Install new head and now I have valve noise

Welcome back to 2CarPros. You are correct in that the 1.9 uses hydraulic tappets that are not adjustable. There is a way to check that it has enough clearance for them to operate but no way to adjust them tighter. The common wear points are in the rocker arm seat where the pivot is as well as the valve stem tips. The only way I know of to tighten them is to replace parts. I'm not sure that a lash cap would work on that engine without having adjustable rocker arms.

Tappets, lifter, cam follower, all the same in this case. Normally you would bleed them only on initial install. However, I suppose that head may have been on the shelf a while so it couldn't hurt. You can remove them with the head installed. You remove the valve cover, then the rockers. Be sure you keep things in order. Next there are the lifter guide rails and the lifters. First thing to look at when you pull the valve cover is where do you or don't you have oil. Normally a lifter that is air locked won't push as much oil to the rockers.

Normally you just set them into a container filled with oil and let them set with the top plunger up so the oil can fill it and push air out the top. You can also use an oil can into the oiling port to do the same thing. When they are full of oil they take a lot of pressure to slowly bleed down. There is a special tool that you can use on the rocker arm to compress the lifter in order to check that they have the proper clearance. Minimum is.000 Normal is 2.2mm and out of spec is 4.5mm The tool isn't hard to build if you need one. Search T81P-6500-A and there are images of the tool with sizes.

You have hydraulic lifters. If you didn't you would have a way to adjust the valve lash. The clearances are just to be sure that the lifters oil inlet is open to the oil passages in the head.

No rush, we'll be here.

The clearance issue is to be sure that the oil hole is lined up with the passage in the head. You compress the lifter in the head which pushes the oil out of the lifter. It will take a couple seconds. Then you check the clearance. The clearance between the valve and rocker will tell you if the hole is lined up okay. 4.5mm of clearance means the hole is below the oil passage when it is on the base circle of the cam. 2.2mm should put it about in the middle. If the holes position is wrong it will not get oil and you will have valve clatter because the lifter will not be under the oil pressure when it starts to move the rocker.

2. Position Tappet Collapser T81P-6500-A on the rocker arm. Slowly apply pressure to bleed down the valve tappet until it is completely bottomed. Hold the valve tappet in this position and check the available clearance between the rocker arm and the valve stem tip with a feeler gauge.

The collapsed valve tappet gap, when the cylinder head is on base circle, should be as follows:

Minimum: 0mm (0.000inch)
Nominal: 2.2mm (0.087inch)
Maximum: 4.5mm (0.177inch)

If the clearance is greater than specification, check the following for wear:

- Rocker arm seat.
- Valve tappet.
- Camshaft lobe.
- Valve tip.

3. With the No. 1 piston at the TDC end of the compression stroke (Position No. 1), check the following valves:

- No. 1 Intake Valve, No. 1 Exhaust valve.
- No. 2 Intake Valve.

4. Rotate the crankshaft to position No. 2 (cyl 3 at TDC)and check the following valves:

- No. 3 Intake Valve, No. 3 Exhaust valve.

5. Rotate the crankshaft another 180 degrees from position No. 2 back to TDC (cyl 4 at TDC) and check the following valves:

- No. 4 Intake Valve, No. 4 Exhaust Valve.
- No. 2 Exhaust Valve.

Yes. Without oil in it the lifter will collapse under the pressure of the valve spring. I'd remove it and open it up to see if some dirt/debris is blocking it. Worst case you could buy a new lifter to install if you find nothing.

In theory yes, but I wouldn't because there is a chance the roller has an odd wear pattern and could hurt the cam in the new head.