Just to make sure

Priming tools are fairly in-expensive to buy. You can get them at the better auto parts stores or on-line.

If a valve was smacked, the motor will have a dead miss. It would be pretty obvious. If it is missing, run it for 10 seconds and shut it down. Carefully feel each header or use a IR gun. The cold one will be the dead cylinder but make sure your oil pump is pumping oil first.
 
compression #'s

Did a compression test today and here are the numbers:

1. 135
2. 155
3. 160
4. 135
5. 130
6. 130

Do these numbers look normal???
 
The OEM pushrods are weak. I bet you have bent pushrods. If the valve god smacked you would have a dead hole.

Plus its making a racket=bent pushrods.

Pull your valve covers off. And pull your rocker shafts off. Then pull out the pushrods and check them on a flat surface like a piece of glass.

I have seen these motors bend pushrods and not hurt the valves. With oem pushrods.
 
The OEM pushrods are weak. I bet you have bent pushrods. If the valve god smacked you would have a dead hole.

Plus its making a racket=bent pushrods.

Pull your valve covers off. And pull your rocker shafts off. Then pull out the pushrods and check them on a flat surface like a piece of glass.

I have seen these motors bend pushrods and not hurt the valves. With oem pushrods.

good point...which I failed to mention...
 
I removed the rocker shaft and pushrods when installing the timing chain and they all seemed straight, but then again, I didn't lay them on a flat surface and inspect them.
Where is the best place to get pushrods w/stock setup? (O'Reilly's, Autozone, etc.)
 
A couple of the pushrods were slightly curved, but the rest rolled smoothly on the floor...
 
Now it won't start

After I checked the compression, I set the cam sensor again, put new pushrods in, and replaced the spark plugs.
I tried to start it, but it would just crank. When I continue to try to start it it would pop (that's all I can think of to explain it).
I don't know why won't it start now, or why it pops?
 
Did you install the cam sensor right? was the motor at TDC for cylinder #1 on compression? Did you plug all the sensors back in?
 
Everything was installed correctly, all sensors plugged in.
I also found some coolant mixed w/oil pooled up in when I removed the valve covers.
 
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