pyromanic Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 A fellow came out to my place the other day, see my lifted wagon and parts cars and says he's got a turbo wagon he'd sell it for three hundred bucks. I've never driven one, but always been interested. I have not seen it yet, may go look this weekend. Says it's fairly straight, runs ok. Thought before I go look I'd try to gather some information. Are these a little rare? Worth a little more than average EA82? He says it's got a five speed. He only drove it once, and says he can't remember if it's got a dual range. Might it? Says it's hard to get into reverse. What would cause this? Might the Reisolene fix help? If it's a runner and straight bodied, fairly clean interior, what's it worth? Whats gas mileage on these compared to other EA 82's? And lastly, havn't I heard that these turbo'd engines are prone to problems? Any details appreciated. Thanx, Pyro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 someone else will answer better, but I will give you the first shot. They are more prone to blowing headgaskets than the regular engines.. BUT that really only happens when you either neglect the cooling system, or start upping the boost levels. IIRC, the earlier ones came with an oil cooled turbo, instead of a water cooled one.. and there was a recall?? I may be thinking of an EA81T issue, but i may not. If it is like, an 87 or 88 then its irrelevant anyhow.. The two big things about the turbo cars.. they ARE more complex (that is to say, less simple) so there is more room for things to go wrong.. and the second thing is, maintenance (history and future) is much more important to the longevity of a turbo soob than a contemporary non turbo soob. They aren't INCREDIBLY faster than the non turbos, and anyone truly hungry for speed in their 80s subaru typically just goes for the EJ motor.. but if the turbo ea82 is kept in good running order, it shouldnt give you too many more problems than an SPFI NA one. "less reliable" is true, to be sure.. but only nominally so. Any OHC engine is, by the same token, "less reliable" than a similar OHV engine.. simply because of the timing mechanism. Its just one more component to fail, thats all. You get my point? Now, I MUST say that I am not a turbo owner.. but I have spent FAR too much time on this board over the last year, so I have read ALOT and these seem (to me) to be the consensus opinions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Have owned 2 over the years. Drove both over 100K miles and both where essentially problem-free. Won't hesitate to owning a third. Old radiators more than anything is the one thing that will kill the turbo engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Speakth John in Ky with a non-forked tongue "Old radiators more than anything is the one thing that will kill the turbo engine." Word!! Daeron spelled it out very well. I prefer the 87 and newer hot wire MAF models but.. Some like the vane type flapper door for their?? The head generation is also of some impotance (sic) Gen III being best -> Gen I - well reading will serve it's purpose. Good luck, in it's day the EA82T was well inwhat day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suberdave Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 i currently own 3 turbo ea82's, and have owned 2 others in the past. of the five, 3 have been swaped out with EJ's. the engine is no more prone to failuar than any other engine with proper care. but many people try to get more power out of it than it was built for. and thus always needing head gaskets. the first thing i do when i get a turbo car is: pull the engine reseal it, put new timeing belts on it, new water pump, and a new "2 core" radeator. this will cost you a couple hundred bucks but will pay its self off in the long run. -=Suberdave=- http://www.suberdave.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loyale 2.7 Turbo Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 It has been Said the most important About, but I wanna Ask you if you could post here Pics of it, as long as is Possible, to give you a Better Value of its Cost. Anyway, Loyale Wagons are my Subaru Favourites That`s why I got Two!!! ... They`re Really GREAT Cars! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 If the guy says it runs ok, then it might have issues. Twist his arm to get more info, seriously. You dont want a turbo thats having issues unless you know what your getting into. They arent all that rare, the EA82T was made from 85 to 91(?). It mosy likely has the 5spd with pushbutton single range 4wd. Hard to get into reverse? Could be a clutch adjustment, could be tranny issue. If its a GL-10, then it has the upgraded interior. With a straight body and a engine with issues, I wouldnt be paying more than $500. Maybe less. Gas mileage varies. If you have a heavy foot, which a lot of turbo owners do (me included) then expect the mileage to be much less than average. And the problems indicated by others is what your looking at when you own a 80's Subaru turbo. But dont let this scare you off. If you can get a good deal on it and if you think its worth it, it can be a fun car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 The turbo cars after 87 were *fulltime* 4wd, so there is a good tranny to grab if nothing else. And the Turbos are the most likely source of an LSD diff. Both of those things in good condition would be worth a few hundred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I think Gloyale means '88 and on both my 87 turbos (one GL-10 one GL) are part time 4wd. LSD is rare on any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calebz Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 the engine is no more prone to failuar than any other engine with proper care. but many people try to get more power out of it than it was built for. and thus always needing head gaskets. I think I have blown every part of an EA82T up except the head gaskets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I think Gloyale means '88 and on both my 87 turbos (one GL-10 one GL) are part time 4wd. LSD is rare on any of them. Yeah, the Fulltime trans was offered in 87 XT's. Perhaps offered in 87 GLs but not standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromanic Posted June 2, 2007 Author Share Posted June 2, 2007 Lots of lots of good info here guys, thanks a million!! I have not yet got out the guys place to have a look. It did not seem that he was activly trying to sell, so seems I may have a little time. When I DO get out there I will try to take some pics, that was a worthy suggestion. I agree that his statement "runs ok" would in all probability indicate issues. $300 bucks though, some issues might be ok. I have two parts wagons on property, so---------we'll see. Pyro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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