Hey all, I've got a 2004 Crusader 5.7. Had an overheat and blew the head gaskets, cyl 3 and 6 had coolant.
Anyway, my question is, can I put the heads back on, after making sure valves are still good, without loosening the rocker bolts (line up the push rods) and not have to adjust the valves or should I adjust the valves anyway?
First off, it is a misnomer to think that we adjust valves.
Once the valves, springs, retainers and all of the valve stem keepers are in place, there is no further valve adjustment.
What you're doing will be adjusting the rocker arm nut as to set the push rod into the cam follower as to set the hydraulic plunger depth. The goal is to set the plunger at the prescribed operating depth.
So the answer to your question is NO! This would NOT be advisable.
You may also want to have these cylinder heads checked for warpage.
Trying not to disturb the engine so I can put the distributor back in the same spot, can't really see the timing mark. Is it just best practice to adjust?
If you re-adjust the ignition advance, you will have corrected any possible error that may have been made previously.
In order to do this properly, you need to be able to strobe an accurate #1 cylinder TDC marking.
