Phillip Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 I just purchased a 1987 Subaru GL 4x4 Wagon for my son. I'm interested the how reliable the turbocharged engine is, and any inherent problems these cars have. The car has 142,000 miles on it, and runs & drives very well. All replies will be greatly appreciated. Phillip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 The turbo engine can be quite reliable. However, things to avoid....DO NOT ALLOW it to OVERHEAT. The Turbo engine runs hotter than non-turbo and as a result, the water cooling hoses tend to fail more often...which can lead to overheating. If you're sure the engine is in good shape now, you might consider replacing all the hoses with OEM hoses or silicon hose as soon as you can. The critical ones and more difficult ones are the hoses to and from the turbo unit; there's also a short, small diameter hose in the top, front center of the engine that requires lifting the manifold to replace it. This is a job a reasonably talented individual can do but it will take time and patience but is well worth the effort. A double row radiator will help if you think the old one is on its last legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddcomp Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 my 87 turbo is just shy of 230,000 miles if that gives you any idea reliability and i put 50 miles a night on it combined to and from work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 run MOBIL 1 SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL 10w30!!!! I cannot stress that enough! these turbos run HOT and is way more stressful on oil than N/A ones...use the Mobil...makes TONS of difference in engine and turbo life. Also, i cannot stress enough about engine COOLING. Use a the 2 row radiator and install a 180 deg t-stat ASAP. Put in fresh coolant and DO NOT USE FRAM OIL FILTERS! NAPA/Wix and the OE's are best...puroilator as well. under normal driving...you can drive the Mobil with a good filter 5k miles and its fine....ive done it many times. Althought 3k is recomended...for dino oil. if you HAVE to use non synth...use the Castrol GTX in 10w30....and chage every 3k. If you do that...and run PREMIUM FUEL in it...it will last forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddcomp Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 i.. don't run premium... of course its best to run premium but costs more than i can afford.. but i also have more than stock engine management also so that might be part of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMeatWagon Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Oi also to prolong turbo life you should get a turbo timer ooooorrrrrr just let it idle for a couple minutes after you stop somewhere if at allll possible. It keeps oil circulating and so it doesnt sit in the lines and get all nasty... or so i hear. Anyways its a good idea to let it idle. my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WagonsOnly Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 If you have any head/head gasket issues with it, make sure that you have the heads replaced with OEM or remanufactured Gen III turbo heads. The Gen I and II heads are notorious for cracking and warping...but if it's already got 142K on it chances are you'll be fine and/or it's been taken care of by a previous owner. Mine lasted for 178K, until rust got the better of the body. It's currently being sloowly rebuilt. But it did NOT treat the previous owners well from a reliability standpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Our '87 Turbo GLWagon's engine has been very reliable, but I agree that cooling is a big issue. Early on we toasted the turbo coolant outlet hose, which quickly dumped the coolant, and cracked the heads. The hose literally crumbled when I tried to remove its remnants; there wasn't even enough for me to guess the hose diameter. An expensive lesson... By the way, what are GenIII heads, and how can you tell which ones are GenIII? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddcomp Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 i am pretty sure they have just simple number 3 with a circle cast into them on the bottom side somewhere near the exhaust port thingy at least i think mine do anyways ...... maybe i am just confused as usuall and thinking of something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 a little confused gen one says EA82 gen 2 says EA82 underlined gen 3 says EA82 in a box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oddcomp Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 not surprised.. so wtf is the 3 with a circle for? guess i better go recheck my heads... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Time to chime in on Gen heads... baccaruda's description is correct. The SUBARU EPC (electronic parts catalog) has the listing for the 5 generations of heads....they supercede eachother....and the Gen 3 part numbers are at the top....but even THOSE are superceded....that means there is a gen 4 head. ive not seen one, but according to part number supercessions and so on info...it means I can get you guys a "Gen 4" head. I'll do some more research this morning on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avatar382 Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Where can you tell the Gen # of the heads again? valve covers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Where can you tell the Gen # of the heads again? valve covers? beside the exhaust port on the head. the casting "EA82" will be there.... again, nothing around ir under it...gen 1 Line under EA82...gen 2 BOX around EA82...Gen 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avatar382 Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 beside the exhaust port on the head. the casting "EA82" will be there.... again, nothing around ir under it...gen 1 Line under EA82...gen 2 BOX around EA82...Gen 3. DOH! I just read the thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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