I have a loud valve tap? coming from the head

picked up a junkyard head and there is some slack between the number 2 piston intake valve and the number 3 piston exhaust valve?

is there supposed to be clearance gaps when these valves are closed?

well when my motor was tapping, i didnt have much oil in it and 3 of the hydraulic lifters where stuck. so i replaced all of them. you sure that wasnt the problem?

common problem with the ka engines are the hydraulic lifters to get stuck or tapp. You can try running heavier weight oil and see if the problem goes away.

ON MAzda MPV's the lifters are notorious for going bad. High mileage oil helps and some synthetics. If I remember right, they recommend thinner not thicker oils.

Better yet, rockauto or rock-auto.com has em

I own a 90 hardbody , i will notice a loud tap when the oil is low. after warm up seems to go away,300,000 mi. 17 years later still running strong.

20-50 weight woks best to quiet the lifters.