So I have an EA82 Turbo wag. It will eventually get a lift, bigger wheels and tires, custom bumpers, lights, etc. The current powerplant will be ditched for something better. Here's my situation.

 

Of course I've been thinking EJ22. BUT I came upon a Turbo Brat at the junkyard with only 109,000 miles on it and it also has an automatic. All the engine parts are there. Clean looking under the hood actually, but the floor pan is falling out of it.

 

The reasons I would consider the EA81T over any of the EJ22s in the yard is the fact that it only has 109,000 on it, meanwhile all the EJ22s have at LEAST 200,000 which by Subaru standards still isn't many. And wouldn't the EA81T bolt right up to my current exhaust? That would just make the swap easier and cheaper. I'm also assuming that the swap would be overall easier, probably less wiring and with more room in the engine bay it would make mantainance slightly easier than if there were an EJ22 "crammed" in there.

 

But on the other hand... a N/A motor making slightly more hp seems more appealing, especially since I've already paid nearly $200 for an adapter plate. BUT I would have to pay for custom exhaust also, and there's the wiring (only assuming there's more to it than an EA81T). I also think an EJ22 would look better sitting under the hood :cool:

 

EA81T Pros:

Cheaper, simpler (maybe), less miles, would have just as much power as my current EA82T.

 

Cons: Turbo.

 

EJ22 Pros:

More power, more reliable, less mantainance.

 

Cons: More work, more money, more miles.

 

Opinions and corrections alike are welcome.

The EA81T is only 95 HP. You might as well just use a regular NA EA81. The EA81T parts are quite rare as the engine was only made for two years.

 

Turbo engine's aren't generally suited to lifted rigs as the RPM range is higher where they make decent power, and their low compression (7.7:1) sucks for low-end torque.

 

EJ22 would be a better bet, and they can be found with less than 200k - you just have to look harder. The EJ22T in my sedan came from a 94 wagon and only had 110k on it. And I recently bought an NA 94 wagon that needed a water pump with 132k on it ($750).

 

GD

The EA81T does not have as much horsepower as what u have now. It has 95hp. Not to say thats anything to sneeze at but if your looking for more power i wouldnt go that route. Though i would PM theYeti and tell him that u found that car. Im sure he wants some parts off of it since he just bought mikes turbo wagon.

Well, I know that if you want more power w/o Turbo, EJ is the easiest way to go, and if you have the fabrication skills, you could do a carbed EJ, which would mean you would only have to run like 3 wires, one for the oil pressure, one for the temp guage, and the distributer wires of course. If you want more info on this topic, I suggest you talk to Jerry (Bratsrus1), as he has done it and he can tell you exactly what to do. You would still have to make sure you change your belts regularly

 

As for the EA81T, it is pretty much a bolt in, its just like swapping a 5 speed into an EA81 car, except backwards , it does use the same y pipe, and there is a lot of room in that engine bay. Also you wont have any timing belts to change, and they are extremely reliable. With all that room you could go twin turbo Of course, turbos have maintnance schedules too.

 

Myself I am partial to pushrod engines, less parts, less that can go wrong. But I guess Im kinda old fashioned in that sense.

-Bill