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Step-by-Step Head Removal EA82 Turbo


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I agree. I've done tons of head gaskets and its not worth the time to leave the engine in the car. it takes a half hour to pull the engine. And you can check your engine mounts, clutch disc, throwout bearing and a bunch of other stuff that you can't check with the engine in the car

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Pull the motor... but if you must do it in the car go to Autozone. Pick up a manual $18.99 its labeled Subaru 1600-1800 for the proper years.

 

Get a head gasket set. Do not just get the Head Gaskets or you will have a leaky Ru when your done...

 

But before you break into this go get yourself a Ratchet Wrench there like $8.99 Each at autozone. THIS WILL SAVE YOU A CRAP LOAD OF TIME!@

 

you will need a 10mm ratchet wrench and A 12 Mm Ratchet wrench. you will also need a 14MM socket for the Exhaust manifold. and Turbo.. to remove the heads you will need a 17mm socket and a breaker bar..

 

(You can tell I've done this a few times eh?.)

 

I can't give you step by steps. but Go back to Step 1.5 GET A MANUAL

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One thing to look out for on the turbo's. The turbo is cooled via a water tube connected under the turbo and runs to bottom of the passenger side head. The bolt connecting the tube to the head is hollow. Mine broke off inside the head. Oil runs to the turbo via another tube that has the same setup. This one is connected to the back of the same head, but that one didn't break on me. Also, on the coolant tube, there is a small ruber hose connecting the turbo to the tube. You absolutely must replace that hose as it is a pain in the *** to replace when the engine is together. Mine broke on me two weeks after I put the new engine in, so I learned that lesson the hard way:).

 

PS. Replace the radiator hoses too. Mine blew up on me last week. And Yes! I did just change the head gaskets last month and DIDN'T replace those hoses. So I guess I have yet to learn the lesson I was speaking of a moment ago:banghead:.

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Well it sounds like I should just pull the motor. My only problem was that I didn't have a picker, but if you're willing to let me use yours that would be great. Let me know the best way to get a hold of you and we'll get together. Thanks everyone for your advise. :)

 

 

 

I have a picker you are welcome to borrow - I'm in West Linn. It's the folding 2 ton type, and should fit in a wagon. Fits fine in my Brat.

 

GD

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If you can't get a picker (or for future searchers of this thread), the engine is actually pretty light, so you can use other, more shadetree-mechanic ways of getting it out. I used a chain hoist attached by a cable to a tree to pull an engine, and it worked fine. It also had the advantage of making a great photo op of me with the engine hanging from a tree next to my house.

 

In Keep Your Subaru Alive, the author suggests using a chain attached to a board, and having two guys lift the engine while a third guides it out of the compartment. And I swear people here have said they've pulled engines with another dude by just grabbing a head and lifting.

 

So, a picker is ideal, but don't let not having access to one stop you from pulling the engine. And it's really not that hard of a job, and then for the rest of your life you can casually talk about the time you took your car's engine out.

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And I swear people here have said they've pulled engines with another dude by just grabbing a head and lifting.

.

 

Having done this twice, I can tell you it isn't too hard to get the motor out that way, but getting it back in can be a real pain.

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I agree with calebz. the engine will come right out, but getting it back in and getting the input shaft on the tranny into the clutch/flywheel can be a PITA is you dont have the right angle. I'd rather use a steel pipe and a chain. wrap the chain around the pipe tight with the pipe sittin on the fenders. Then the two guys stand up while the 3rd pulls the engine forward.

 

As for putting it back in that way. walk the engine over the car, and then the two holders just bend their knees til the engine is where its supposed to be. 3rd guy slides the engine back in place.

 

Me and my ex girlfriend pulled and installed my engine that way. So if a girl can do it, anyone can... :headbang:

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I put an EA81 into my 1978 brat that way too. I have bad back problems and I don't want to injure myself. I'd much rather use a cherry picker. Man I feel like an old man. This is sounding more like a two day project than just an afternoon project. It's not as easy as a ford 302 I'll tell you that.:-\

 

 

 

I agree with calebz. the engine will come right out, but getting it back in and getting the input shaft on the tranny into the clutch/flywheel can be a PITA is you dont have the right angle. I'd rather use a steel pipe and a chain. wrap the chain around the pipe tight with the pipe sittin on the fenders. Then the two guys stand up while the 3rd pulls the engine forward.

 

As for putting it back in that way. walk the engine over the car, and then the two holders just bend their knees til the engine is where its supposed to be. 3rd guy slides the engine back in place.

 

Me and my ex girlfriend pulled and installed my engine that way. So if a girl can do it, anyone can... :headbang:

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im going to go against the grain... and tell you that you CAN do it in the car. ..... i did.

 

its a little bit of a *************** on the driver side... but the passenger side wasnt that bad...

 

got all the way down to the pistons... was able to clean them up really good, and all back together. neet. :) ...

 

 

.......then i bought a cherry picker... its still shiny and new in my garage

 

LOL

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Yeah - and beleive it or not I've pulled engines by standing on the strut towers, and lifting the thing out by myself. The first time I did this I balanced it on the upper radiator support and then climbed down and lowered it to the ground. Second time I got smart and used two old matresses and threw the engine out.

 

I've installed an EA81 by myself with no lifting aparatus too - that was worse. Had to balance it in the radiator support and lower it down onto the cross member. Then lift it back up to the tranny with a jack under the pan....

 

I would not recommend either of these procedures - very dangerous, and probably not good for your back. Definately wouldn't try it with an EA82 either - EA81 was bad enough.

 

As for doing it in the car - not really all that bad if you have ratcheting wrenches. I pretty much always do them in the car personally. But if you haven't done it before pulling the engine can make it less of a headache.

 

Give me a call - 503-880-4084

 

GD

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Do you think I could enlist some help on pulling the motor and doing the headgaskets? I really don't want to mess this up and I've never done this much work on an ea82 Turbo before. I would be forever grateful!:grin:

 

 

 

Yeah - and beleive it or not I've pulled engines by standing on the strut towers, and lifting the thing out by myself. The first time I did this I balanced it on the upper radiator support and then climbed down and lowered it to the ground. Second time I got smart and used two old matresses and threw the engine out.

 

I've installed an EA81 by myself with no lifting aparatus too - that was worse. Had to balance it in the radiator support and lower it down onto the cross member. Then lift it back up to the tranny with a jack under the pan....

 

I would not recommend either of these procedures - very dangerous, and probably not good for your back. Definately wouldn't try it with an EA82 either - EA81 was bad enough.

 

As for doing it in the car - not really all that bad if you have ratcheting wrenches. I pretty much always do them in the car personally. But if you haven't done it before pulling the engine can make it less of a headache.

 

Give me a call - 503-880-4084

 

GD

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I rebuilt my engine by myself and im 16, there are only 4 bolts holding the tranny and the engine in, and 2 just holding the engine, real simple. i suggest just pulling the engine, you dont have to pull the tranny either, i did cuz i swoped trannys also. then later like a few weeks i found out it needed a new clutch so i just kept the engine in and lifted the tranny out or under, i jacked up the car high enough so that i could be under it with a creeper adn set the tranny on me and rolled out adn then liffted it back in with out a jack or anythign, so its simple.

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Was it an EA81? The EA82 Turbo motor has alot more parts to it. The part that's a little scary to me is messing with the timing belt and changing the front main seals. I don't want to mess up the timing and I don't have a timing belt tensioner tool.:-\

 

 

I rebuilt my engine by myself and im 16, there are only 4 bolts holding the tranny and the engine in, and 2 just holding the engine, real simple. i suggest just pulling the engine, you dont have to pull the tranny either, i did cuz i swoped trannys also. then later like a few weeks i found out it needed a new clutch so i just kept the engine in and lifted the tranny out or under, i jacked up the car high enough so that i could be under it with a creeper adn set the tranny on me and rolled out adn then liffted it back in with out a jack or anythign, so its simple.
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I don't mind lending a hand - but I don't have time to do the whole job for you. If you need a tool or advice that's no trouble at all.

 

As for the timing belts - there is no tensioner tool required, and the timing procedure is easy, and you can't really mess it up since the engine is non-interferance. If you get it wrong, you just try again.

 

GREENSUBIE - you have a completely different engine and tranny. Your EA81 is much easier.

 

GD

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Ya, I'm not looking to have someone do the job for me. I just would like an experenced pair of eyes around. I'd provide beer and BBQ:brow:. My buddy acrossed the street from me said I could use his cherry picker. I've just about got all the parts I want to replace while I'm in there (oil pump, seals for everything, water pump, motor mounts, ect.) I'm in no big hurry, maybe before the end of the month or something.

 

I don't mind lending a hand - but I don't have time to do the whole job for you. If you need a tool or advice that's no trouble at all.

 

As for the timing belts - there is no tensioner tool required, and the timing procedure is easy, and you can't really mess it up since the engine is non-interferance. If you get it wrong, you just try again.

 

GREENSUBIE - you have a completely different engine and tranny. Your EA81 is much easier.

 

GD

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  • 2 weeks later...

I started the engine pulling process and it's actually a lot easier that I thought it would be. I should have it all pulled by this weekend. I'll post some photos of the process after I'm all done. I also took out all the A/C junk if anyone wants any of it let me know. I'm not sure what the condition of the pump is but I didn't just want to junk it all if someone wants it.

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