Hi all - have just installed and got going my "mystery" EA81 (short block that had been in the shed for years) - runs very well - starting from cold the motor sounds as it should but as it warms up a valve train tick appears (not TOO loud but annoying) - it seems to be coming from the centre of the motor but its difficult to be sure - I am thinking it could be a worn lifter - any thoughts out there ? Cheers

Try adjusting the valves? Assuming it doesn't have hydraulic lifters of course.

Whats your oil pressure say?

Thanks for the replies - I am going to re-adjust the valves (solid lifters) (it seems only one is ticking) - I did set the exhausts at a tight 0.20 thou - the motor is a bit of a Frankensteins monster so maybe things need to bed in over time - still - the tapping doesn't sound like the usual rocker shaft tick - the car (Brumby) has no oil pressure gauge but the oil pressure light goes out within a couple of seconds on startup  - using this core was a bit of a gamble but it seemed to be in generally good condition - no ridges in the bores - no sludge in the sump - a slight golden hue to the internals - from memory the guy who gave it to me said that he used the heads off it for another project - any rate we will see what happens - Cheers

I set my EA81 hot @ 4 thou for all eight valves but that was with a 16/56 can. Think I used same for 20/60

You put it together - how werelittle end bushes?

Oil grade? Frankenstein still needed to observe tolerances. Did you check? That golden hue ...only better is new !

I didn't disassemble the core at all - apart from taking the sump off - it was a bit of a gamble - I had 4 short motors to choose from - all very unknown quantities - any rate I took the old girl for its first drive last night (after it sitting around for a couple of years) and it went well - I even thought the tapping had slightly changed - not such a sharp tick - anyway I will take it for short drives around the place and hopefully it will self heal - I do have a recon EA81 motor that has a loose camshaft drive cog - my next project - will be my first effort at splitting the cases - Cheers

Well - yesterday I drained out about a litre of oil and added half a litre of Mobil 1 5-50 - started it up - and as it warmed up the lifter tick was still there but was varying in loudness - by the time the radiator fans came on the tick had all but disappeared ! - maybe a lifter was sticking in its bore ? - not rotating ? - had some crud in the oilways that dislodged ? any rate I am pretty happy - the self healing EA81 !