wentz912 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 So by general consensus, I've gone and cracked a head in my 86 GL Wagon with a carb'd EA82. I know of an RX here locally that I could probably get for $300 because the Turbo on it is no good. So what I'm thinking I could/want to do is pull the engine out of the wagon and the RX both, then put one of the heads from the RX's engine onto the wagons engine, then put the wagon engine into the RX. This would result in my having a Carb'd EA82 in an RX until such time as I can afford to do an EJ22 swap with the RX, at which time I could put the EA82 back in my wagon and preceed to build into an off-road only type rig. Is this easily doable? I'm not positive, but I'm assuming that the RX is fuel injected? Will this cause any problems with the harness, etc when I try to put a carb'd engine into it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiemech85 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 put one of the heads from the RX's engine onto the wagons engine THIS WILL NOT WORK!!!!! RX 2 PORT WAGON 1 PORT CRACKED HEAD join the club replace gaskets and keep driving!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentz912 Posted March 24, 2009 Author Share Posted March 24, 2009 Well ************. This is awesome. What does a new turbo even cost? Are they even readily available? I'm screwed if I haven't got a driveable car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subiemech85 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 now is a great time to use the SEARCH feature VF7 upgrade turbo try the marketplace have your turbo rebuilt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Or go to one of the numerous wrecking yards here in the PNW and find a used turbo, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 So by general consensus, I've gone and cracked a head in my 86 GL Wagon with a carb'd EA82. HOw did you come to that consensus? The non-turbo heads rarely crack in any sort of critical way. The ALWAYS have a small crack between the vavle seats, but those are OK. The crack that is a killer is the one that occurs in the exhaust port. And I have never seen a non-turbo head with one of those cracks. I would recommend replacing the headgaskets, and buttoning it all back up. You'll be good to go for tens of thousands of more miles. You COULD use the RX heads on you're carbed block, you would just need to adapt a mount for the carb onto the RX intake. BIG project, not worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentz912 Posted March 24, 2009 Author Share Posted March 24, 2009 Well, it has been assumed that becuase of the way I'm losing coolant, that it wasn't leaking fast enough to be the head gasket. So we assumed that it was jsut a uber small hole somewhere in one of the heads. I'll give replacing the HG's a shot though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Txakura Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 +1 gaskets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88RxTuner Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 +1 on head gaskets... they dont necessarily just flop open and start dumping coolant, usually they start small... then when you run out of coolant and REALLY cook your engine is when they tend to take the big dump. Ummmm, a 300 dollar RX??? Get it anyway!!! Who cares about the turbo? VF7s are a dime a dozen, somebody here probably has 3 or 4 or 19 laying in his garage. I used to.. +1 on using the search button.. Now would be an ideal time to upgrade the stock turbo on an RX!! 88RxTuner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentz912 Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 Haha trust me. Now that I've gotten the whole head gasket issue's ball rolling. It's only a matter of time until that RX will be MINE. Just gotta find some work first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wentz912 Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 Ok, hate to open this discussion back up and all BUT. The neighbor guy that has this cheap RX doesn't know much about it other than it's supposedly got a turbo that's no good.(He got it in trade.) Seeing as how I'm not at all familiar with turbos of any kind, what do I need to look for once I actually get to look at the car for myself? All in all the car looks pretty good on the outside, might need a good wash/wax/buff due to slight mold but it appears to be rust free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88RxTuner Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 (edited) First of all, verify good mechanical condition. Does it start and run? Drive smoothly, without chugging or bucking or misfiring? If it does, does it have any funny noises, grinding, whining, vibration, exhaust leaks, etc? Is the coolant full, or low? Does it have any major leaks? When you look at the engine, is it clean, or a huge ball of goo? Check engine lamp on? Do all the buttons and switches do what they are supposed to? How about maintenance records? Had timing belts lately? This is important... Do a compression test and basic tune up. Plugs, wires, cap and rotor, fuel and air filters. Chances are, it's been a while. As for the turbo... First of all, is it THERE? It will be on the passenger side, rear of the engine compartment, and connected to the engine with exhaust pipes. It will probably have tin heat shields around it, and there will be 2 water lines, one hard oil pressure line, and one large oil drain line on the bottom. If it drives, does it have any power, or is it a gutless slug? Does it puke smoke out the tailpipe? Does the engine rev up freely, or is it acting choked up? It should go to 6000 rpm without too much trouble, just make sure you warm it up a little first. Is the turbo leaking oil or water from the fittings? At this point, it would be helpful to find a boost gauge or something similar, I use an old-school fuel pressure gauge that goes from 30"vacuum to 10psi of pressure, get one at Kragen/Autozone/Napa for like 15 bucks. Hook it up to one of your vacuum ports on the intake, run the line into the cab, and drive it. Does it make pressure when you step on the throttle? or does it go to "0" and stay there? Get back to us... 88RxTuner Edited April 13, 2009 by 88RxTuner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 The neighbor guy that has this cheap RX doesn't know much about it other than it's supposedly got a turbo that's no good.(He got it in trade.) 1. The EA82T is pretty much a craptastic engine. 2. If the turbo really is bad - what caused this? They rarely fail if they have proper oil and coolant supply. There are no bearings - they are oil flooded bushings and as such there should be NO metal to metal cantact inside the turbo - again they don't fail unless they have been starved for oil/coolant, or plain run too hot (overheated engine.... see #3). 3. If the turbo has "failed", then likely the engine has as well, or isn't far behind it. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derburger Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 1. The EA82T is pretty much a craptastic engine. Anything with an ea82t is poop on wheels, I definitely won't buy a Subaru with this engine again. Gotta love the head cracks/gaskets, turbo coolant hose, water pipe o-ring, coolant temp sensor, idle air control valve, any rubber hose in engine bay, cooked wiring harness, overheat-o-matic cooling system, fuel economy on par with many v8's, tick of death, all of these are worse in a poorly maintained engine. Well, other than that stuff it's not the worst engine out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 Anything with an ea82t is poop on wheels, I definitely won't buy a Subaru with this engine again. Gotta love the head cracks/gaskets, turbo coolant hose, water pipe o-ring, coolant temp sensor, idle air control valve, any rubber hose in engine bay, cooked wiring harness, overheat-o-matic cooling system, fuel economy on par with many v8's, tick of death, all of these are worse in a poorly maintained engine. Well, other than that stuff it's not the worst engine out there. An EA82T is as crappy as the owner lets it be. Meaning if you build up a good one, with no cracks, a good radiator, and a working fan, you should be able to get alot of like out of it. Still, it requires alot of work that most sane people don't want to do. Money is where the equaltion start to really tilt towards sucky. They aren't worth crap, but they have expensive hard to find parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88RxTuner Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I tend to disagree with the "EA82T is crap" mentality. Mine has served me loyally and faithfully, notwithstanding the RIDICULOUS amount of abuse I dish out... The rest of the car seems to have weak links, such as admittedly crappy electrical and the limits of the drivetrain, but the engine has never once been an issue. But, that said, YES. It costs money. I was smart enough to invest it in the right spots at the right time. Someone gave me my RX with blown HGs. I spent the money, got new Gen3 heads, GOOD head gaskets, did all the work and installed steel threads in the block, used GOOD head bolts, made sure my cooling system was up to par, installed a second radiator fan, basically did everything I could possibly do to ensure a long and happy life. I change my oil every 2500miles, replace my coolant every 20,000. I replace my timing belts at 40,000 and re-tension them every 10,000 or so. I plan on pulling the engine at MY convenience around 70-75,000 miles and doing the head gaskets again, because I'd rather do it when I want to than when it craps out on the road someday. I've never once had an issue with the engines, and I agree totally that this engine reflects directly on how much time the owner devotes to it. So, YES. They are high-maintenance. YES, they can cost money. But they are not crap... in my opinion. The only 2 engines I have never been able to blow up (of the cars I've had, which are many... and I drove/drive them all the same) are my Suzuki 1.3l in the Samurai and the Subaru EA82T in my RX... But I only have about 40,000 miles of 7500rpm no-clutch shifting, over-boosting, going lean, pretending it's a dune buggy,wet burn-outs, running rutted bumpy desert trails at 70+ mph, getting wheels off the ground and accidentally putting the needle on 8000rpm more than a few times, and generally beating the ever loving SNOT out of this engine since I did the HGs... We'll see! Oops, time to do timing belts... I'll get on that next week. I dont want to start a flame war here, 'specially not on someone else's thread... but Why do people have to go around saying something's crap when that opinion may not be shared by everyone?? YOUR opinion may be that these engines are less than stellar. But Mine isnt... and the guy down the road doesnt think so... and maybe the guy who is buying the car can turn it into something better. Why is the "crappiness" of this engine relative to what the guy is trying to do? He found a cheap RX.. That by itself should be treasure enough. Live long, and prosper. Invest your money wisely and this engine will treat you fairly. Neglect it, and it will become the bain of your existence... 88RxTuner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88RxTuner Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Sorry for the rant. As stated above, I would verify the general mechanical condition of the engine before delving into the "turbo doesnt work" merry-go-round... Start with the basics, and do your research on turbos. Read books, blogs, websites, tuner magazines, etc. Use Google. Expand your experiences through text and pictures. "Turbo doesnt work" could be something as simple as bad exhaust gaskets or a hole in the up-pipe. It could also be 'my engine has no oil pressure' or 'my engine has such low compression it wont run well enough to spool the turbo'... Start with basics. Make sure the engine is worth putting another turbo on. 88RxTuner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 but Why do people have to go around saying something's crap when that opinion may not be shared by everyone?? YOUR opinion may be that these engines are less than stellar. But Mine isnt... and the guy down the road doesnt think so... and maybe the guy who is buying the car can turn it into something better. 1. Respectfully, your opinion is based on your engine - which has had a lot of modifications compared to stock. 2. Gen 3 heads NEVER came stock on an EA82T - they were available only as replacement parts through Subaru. 3. The OP says he can't even afford the CAR right now for $300. I seriously doubt that he's ready to drop several grand on the parts and tools necessary to bring a 20+ year old turbo engine to a point where it can be driven daily in a reliable fashion. 4. Most of the opinions expressed on the EA82T are in the context of their relative worth to *other* Subaru engines. As such, while the EA82T might be a great engine next to something from SAAB or Hyundai, it certainly is not the brightest star in the Subaru constellation. In fact *most* people agree it's the next worse thing to the Justy ECVT and right below the Justy engine and it's finicky oil pump. 5. It's reliability problems could be excused if it produced phenomenal power or was easily modifiable to do so. It doesn't, and it can't. Thus *most* people see very little point in a turbo motor that is *lucky* if it can reliably get down the road due to an over-caffeinated owner that is anal about maintenance. In short - it doesn't do the whole job it was designed for. 6. Most of us recognize that the EA82 series of engines (including the Turbo) was a stop-gap solution while they waited on the R&D guys to finish the EJ engine design (they began R&D on the EJ in '85). It's an EA81 with kludged-on overhead cam's and tower supports for them. I won't go into all the design faults but I will say it's a testament to the Subaru engineers that they could take the design that far and still get the reliablilty they did with it (at least the non-turbo version). GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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