Hmm what to do.ej22 vs ea82t. i need some opinions.

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 2:57 pm

as more and more **** goes wrong with my existing engine, its starting to piss me off and ive been thinking hard about doing the popular ej22 swap into my L.

heres my thoughts at the present moment.

to keep ea82t- it needs about $600 spent on it for a bov, tune, replacement rad, and fix some other minor stuff. ive just put a wrx turbo on it as my original shat itself and new intercooler and have hardly driven it at all because of other annoying problems, that will be fixed shortly. i do love the turbo engine, dont get me wrong but it must be getting a bit long in the tooth now. i dont know how many k's but its got some leaks and and HG's prolly wont last longer than a year. its still my baby and its good being a bit more original than one of those ej22s that are popping up everywhere now.

to swap to ej22- ive priced stuff up in my head. up to a grand for donor car, $500 for custom radiator, $100ish for adaptor plate $150 for wiring, $200ish for beefed up clutch which is all just under $2k worst case scenario.
id use the $600 needed to fix up the ea82t and put it towards this. ive got a little bit in the bank too i could probs use.
im hoping ej22 would be far more reliable and is more powerful and better for offroading. from what ive seen they are best bang for your buck and seem to last. probably good in the long term- ie next 5 years.
cons for this swap would be i lose awesome turbo noises and originality.
best time for the swap is now coz im on holidays too.
lemme know what you think.

other option is find another motor like ej20t or ej25 to swap those although its a harder swap. and more costly. but more original.

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 3:29 pm

Your in a similar frame of mind as i was 12 months ago.

Yes the EJ will be more reliable, effeciant and more powerful (to an extent)

But the EA82T is more fun, is different and it makes people look twice when they hear the flutter.

I went with the EA82t cos it was the quickest to convert (took me 2 weeks working after hours {which in winter isnt much if you are working outside with no lights})

And if i wanted to get an EJ22, why not just buy a liberty. Which i will probably do in a years time.

Xtreme_RX · Post by **Xtreme_RX** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 3:50 pm

EJ22 is a more 'long term life' conversion. It has a little bit more power than the EA82T in stock trim. It all comes down to money & what you expect from the car. I would say go EJ22 you wont look back.

In saying that I have just spent some serious $$$ on my EA82T to achieve good power (around 125KW @ the wheels is the & double the torque) But it is built reliably & I took the time to do it properly..............

PeeJay · Post by **PeeJay** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 5:03 pm

I wouldn't say EJ20T is harder than an EJ22, unless there are compliance issues to sort out.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 6:34 pm

I'd try and expand more on the pros and cons of moving to EJ22.
From what I can see so far the main con is loosing originality. And considering your main complaint is that you need more reliability, this pro far outweighs that.
Remember that after you spend the money you've listed there, you still have a grandpa motor with a hairdrier bolted to it....it might not be long before it throws a piston, or starts blowing smoke or worse.
Seriously if you're in it for the long term EJ is the way to go. If the conversion is done well I seriously can't think of a single benefit to keeping the EA.
You've been involved in enough of these conversions now to know how straight forward they are, and there are a few of them getting around to reference from too.
**edit - by the way here's a hot tip! - Swap back to a standard engine crossmember and sell the EA82turbo one, recoupe a little of your extra capital expense

(btw - first dibs on the EA82t!)

daza · Post by **daza** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:03 pm

Do not spend any more than 2cents on an Ea82, ever.
Daza.

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:19 pm

i want u to keep the EA...ill help u work on it.

wt a sad day thatll be if Subafury has lost his Turbo

that car is a machine how it is.
and uve spent so much already there aint much more to spend.

TURBO TURBO TURBO.

ill undastand if u go to a EJ tho, (and if u do i say go turbed)...but all us WA boys will be there helping ya

SUBYDAZZ · Post by **SUBYDAZZ** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:38 pm

Xtreme_RX wrote:EJ22 is a more 'long term life' conversion. It has a little bit more power than the EA82T in stock trim...

Yes, 100kW vs 86 or 88kW, depending on what year model EA82T.

SUBYDAZZ · Post by **SUBYDAZZ** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 8:43 pm

Subafury wrote: to swap to ej22- ive priced stuff up in my head. up to a grand for donor car, $500 for custom radiator, $100ish for adaptor plate $150 for wiring, $200ish for beefed up clutch which is all just under $2k worst case scenario.
im hoping ej22 would be far more reliable and is more powerful and better for offroading. from what ive seen they are best bang for your buck and seem to last. probably good in the long term- ie next 5 years...

Always allow 10-15% on total extra for when sh*t happens.

Will you do the wiring and other work yourself? Otherwise there'd be a significant labour cost.

00outback · Post by **00outback** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:04 pm

Better to spend your money on the EJ22.

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:30 pm

i reckon itll cost more than 600 for the EA82T.

but to do a GOOD conversion wuld cost alot more. sure u culd do it cheaply like 2000 but then ur still gonna be fixing things later.

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:44 pm

I think if you have a turbo and it is not too bad then stick with it. Any one considering whether to go to either ea82 turbo or ej22 then go the ej any day.

The old ea82t has an excellent sound and can be made to go quite well. The EJ22 is the EJ's version of the old ea81. Good reliable work horse that will go for pretty much ever if fed oil and water when needed. Good horse power with economy as well. Quite responsive and good for 4wding.

The EA82T with work done to it like you have already done will have bucket loads more torque when the boost is up. It is a 10/10 for fun factor when compared to the EJ22. When that boost comes on it will spin the wheels more than an EJ22 could ever wish to do.

What it comes down to I suppose is the EA82T is more fun I think.
The EJ22 is more responsive down low, more reliable and more economical.

tim_81coupe · Post by **tim_81coupe** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:53 pm

The obvious choice is an EJ turbo motor. You'll make more HP stock than a heavily worked EA82T, you'll still have your turbo "individuality" and the reliability is certainly there too. You should be able to stick with the EA gearbox if thats what you want to do... just don't launch it hard on boost and you'll be right. Oh and use a dual stage boost controller to limit it to say 5psi for 2WD, or you'll end up changing lanes with the throttle.

I've put ~7500km's on my RX since buying it roughly 2 months ago and there isn't an engine problem in sight. And its a rough conversion to say the least.

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 6:14 am

tim_81coupe wrote:I've put ~7500km's on my RX since buying it roughly 2 months ago and there isn't an engine problem in sight. And its a rough conversion to say the least.

I did'nt realise you had bought another Subie. Good work, I thought you were still driving a BA ute. What's converted about your RX? Has it an EJ?

Sorry for the hijack, but It's all relavent.

tim_81coupe · Post by **tim_81coupe** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 10:39 am

Sorry I should get around to putting up a Member's Rides post.

Yes I sold the BA about two months ago, bought an RX for $2500 fitted with an EJ20G and 5spd AWD. Had to do a lot of work to un-dodgy the conversion, still a fair bit of wiring and some minor mechanical stuff to do but its looking pretty good now.

[/end hijack]

Post by **Alex** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:28 pm

EJ all the way, as we discussed last night, it is a WAY better UPGRADE. I think reliability is the main factor, and EJ has what EA doesnt. Also has more than enough grunt. You wont look back

alex

BlackMale · Post by **BlackMale** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:55 pm

I think that everybody knows that I will offer some unbias opinions - LOL.

For me the short answer is stay 82T.

My 2 cents… I hope by original you mean factory standard, not sure if I would call and 82T conversion original as in rare – there were few in WA when I arrived here however there are (or were) a few around now - I have 2 + spare engines and 1 dead, Dev1l dave had 1, Subanotor had 1, AndwerT has 1 and yours and all this in the space of 12 months. I am finding that my parts are getting rare however easy to come by and all are still stocked by Subaru Aust, you just need a list of part numbers so you know your getting the correct bits (those of us with the 82T’s should be able to help you with these should you need it). I think you converting to EJ will increase the rarity.

In terms of which is far easier to insure and rego (my experience was well documented and obviously an exception to the WA rule) again this will be the 82T.

As BYB-01 said and you know, induction/BOV/zort all sound sweet and boost on is 10/10 fun – how could I dispute these facts.

Look at your own subconscious… why would you write, in your own poll, “Keep the EA82T and give her some more love ($) turbos FTW”? (why you would type FTW anyway in a thread is beyond me however this is another thread). Just the way you have worded the question I think that there is some subconscious influencing in there (as 1 is YAEH FTW and the other is bang for buck – they are not equal items to rate – sorry I do this for a living remember).

I think that the EJ’s do have some advantages over the EA, I will not contest this fact. And as a 4WDing engine I have been open about the fact that if I had my time again I would seriously consider 4WDing in an EJ, however I am not converting my turbo EA to an NA EJ – personally I can not find the logic in that. I agree we are an we are an increasingly rare(ish) bread and I would miss the opportunity to 4WD with another EA82T however all this being said though the ultimate decision is yours.

Final greedy note - should you move away from the EA let me know, as like AndrewT, I may be interested in a few bits you’ll have up for grabs, and should you need to have someone talk up the 82T then give me a call - the WA crew are all EJ bias (again you know this though - look at what they are all driving - LOL)

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 1:05 pm

BlackMale wrote:the WA crew are all EJ bias (again you know this though - look at what they are all driving - LOL)

OI wt u talking bout....i want him to keep the EA82 Wrxified Supra intercooled Lifted Offroading machine.

i am in no way EJ bias

sorry Blackmale

Post by **Alex** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 1:30 pm

BlackMale wrote:the WA crew are all EJ bias (again you know this though - look at what they are all driving - LOL)

silly comment. All our cars originally came with EA, i know how an ea performs on and offroad (ive been in matt's and devil dave's cars enough to know this{no offence}) an EJ flogs ea in every aspect. Its a newer, stronger, more refined motor. EJ has ALOT more low down torque and has power over the whole rev range, whereas with EA turbo you have to wait for the turbo to spool up.

What ive particularly noticed with the EJ22 is when your at real low revs and you feel like the car is about to stall in boggy sand etc, it somehow keeps putting along where EA's tend to splutter and just die.

thats my 2c

alex

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Fri Dec 28, 2007 1:32 pm

EJ's in an L series (yes even the turbo ones) are easy to pass over the pits - that's a fact, I am actually speaking from experience of several mates on this.
eg - warren, the purple L series. This is an EJ20turbo adapted to a standard part time 4x4 L series gearbox (just plain dangerous in front wheel drive!). No problems what-so-ever regarding the conversion when passing the pits. This was only a couple of months ago.

The logic in changing from a turbo EA engine to an NA EJ engine is because the EJ22 is more powerful, reliable and fuel efficient - is this silly?

I think the bottom line is.... EJ's are better - there is NO argument here!.
Do you want to upgrade or not?

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Hmm what to do.ej22 vs ea82t. i need some opinions.

which motor to have.

Hmm what to do.ej22 vs ea82t. i need some opinions.