Skatedownpdx Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 i have heard the ea81 engines are pretty bullet proof, is this true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skatedownpdx Posted June 18, 2006 Author Share Posted June 18, 2006 well im looking at a brat but im not sure if its a gen1 or a gen2 but i was curious about how dependable they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skatedownpdx Posted June 18, 2006 Author Share Posted June 18, 2006 and where are the most common rust spots besides the wheel wells i shoudl check? thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 If it's a west coast car it won't have any rust (to speak of). Common places are the door sills, wheel wells inside the bed, and all the seams inside the bed if it's not had a topper on it most of it's life. EA81 engines - the common misconception seems to be they are unkillable. Totally untrue. I would say the EJ22 is probably a better animal all the way around - even with the timing belts. The EA82 is a step down in some ways, being basically an EA81 with overhead cams, it was the first timing belt fuji engine, and as such the belts tend to fail alarmingly fast (~60k miles). This is due to bad belt routing, lack of hydrualic tensioners, and the dual, offset belt setup it uses. Other than the timing belts however, the EA82 seems to be just as durrable as the EA81 - it makes sense really being they use the same rings, rod and crank bearings, same displacement, same bore and stroke - almost the same engine really - just a different valve train. The difference in the valve train also necesitated a change to the oil pump and water pump setup. The EA82 oil pumps seem to last longer than the EA81 pumps, but are quite a bit more difficult to change or reseal - another trade off. The EA82's also suffer an all too common ticking problem with the lifters - often a result of poor oil pressure, dirty engine oil, lifter wear, etc. Usually it's all of the above mixed together making it an expensive proposition to fix. However, if well maintained they do fine - mine has 222k on it, and has never ticked at all. It really comes down to maintenance - the reason people seem to think the EA81 is better has mostly to do with it's maintenace being extremely simple and easy. The EA82 is much more time consuming and expensive to maintain. If maintained properly however, and all variables being mostly equal I would say the EA82 would last longer. Generally speaking out of all the vehicles I've seen and checked the odometer on in the junk yards, the EA82's have more mileage before they die. Now - as for my personal preference - I do a lot of off-road, and timing belts are just not in the cards for me on that account. I run the EA81 and I love them. Rugged, simple and easily fixed on the side of a trail. Change the oil pump every 100k, change the oil every 5k, and maintain the cooling system - the engine will go 300k before the main bearings are shot. All the 3 main EA engines suffer from main bearing wear at high mileage - it will eventually result in rod failure if not torn down somewhere around 300k. I know of a few that have more mileage, but it's largely constant RPM freeway mileage that will get you over the 300k hump reliably. If the oil pump is not replaced, 200k and the engine will be done. Mine had a few run-ins with swamp water and threw a rod at 170k on the original oil pump. Hard lesson... GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
75subie Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 the nice part is, you guys are in suby land, if you do indeed ever get up to 300k, and your main bearings start to go, just go to a local pap and pull another ea81 for $125 or less........ being in OR, you should be pretty well set for rust, but look under it pretty closely, sometimes looks are decieving, the car can be from Alaska or something. i prefer ea81s only because i like the fact that you can get that engine in several different body styles, and ea82 t-belts look like a pain in the arse to fix, good i`ve never had to do them............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fishums Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 I would have to say, the EA81 1.8 motor is not pullet proof... Though some may still run after being hit with bird shot, it is a common mis conception that they are capable of taking small arms fire as well. hahaha, the EA81 with push rods is a damn fine motor. As long as you give it oil and some times antifreeze, and bring it over red line at least once a day, it will most likely last well beyond 200k miles..... And prolly start to break in around 300k miles. I have 4 EA81 engines that range from 275,000 miles to 360,000 miles of wear.. and they all still get the job done In comparison with other motors in general I would have to say the EA81 is infact your flack jacket. Just make sure if you live in a cold place, you don't run water as your coolent.... that's how I accidentally killed the one in the family field car Fishums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exister99 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Change the oil pump every 100k... If the oil pump is not replaced, 200k and the engine will be done. Mine had a few run-ins with swamp water and threw a rod at 170k on the original oil pump. Hard lesson... GD Could you elaborate on this position? My '84 GL is running strong at 187K miles on the the original oil pump. Are you saying that EA81 oil pumps fail catastrophically sometime after 100K miles or does their performance degrade resulting in increased wear on the engine? Also, do you mean that one should replace the whole pump ($$) or just rebuild it somehow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fishums Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Yeah I'd have to say, I've never needed to change an oil pump in an EA81 myself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Their performance (mainly at idle) degrades considerably after 100 - 150k. The pump rotor wears internally, and can't produce adequate pressure. Seals help very little - by the time the seals are cooked - it's time for a new pump. The pumps are cheap - $65 for the OEM Parut brand pumps from a discount house. Easy to change - about 20 minutes start to finish. I've said this over and over...... you make the call. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exister99 Posted July 5, 2006 Share Posted July 5, 2006 Their performance (mainly at idle) degrades considerably after 100 - 150k. The pump rotor wears internally, and can't produce adequate pressure. Seals help very little - by the time the seals are cooked - it's time for a new pump. The pumps are cheap - $65 for the OEM Parut brand pumps from a discount house. Easy to change - about 20 minutes start to finish. I've said this over and over...... you make the call. GD I haven't yet seen an EA81 oil pump for less than $100. Do you have a URL where I can find one for $65? Thanks, exister99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I get them from Discount Import Parts - It was either $60 or $65 for the OEM pump (Parut brand - same as the dealership part). They always get them for me the next day. They don't have a web site - they have two locations here in Oregon - call em, maybe they will ship: http://portland.citysearch.com/profile/8492110/portland_or/discount_import_parts_inc.html thepartsbin.com lists them for $90 - probably the same part, just inflated price. drivewire.com (same catalog as thepartsbin) has em for $88.52 rockauto.com shows a beck/arnley for $86.79 GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4_Welder Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 I just had my oil pump apart for new seals (massive leak), no noticable wear at all, and it's at 195k. I think it really has a lot to do with the frequency of oil changes, since the pump gets unfiltered oil. I change mine every 2-4k, but I was running through two quarts every 100 miles before the fix. Now, with fresh 10w30, the car has 25 at idle hot, and between 50 and 75 on the highway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 And how certain are you it's the original pump? BTW - Subaru reccomends every 7k miles for oil changes - still does on new ones too. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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