Valve adjustment trouble

midlifecrisis · Post by **midlifecrisis** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 2:43 pm

Hi peoples

A mate is having trouble with his valve adjustment. The engine is a EA81 Jap import, All the valves feel a little springy when you push the pushrod down but one goes into the engine a lot more. Do these jap import engines have some sort of hyd lifters and what would the setting be for the tappits and why does one have a lot more play so when you push it down you get about 2 or 3 mm clearence.

Any help and ideas as soon as possible would be great as he needs to get this thing running

you can ring me on 0410920488.

Thanks heaps

Marc

90brumby · Post by **90brumby** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 3:30 pm

txt msg send mate

Phizinza · Post by **Phizinza** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 6:00 pm

Some EA81's had hydraulic lifters, sorry, not sure which ones. I'm thinking 85 and onwards?

steve_rising_sun · Post by **steve_rising_sun** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 10:23 pm

The Jap imports with a little sticker on the rocker cover were hydraulic.
Hopefully your sticker is still there but yours sound like hydraulics.
Steve

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:06 am

Subaru say they did not sell any EA81 cars in Australia with hydraulic lifters, so they can't sell you new ones - no listing. We have been importing used engines for at least twenty years from Japan so you could find anything in these cars now. The pushrod that goes in a bit more sounds like it collapsed/stuffed. Why is ya mate checking them in the first place?

midlifecrisis · Post by **midlifecrisis** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 5:13 pm

hi peoples

he is checking them as he just got this engine to go into his car and was checking the tappit settings while he was checking the rest of the engine over after putting it in the car and being an unknown engine to make sure all is ok, and not thinking it would have hyd lifters.

Marc

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:39 pm

ah,ha, can't blame him for that. Hydraulics ? might just pump up nicely with start up or soon after. My Ea82 turbo ones did after being left on their sides for a long time, which is a no-no. store 'em upright in oil, hard to store 'em upright in an engine that keeps them on their sides ?!?

90brumby · Post by **90brumby** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 11:53 pm

i ave a few hydralic lifter thingos ere

n subaru only have 6 solid ones left in stock

IF u were want them

midlifecrisis · Post by **midlifecrisis** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:21 am

thanks 90brumby but I think if it comes to the stage that we split the case we will throw the hyd lifters and replace with solid ones.
We are going to set all the tappits to where they are just touching the valves and see how that goes, the engine has been sitting for about 18months so hopefully it will come good.if no luck with that we will strip it down and rebuild it.

thanks guys for all your input and ideas. I will post how it goes.

Marc

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:04 am

my hydraulic adjustment method with OLD FORDS was to adjust as you say you gonna do, then at op temp eng stopped adjust so the pushrod just swivels freely , not tight, not loose between lifter and rocker.

midlifecrisis · Post by **midlifecrisis** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:37 pm

Kool thanks Jono

midlifecrisis · Post by **midlifecrisis** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:17 pm

Hi peoples.

this weekend we reset the tappits as you guys had said did an engine oil flush and put new oil in on Saturday morning and by late today the lifter was much quiter.
thanks for all your help

marc