Zetec Rebuild Advice?

Okay, I picked up a 98 'tour LX the other day, with a broken timing belt. Easy e'nuff, right? Turns out the previous owner after removing as much off the top as possible w/o removing the motor mount, started to remove the camshafts. All the bearing cap bolts are loosened, the oil seals removed, the VCT solenoid un-mounted, etc....

So, using the procedure in the manuals, can I just torque everything back down to spec? And then proceed w/the timing belt installation procedure?

Any advice on things to look for in the top end while I'm doing this? The head is still torqued down, so I'm fairly confident that it hasn't been removed and replaced like the camshafts.

What else should I do while I'm in there "rebuilding" this Zetec?

i'd say yes. that's what i would do, unless there is any question to the condition of the head gasket. depending on how long it's been apart might lube everything up real good before i put it back together, but that's just me, it might not be necessary.

I looked at the head while I was under the hood and I don't have any reason to suspect the head gasket. The engine failed from the timing belt, not anything else AFAIK. The camshaft gallery is pretty clean and no signs of burnt bearings or bad lube.

then slap it back together, set the timing and no worries.

I'd say pull the head and throw on a new head gasket if its that far apart already. Then have the head cleaned and machined while you have it off and just start fresh with a like new head and head gasket.

I shouldn't need to check valve clearances or lash since I didn't adjust any of the valves, correct? I'm basically just "putting it back" together.

I think that thing might have hydraulic valve lifters, in which case you can't adjust them. If they ARE adjustable, just take the extra few minutes to check the clearances.

Whenever you have something apart, it never hurts to do minor maintenance and cleaning. I don't know about having the whole head milled as that could get expensive and taking the head off is a pain cause there is all kinds of crap to disconnect.

the 98+ Zetec has solid lifters and should be checked for clearance and lash caps replaced with proper thickness ones if they are out of spec.

taking the head off is easy, especially since it already has the cam caps undone. that said, unless you can tell its been leaking or its obviously bad then i wouldnt touch it.

I wouldn't either, the head bolts have to be changed if broken loose. I'd be damn sure the shims have not been moved from their places, each shim is now run into that particular cam lobe and the clearance must also be right. If cam caps were removed they just go back into their locations as well, they are marked as to position. Don't mix 'em up.

98 model has shims and separate tappets, the shims change thickness, somewhere around 99-00 Ford dropped the shims and went to tappets that are different thicknesses themselves, no shims.