I recently picked up a 1990 Turbo station wagon, and although I have been a Subaru owner for many years, I have never paid attention to the engine designations, displacements, etc.

It is a Turbo, with automatic transmission and full time 4WD.

 

So, can anyone tell me anything about the engine in my car? Displacement, designation (EA81, EA82, etc)?

 

I'm sure I am going to need this information in case I ever have to do any work on it myself.

You have a EA82T. :-\ Its a turbo 1.8L motor. Its... ehh... :-\

 

Im not going to come right out and bash your motor

 

But if you do a search of the EA82T, you will find that most of the community here is not fond of that motor. That is not to say that you wont find people that love it

 

It has overheating problems IF not taken care of properly and with caution. There are many things you can do to soothe the cooling system and make the process easier.

For one. Keep track of your fluids. Make sure to check the coolant regularly, seeing if it is low as well as the color. If it starts getting mucky/sludgy you will have a problem.

For another. Dont boost it. Keep the boost where its at, dont tinker with it.

Another... Keep the cooling system maintained. As I mentioned, watch the fluids. I *THINK* you can get a two-row radiator for these that will help keep them cool. Make sure that doesnt get clogged.

 

If all else fails and this EA82T DOES blow up... Swap in an EJ22 which is well documented on here... The EJ22 makes ~ 20hp more (youre around 115, the EJ22 is at 135) and is a FAR better engine.

 

Hope that helps

Thanks for the info. So far. it has not shown any tendency to overheat. As a matter of fact, it always seems to stay in the cool range. But I will check the fluids to see what it looks like.

The best thing you can do for that car is march down to the dealer and order EVERY coolant hose it uses and replace them all immediately. That is the biggest point of failure and even one overheat can be too many for that engine. It is a troublesome beast and can be very fragile - KNOW the condition of the cooling system by replaceing the weak parts now or suffer the consequences. You have been warned.

 

GD

The best thing you can do for that car is march down to the dealer and order EVERY coolant hose it uses and replace them all immediately. That is the biggest point of failure and even one overheat can be too many for that engine. It is a troublesome beast and can be very fragile - KNOW the condition of the cooling system by replaceing the weak parts now or suffer the consequences. You have been warned.

 

GD

 

What the general said. Aluminum engines are very touchy about overheat, and turbo engines are known for making a lot of heat.

 

I'm kind of new here, and have noticed a lack of enthusiasm for the EA82T, bu not much about actual failures. Obviously, overheating is a big no-no, and I'd guess if the thing blows w/o overheating, it would be a head gasket problem, but that's just a guess. There does not seem to be a sub-forum for mechanical issues with these engines. What breaks first under load? Valves float? Piston failure? Sucky oil pump aerates the rod bearings? What are the EA engine mechanical weak points?

In the off topic section, there is one called "the ea82 is a bad engine because..." and you can read up on all the complaints/facts about these motors...

In the off topic section, there is one called "the ea82 is a bad engine because..." and you can read up on all the complaints/facts about these motors...

 

OK, found it, read it.

 

Enquiring minds want to know, WHY is a discussion of EA82 engines "off topic"?

 

(boggle)

The best thing you can do for that car is march down to the dealer and order EVERY coolant hose it uses and replace them all immediately. That is the biggest point of failure and even one overheat can be too many for that engine. It is a troublesome beast and can be very fragile - KNOW the condition of the cooling system by replaceing the weak parts now or suffer the consequences. You have been warned.

 

GD

 

Good advice. I was on my way to the auto parts store to get hoses, when the upper radiator hose blew. talk about ironic. I had to replace it in the parking lot. No one has the lower hose, including the Subaru dealer, so I had to order it. Hopefully it will be here in a couple of days, and everything will hold out until them. The car actually has all of its original hoses.

 

I do have another question, however. Whenever I go to the AP store, and they look up the car, there is a choice between a turbo 4 and a turbo 5. What is that all about, and how can I tell which one I have, or doesnt it matter?