found a 87 turbo wagon, was wondering what the issuses are with the turbo ea82 compared to non turbo. are they less reliable, more?? any input would be helpful thanks.

FAR, FAR less reliable. There are a multitude of people around the site that will tell you that the EA82T is the worst engine Subaru ever built, and I'd agree with them.

 

The non turbo EA82 wasn't flash either, but is a lot more reliable then the turbo EA82T.

 

Talk to General Disorder, he knows his stuff and will set you on the right path.

EA82 Turbo motors SUCK BIG HAIRY NUTS. Of course there are a few people here who have had some good luck keeping up on the maintenance and not rodding the piss outta them, and even a couple have managed to keep moddified ones alive for quite some time now. Many however have had multitudes of blown HG's, thrown rods, electrical issues, cooling issues, etc. Mine exploded and burned my car to the ground on the side of the road, so I have some serious negative feelings for them.

 

-Bill

just what i feared, found one with brand new water pump, timing belt, valve seals, valve cover seals, o2 sensor, thermostat, spark plugs, spark plug wires, head gaskets, both front axels, distrbuitor cap and rotor.. figured they were trying to find a problem.. but from what i know thats pretty much all the weak spots except the radiator.

The turbo engines are more fragile but with some care they work fine. In stock form the horsepower increase is hardly worth it. If you overheat them the heads can crack and leak coolant. Turbos put a strain on everything.

 

That said my EA82T has been going strong even though I've modded it up pretty good and drive it like an idiot.

well i read and im talked out of it.. if its a nominal hp increase thats not noticeable, whats the point, plus i havent had a subaru yet that hasnt overheated a million and 1 times soo.... ill stick with a good ol' ea82 straight piped goodness and my 30 mpg