June 19, 200916 yr I've offically decided I hate this engine, especially the EA82T. Came out to find a HUGE puddle of oil under my wife's car yesterday, after sitting at the parts store for about 10minutes. I dumped a gallon of oil back into it, within 5miles the pressure gauge dropped. Pull over, check it, dump ANOTHER gallon into it, and that brings it just above the full mark. I wound up getting a ride and coming back to haul it home. No idea what it could be this time, it's not the pump, filter, and not the turbo lines at the turbo. I'm thinking it's either the tube that's pressed into the head, or it's finally blown the rear main seal. It has had a bit of a drip from the oil pan since I got it. It's EJ time now, I guess. Anybody that was thinking about getting this engine before should forget it, it has a bit of a knock now. Ironically, the heads might still be decent though.
June 19, 200916 yr That stinks. It almost makes me regret buying my wagon :-\ I think this engine is the reason people started EJ swapping... I'm thinking about it as I have a spare EJ22 sitting around... Good luck and enjoy! Twitch PS: And of course after the EJ swap comes a lift, then either a 5 lug swap or redrilled hubs...
June 19, 200916 yr I keep trying to warn people. Good choice on the ej swap. It wouldn't be so bad if there were either real performance potential in the EA82T or if it were really simple to work on.... sadly it comes in last on every single attribute you can catagorize Subaru engines into. Totally not worth the frustration. The 82's are dead in my eyes - i wont drive one even if it's free. GD
June 19, 200916 yr I keep trying to warn people. Good choice on the ej swap. It wouldn't be so bad if there were either real performance potential in the EA82T or if it were really simple to work on.... sadly it comes in last on every single attribute you can catagorize Subaru engines into. Totally not worth the frustration. The 82's are dead in my eyes - i wont drive one even if it's free. GD how does the justy engine compare on the list. I say in this order my engines choice from Subaru EJ22T EJ20T EJ22 EG33 H6 3.0 EA81 EJ18 EJ25 EA71 EA82 justy
June 19, 200916 yr how does the justy engine compare on the list. I say in this order my engines choice from Subaru EJ22T EJ20T EJ22 EG33 H6 3.0 EA81 EJ18 EJ25 EA71 EA82 justy My sentiments exactly. The 3 cylinder justy engine is an abomination of a subaru engine. Although, I would put the EJ20 behind the EJ22. Sheerly for the fact that I have actually worked on the EJ222 and that its earlier iterations were non-interference. Oh and as for the EA82, I hope that subaru BURNS every last paper of the design blueprints for that engine. I'm going to either EJ swap mine, or find an EA81 for it. Twitch
June 19, 200916 yr i agree 100% that EA82T's aren't worth getting into and you're headed in the right direction with a swap. but there's a chance your profuse oil leak is really simple. that would buy you time to get ready to scrap the piece of work for an engine swap. valve cover gaskets can dump oil instantly...as well as cam seals, crank seal, and oil pump seals. i had a brand new NAPA crank seal (forget the brand) that didn't seat for crap on an EA82 and ended up leaking profusely. got a Subaru seal and it seated perfectly. local guy had an Xt6 for sale due to massive oil leak. i told him it was one of the oil pump seals (seal or gasket). he replaced one (not both) and it still leaked. i told him to fix it right and he listed it on ebay instead. so i bought it for $500, replaced the $7 seal i told him too, it ran beautifully, pulled his custom headers for my car and sold it for $2,000. sometimes it's worth checking into something before giving up.
June 19, 200916 yr how does the justy engine compare on the list. I say in this order my engines choice from Subaru EJ22T EJ20T EJ22 EG33 H6 3.0 EA81 EJ18 EJ25 EA71 EA82 justy no 22t isn't any better than a 22e. in fact, in most high-hp applications, they just overheat because all the coolant passages are filled with aluminum. 20t is kind of generic. as they've been making them for 15 years. and they're all pretty mediocre, reliability-wise. ditto on EJ25. the 25d had the headgasket issues. but 251s and 253s are still great motors. and I'd put 255s and 257s at the top of the list. my list: EJ257 EJ255 EJ22e Phase I EJ22t EG33 EZ30D EJ207 EJ253 EJ20G EJ251 EA81 EJ22e Phase II EJ18 EJ20R EJ20H EZ30DR EJ205 ER27 EJ25D EZ36DR EA82 Justy EA82t I'm with GD. I wouldn't drive an EA82 if it was free. I wouldn't accept it unless it was worth something for scrap, or I had intended to swap it (an Ea82 shell with an EJ22 is pretty much pure automotive sex....)
June 19, 200916 yr That's why I swapped an EA81 into mine. I will eventually do EJ but money was an issue right now
June 19, 200916 yr i dont think EA82s with no turbo are TOO bad, yes they throw timing belts and leak oil like crazy but they DO last a long time. EA82 Turbos.... ya money pits
June 19, 200916 yr i dont think EA82s with no turbo are TOO bad, yes they throw timing belts and leak oil like crazy but they DO last a long time. EA82 Turbos.... ya money pits in the grand scheme of all engines known to man. yea, not too bad. I still rate them as pretty much the worst that subaru has made. I'd buy an EJ25D.....wouldn't even accept a free EA82.
June 19, 200916 yr I've never had that bad of issues with the EA82. They are not the best on power, but other than some timing belt issues (my own fault for not changing them in a timely manner...) I've put lots of miles on them without problems. I still much prefer the EA81 or early EJ22's yes... but the EA82's arent horrible. The justy.. well... it seems to be doing very well so far. I know that they are not known for very long lives... 100k miles or so. But, I'd still take it over something like a dodge neon or chevy cavalier which are truly cars that I would not take if they were free (unless they had a good set of tires that would fit a subaru, maybe Now.. turbo.... I don't think I'd ever drive a gasoline engine with a turbo. Seems like that's just asking for something to implode because it's more complicated than adding a turbo to a diesel, and has more things that could go wrong (detonation, not wanting to run lean, which are both normal for a diesel...) Edited June 19, 200916 yr by zyewdall
June 19, 200916 yr Isn't there a lot of work required for an ej22 swap? Like a flywheel adapter and new wiring? My EA82T has 55k miles on it and doesn't leak or burn oil. But, the original EA82T in my XT blew up at 90k miles. My XT is a daily driver, mileage is 20-26 mpg in FWD which isn't great for a light aerodynamic car.
June 19, 200916 yr reliability wise the EA82 is far nicer than the EA82T's. but with really lacking power. to be reliable a 20+ year old EA82 is going to need lots of help - resealed completely and done right. very rare to be worth it.
June 19, 200916 yr 22t isn't any better than a 22e. in fact, in most high-hp applications, they just overheat because all the coolant passages are filled with aluminum. I have to dissagree. The 22t is a better *block* simply because it's closed deck. It can get to higher HP reliably than the 22e can if you change out the heads. As far as anything below 300 HP they are pretty even though. It's got just as much coolant flow as the sand-cast 20t has - and remember the 22B impreza used the 22t block - stock with 320 HP. I wouldn't trust the open deck of the 22e to that kind of power for very long. GD
June 20, 200916 yr Author I was already planning an EJ swap, I have a Legacy sitting next to this thing waiting on a few parts to run right. I want it to run right before I yank it, I don't want to have to figure out if it's something wrong with the engine or my work once it's in the car. I'm also swapping in an AWD 5speed at the same time, so lots of work going on. I am kinda stumped on this thing right now. It's got a new turbo drain line that is high heat hose and has a heat shield on it, I can see the pressure line to the turbo and that's fine, valve covers and cam case o-rings are new, cam, crank, and oil pump seals are new, and the oil isn't coming from the front. It's running onto the crossmember by the bellhousing, plus it just keeps flowing when the engine is off. There is a very large puddle on my trailer now.
June 20, 200916 yr i dont think EA82s with no turbo are TOO bad, yes they throw timing belts and leak oil like crazy but they DO last a long time... I Agree, my EA82 has moved my Family Flawlessly Across All Central America since 1985 and it Doesn`t Burn a Single Drop of Oil... (Just Blows a Li`l Amount thru the Heads` Hoses, Soon a Catch can will take Care of That) ...and after Twenty Four Years of Non-Stop Driving and over 270K Miles, I Won`t consider that Engine as "Bad" Design after All... Specially considering that our Roads Really Suck, Plenty of Potholes, Mud or Dust (Depending on Weather), Gravel, etc... and the Horrible Stop`n Go driving of the Main Cities` Traffic Jams across High Uphills & Downhills... also considering that the Average of Other Brands` cars here usually trend to need a Complete engine Overhaul at the Half of a Subie`s engine Life, or even Less. But EA82T are a completely different story and I have to agree with you about these engines that are very problematic. But Seems like everybody Forgot the EA81T ... I`ll Like to Read what do you Think about that Engine and if the EA81T are Better than the EA82T. Considering that the EA81T doesn`t have those Timin` Belts, I Believe that I Already know the Answer... Kind Regards.
June 20, 200916 yr I Agree, my EA82 has moved my Family Flawlessly Across All Central America since 1985 and it Doesn`t Burn a Single Drop of Oil... (Just Blows a Li`l Amount thru the Heads` Hoses, Soon a Catch can will take Care of That) ...and after Twenty Four Years of Non-Stop Driving and over 270K Miles, I Won`t consider that Engine as "Bad" Design after All... Specially considering that our Roads Really Suck, Plenty of Potholes, Mud or Dust (Depending on Weather), Gravel, etc... and the Horrible Stop`n Go driving of the Main Cities` Traffic Jams across High Uphills & Downhills... also considering that the Average of Other Brands` cars here usually trend to need a Complete engine Overhaul at the Half of a Subie`s engine Life, or even Less. But EA82T are a completely different story and I have to agree with you about these engines that are very problematic. But Seems like everybody Forgot the EA81T ... I`ll Like to Read what do you Think about that Engine and if the EA81T are Better than the EA82T. Considering that the EA81T doesn`t have those Timin` Belts, I Believe that I Already know the Answer... Kind Regards. You do have a point JesZek. The EA82 (with 206k) I just bought only drips a few drops of oil a night, and runs beautifully. And it came from Alaska! And as for the EA81, I would KILL for one of those engines. Having studs holding the heads on and also lacking a timing belt, I believe they would be pretty much the perfect small hi-performance engine. Almost indestructable, ask anyone with one, and all aluminum block and heads, they're light, being a pushrod engine, they are small in size, etc, etc, etc... Twitch
June 20, 200916 yr And as for the EA81, I would KILL for one of those engines.Having studs holding the heads on and also lacking a timing belt, I believe they would be pretty much the perfect small hi-performance engine. Almost indestructable, ask anyone with one, and all aluminum block and heads, they're light, being a pushrod engine, they are small in size, etc, etc, etc... I assume you are refering to the EA81T yes? There's a few good points about it that you noted, however it's not really a good design for modifications. Here's the drawbacks to it if you are interested: 1. Poor flowing heads - siamesed intake port like the non-turbo EA82's. 2. Weird injector design mounted ON the heads. Very difficult to upgrade if you wanted to go higher on the boost. 3. Flapper MAF and primitive ignition system - the distributor still has a vacuum advance. 4. VERY hard to find parts for. If you want performance from the EA81 you are better off building an engine using the SUB4 heads from RAM performance. It will cost you but they have proven reliable up to 200 HP with a supercharger. Better than the EA82T anyway - but very costly to build. For a car, the EJ engines are a better choice. For experimental aircraft the EA81 is an excelent choice. GD
June 21, 200916 yr I like mine at the moment anyway runs smooth and leaks a little but it's great for a daily excellent gas mileage! non turbo
June 21, 200916 yr I have limited time behind the ea81 engine in brents Brat but that seems like a fine engine. The ea82 i duno. Definately lacking in power but i think its ok. Seems to do the job and lots of people get over 250k out of them. So they can be all bad now can they.
June 21, 200916 yr yea i have seen quite a few with tons of miles on them, its definitly not the best engine but its far from the worst. and every old car seems to have a major problem or 2. i think its just a fact that people dont take care of them
August 4, 200916 yr Author I found the official cause of death! The lower edge of the right head gasket blew out, opening the oil return from the turbo. New one for a Subaru, sounds more like a Neon.
August 4, 200916 yr Hey guys, I wish somebody would have told me about EA83Ts when I bought my turbo wagon! But... I was a poor college student and $400 seemed like the right price . That being said, with all the maintenance it's had (and still needs), it's lasted a long time... and still cheaper than having a car payment .
August 4, 200916 yr Hey mentis, : If it ain't broke, don't fix it. " I was a poor college student and $400 seemed like the right price ." Doug
August 4, 200916 yr Yeah, so now I'm not a college student... now I'm a starving artist and the wagon's still runnin (albeit with some problems ) LOL .
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