In my manual it says to adjust the tappets when the engine is cold. But I was told by a mechanic that offen fixs old subaru's that I should adjust them when engine is hot.

The engine is a EA81 with solid lifters. Hot or cold?

I've adjusted them cold and they seem to tap pretty loud.

Well, all manuals i've seen say adjust cold - don't know why, most other manufacturers specify to adjust when hot.

 

I'd stick with what subaru recommends. You sure you had the crank in the right position when you were measuring? Also, i find that those feeler gauges with the bent ends make it easier to do with the engine in the car.

Yes, I made sure the crank was in the right position. I will try adjusting it hot when I get the motor running again and see what it does. Only thing there is it hurts when you touch anything under the rocker cover :-\ Still waiting on getting a head back from a guy who is welding the exhaust studs. Hope I get it by tomorrow!

Just thought you'd all like to know what the problem was. It turns out that the duel carb motors are different. They have the inlet and exhaust valves the other way round, like EA82's. And I was adjusting the valve clearance for the standard EA81, not the SPECIAL duel carb version. That means I had the wrong clearance on the valves.

I didn't think there was much difference between the single and duel motors. But there is! :-O