engine would be close to $2000 by the time I was all done, and I will be lucky to get $2600 for the car (we've got a pretty high-priced market here). What about junkyard engines? I've never tried that, but it seems like kind of a hit or miss thing, and it's not easy to come by good turbo soobs in AK yards. I might be able to get a cheap engine in WA and ship it here, which would make total cost under $800 or so.

 

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I've got plenty of time to come up with a course of action, since I won't be able to even start taking stuff apart until Christmas break. I mainly want the car to get a good engine that will be trouble free for some time, while still being able to profit a little bit if I sell the car.

 

Thanks.

[All_talk]

Hey Snowman

 

An ’89 you say, is it black?

 

If the car is in really nice shape it might be worth a full rebuilt engine, if its more average a used engine would probable make more sense.

 

On the short block, if it blew a HG and got hot the major worries will be:

1. Was it run with water in the oil, very bad for the bearings and journals

2. Did it get hot enough to de-temper the rings, low compression and will burn oil.

3. Has it sat with moisture in the cylinders from the bad HG, will cause cylinder wall pitting.

 

I’ve had good luck with JY engines but have never bought one for a Sube.

 

Best of luck

Gary

[Dr. RX]

Well I would guess it really depends upon how long you plan to keep the car. If everything else is in great shape, then going with a CCR rebuilt long block is the way to go, or if you have a good set of heads, go with a CCR rebuilt short block. Unless you are familar with how these engines come apart, you will spend many frustrating hours trying to figure it out, it does take special tool to completely take the engine apart. There are places that sell JDM engines, that would be an option. Several cars that I have owned have had those engines in them and were very reliable. Should be able to get them for under $1000 shipped to you place. They are pretty much a bolt in replacement.

 

Try these guys, they are in Lynnwood, WA. http://www.foreignenginesinc.com/

[thealleyboy]

Snowie:

If it's the EA82 (non-turbo), you should be able to land a pair of nice used heads that will work fine for you. The cost of the heads should be reasonable, but shipping might be a little high.

I always have my favorite machine shop look at anything I use. From my experience, run-of-the-mill used EA82 heads usually "pass" inspection. The opposite is true for EA82T's. (he's very picky).

Damage to your SB should be minimal if all you did was run it hot. In fact, your PSI reading isn't bad, and suggests a blown HG without further damage to the cylinder heads.

If you don't want to tackle this job yourself, and you can't find a used one locally, you might want to consider an "import from Japan" motor. This will give you the most bang for the buck, especially when you consider shipping costs.

Not dissing CCR at all. They are excellent to deal with. I have one of their motors in my 86 GL wagon, and I would recommend them highly if you can afford the higher cost.

good luck, John

[Dr. RX]

Snowie:

 

If it's the EA82 (non-turbo), you should be able to land a pair of nice used heads that will work fine for you. John

John, I believe he stated that it is a RX, RXs only came with EA82T engines.

[thealleyboy]

John, I believe he stated that it is a RX, RXs only came with EA82T engines.

Thanks for clarifying. The only RX I have seen in person was non-turbo, but it must have been retrofitted if they originally came only with turbos.

That makes finding a replacement a bit more of a challenge. Because of the cost and hassle of finding a replacement EA82T in Alaska, I would probably take a stab at working with what you have first. Even if you don't intend to do the overhaul yourself, you can save some labor costs by doing the initial teardown. If you are lucky, you may be able to save one/both of the heads.

Again, I wouldn't worry about bottom end damage unless you have reason to believe the previous owner dogged the sh*t out of the car. Since the motor still runs, it is possible to evaluate it for excessive oil burning before pulling the heads.

 

good luck, John

[northguy]

Kelly, congrats on the new purchase. I'll keep my eyes open for options locally. Did you know that ATW went under? They didn't even announce a sell out; just sold everything lock, stock and barrel. It pained me to see car after car crushed and hauled off to Japan as scrap.

[WJM]

you need to buy a TWE header and DP for it!

 

Congrats!

 

Id do an engine rebuild if I were you.

[Dr. RX]

Kelly, congrats on the new purchase. I'll keep my eyes open for options locally. Did you know that ATW went under? They didn't even announce a sell out; just sold everything lock, stock and barrel. It pained me to see car after car crushed and hauled off to Japan as scrap.

Just remember, all cars that go to Japan as scrap have a chance of being reincarnated (pun intended) as a Subaru.

[MilesFox]

Thanks for clarifying. The only RX I have seen in person was non-turbo, but it must have been retrofitted if they originally came only with turbos.

 

 

 

john, we stopped by in the RX on our wv trip! remember? the rx now is carb 5spd, but it was bone stock with its turbo and all, except for the bum legged 5 lug in the rear. the motors are exactly the same as any other ea82 turbo

 

snowman, if i were you i would pull the heads from both motors, and pick between the best ones. what you want to look for is cracks in the exhaust port

 

i once used a questionable head with the ecrack in the exh. port, but it turned out a valve seat dropped in the other head.

 

what i would say to do is pick the best heads, have them checked out, and ask the mechanic if he can stake the valve seats to ensure they dont fall out. a dropped valve seat is the most common thing i have seen bad on heads, given that ANY ea82.

 

i wouldnt worry about the short block as long as there is no milkshake in the oil(or for extended duration) and if the timing belt covers are not melted off.

 

if anything make sure it has good oil pressure. synthetic oil will help in the pressure dept.

[thealleyboy]

john, we stopped by in the RX on our wv trip! remember? the rx now is carb 5spd, but it was bone stock with its turbo and all, except for the bum legged 5 lug in the rear. the motors are exactly the same as any other ea82 turbo

Miles, Danny's old RX was the one I was referring to. Coulda swore it was non-turbo when I checked it out. Must be old age...or maybe we were getting into the "Mach 1 hubcap" too much that day!!

Snowie: I think the fact that you are getting some compression is a good sign. I would be surprised if you couldn't recondition and reuse those heads. Never tried "staking" as Miles suggests on any of mine, but it does make sense.

 

good luck, John

[Snowman]

Thanks for all the advice guys!

 

It sounds like the way to go is remove both heads and have the better set done up at a machine shop. No milkshake motor that I know of, since they blew in one castastrophic overheat where most of the water was lost. That probably takes care of water sitting in the cylinders as well.

 

Swapping heads or a complete rebuild is NO PROBLEM for me. In the last six months, I've rebuilt two ea82s, pulled several of them, did a head gasket and valve lap on a 39 Packard Straight Eight, a head gasket on a 50 DeSoto, head gaskets on a 7.5L Ford in a van, and head gaskets on a 427 in a tour bus.

 

I guess the real deciding factor is if I'm going to keep the car or sell it as soon as it's in good running order. If I want to keep it as my road car (No, I'm NOT trying to copy SubaruTex:lol: ), then a rebuild is probably the way to go. If it's getting sold, then probably just HG's and some machine work to make sure they last. I think this will be decided during my next three 750-mile trips in Roxanne, my now-lifted wagon (I just did the first, and it was OK but not superb). If she's okay with that, I'll drop in an EJ22 next summer, but if not, I'll make the RX my highway car.

[thealleyboy]

Sounds like a plan to me.

 

The RX is a cool car, and it would be hard for me to part with if it were in good condition.

As far as "total vs partial" overhauls, I have only encountered one motor that would have required a complete rebuild to be serviceble again. The car it came out of was completely beat to hell. Most EA82's can be revived with a partial overhaul, but may lose some oil at the rings if worn.

I had a conversation a Master Tech (Sube Dealership) about the short blocks on the EA82 series. He told me they held up well (200k+) with nothing more than oil changes at 7500 miles. He assured me that a typical meltdon would not cause any permanant damage (of course, you should never drive a car with water in the crankcase).He said the dealer just replaced the head gasket in most cases. The exception is when the motor was driven for long periods without any coolant.

I think you'll be fine with partial overhaul, from what you describe. Don't forget to deal with whatever caused it to overheat in the first place.

good luck, John