Ok, and the good news is,,,,,,

I pulled all 4 plugs and did a compression test and got 180 PSI consistently across all 4 cylinders with no deviation.

Here are the plugs, they all seem to be even also, no oil fouling, no wetness, nothing abnormal.

I know they are a bit hard to see in the low light, but they are all brownish and equal.

One thing I forgot to mention,,,, this engine seems loud but I don’t really know how to put it in words to describe it. There is a somewhat loud noise, in between what a knocking lifter would sound like, an injector noisy, or an exhaust tick. (I think a loud “tick” is the best way too describe it).

Would an exhaust leak cause me isssues? I did struggle with the manifold when I pulled the head, it was really difficult to keep out of the way, but I did not want to remove it because the bolts looked really rusty and I feared creating another problem. I did indeed bang it around a few times harder than I would have liked when I removed the head.

 

Yes, very good news!

An exhaust tick would indicate

A: a broken flex pipe

B: cracked exhaust manifold

C: loose exhaust manifold fasteners, resulting in a leaking exhaust manifold gasket!
The exhaust studs just go in finger tight, then the nuts and they get torqued to 89 inch pounds

 

Ok, latest update.

I peeled back the loom to injector 3 to inspect for broken wires. I did not find any in the loom, but thank GOD I did this because I found the ground wire going to the back of the head just hanging there.

I was really specific to make sure I got this wire reattached because I knew going into this that this was a common issue that people miss. BUT I think the wire was just rotten and broke at the connector from the abuse.
I replaced the connector and reconnected it, cleared the codes, and took it for a drive. Drove fine, for awhile. I actually thought I had it fixed.

When I got home the engine was shaking pretty badly. I repulled the codes and this time I got a new one that I never had before, P0014 exhaust cam solenoid. I just so happened to have a new cheap set from Amazon (I know I know, I was going to send them back) and I swapped them out and cleared the codes again but this did not help. I checked the oil level and its fine, however I did add a quart of 30 weight oil yesterday when I redid the timing chain to make up for the quart I lost since that is all I had on hand (due to engine sludge, I planned on doing yet another oil change this afternoon anyway). I just changed the oil and filter on this car a week ago for the first time since owning it using a synthetic blend from Rock auto.

It is a bit difficult for me to grasp that one quart of 30 weight would affect it this much. But I realize anything is possible. But this P0014 code is a brand new code, never got this until I redid the timing chain yesterday.

I struggled getting the chain on both cam sprockets. It took me a long while of rocking the cams back and forth to get the links to match up.

So now I either have an oil issue, a bad cam exhaust actuator issue, or maybe the timing chain slipped a tooth even though I was so anal to make sure it was right.

What do greater minds than me think? (I could replace the actuator again with a GM genuine, this car has now turned into a money pit)

EDIT: I still have the p0303 cylinder #3 misfire code

 

Did you activate the timing chain tensioner?

 

Telling on myself, but I never collapsed it. I just screwed it in already activated. Was this bad?

 

Read the causes, for P0014.....

https://www.obd-codes.com/p0014

 

Bottom line, cylinder #3 is simply not firing. It’s idling like crap. I can tell when a cylinder is dead, so I went after this particular issue. Despite the compression showing 180 PSI and the plug looking the same as the others, I can pull the wires off the coils one after the other and cylinder #3 is the only one that the engine does not slug down. No change whatsoever. This coincides with the p0303 code cylinder #3 misfire.

I just now swapped the coil packs again, as well as the injectors, no change. I used my long handled screwdriver on my ear, the knocking “loud tapping” sound that I mentioned earlier sounds stronger on the #3, #4 side of the valve cover. It seems as though I can also hear the injector working with the same technique.

If it were a bad coil pack with a no spark condition, I would be apt to think it would be really fuel fouled.

Maybe the injector is not getting it’s signal? Possibly, but it seems like I hear it clicking.

So no fire on cylinder #3, but the plug is burning equally, not fouled, no fuel fouling, no oil fouling. Loud sound.

Bad valve despite a valve job just being performed?

 

Sticking cam follower?

https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/2-0l...-noise-190358/

 

I have no idea. Is there a way to test for this? I just had the valve cover off this morning too. I wished I had looked closer. I CAN verify that the cams are not a tooth off on either one.

 

No spark, good coil, good plug = bad wire.
I am assuming you checked for spark when you had the plug out.