Well might be pockin up a 1987 gl turbo wagon wondering if there is anything to look out for... Needs a seal inside turbo any suggestions

Well might be pockin up a 1987 gl turbo wagon wondering if there is anything to look out for... Needs a seal inside turbo any suggestions

Look for Gen 3 cylinder heads , which have an EA82 raised lettering inside of a rectangular box, on the bottom side of each head when assembled.  They last a whole lot longer than the Gen 1 or Gen 2's, from my personal experience. Regarding the turbo seals, buy a used turbo from a subaru junk yard like Mountain Tech in Oregon City, OR.  Look at it before you buy.  They can be pressure tested. Needing a seal is code for a cracked turbo.

Is there a common place turbos crack on them if i pull turbo and inspect and dont find cracked can i replace seal ???

These turbo's are basically not rebuildable. 

More like disposable.

Luckily theres plenty of them still around on dead EA82T engines.

And finding Gen 3 heads will not be easy, those are pretty rare.

Wats the difference between heads?? Better cooling or better flow

i believe they moved the valves slightly apart to deter the deadly exhaust port crack that kills a lot of ea82ts

i believe they moved the valves slightly apart to deter the deadly exhaust port crack that kills a lot of ea82ts

 

No the valves are in the same place.  The cams/carriers would need to be changed to move the valves.

 

They have slightly different shape and thickness to the casting around the exhaust port cooling jackets.

 

Biggest thing to look for is signs of leaks from the exhaust ports.  Best way is to remove the exhaust crossover and look up into the exhaust ports.  look for cracks like these.

 

If the car is in good shape, it would be a good candidate for 2.2 swap.  MPFI fuel lines, Pump, and all the other ECU connections can be made easily in one place to the EA MPFI computer.  It will have disc brakes.....and even 25 sline axles if you wanted to go EJ AWD as well.