about the valve chatter, yeah.. that's what i'm thinking. should i just let it run a while or is that even something that will fix itself?

what about the fact that it sounds like a tractor..
also, you think the bendix is shot?

 

well i got the car started today.. which was a task in and of itself..

after letting it run a while and warm up, the valve chatter has all but disappeared. it sounds normal again! one thing i have noticed, the car seems to be vibrating pretty bad. at first i attributed this to the fact that the engine was running so ragged, but nw that it's evened out i'm not sure. i'm getting random check engine lights when i fire it up, but i'm assuming i need my injectors cleaned.. on start-up it runs a little ragged for a few seconds then evens out.

also, it seems to be running a little on the hot side.

i would assume it's running hot because there still isn't enough coolant in the system yet.. but what could cause it to vibrate like that?

EDIT: i've run the motor about 2 more times putting more coolant in each time.. temperature is now stabilized... the vibrations are only bad at or below 1k rpms... above 1k, they aren't very noticable, and somewhere between 1500 and 2000 rpms they disappear completely.
also, my rpms won't settle down. at first they are stable, then they begin jumping +400-500 like clockwork..


EDIT#2: in reference to the fluctuating rpms: i unplugged my mass airflow sensor and my rpms jumped to about 1900 rpms and stayed steady. plugging in the MAS back in makes the rpms settle down at about 900, and jump up and down to about 1400 or so...

 

final update...

replaced the starter today and come to the conclusion that the other starter was going bad. pulled 2 error codes.... o2 sensor malfunction bank 1 #1 and o2 sensor circuit malcunction bank 1 #1... other than that, it runs primo!

 

Makes sense, sounds like you're getting a lean mixture at idle which causes a miss. Being that it goes away at higher RPMs youre almost definitely looking at a vacuum leak.

As for the O2 codes you need to look at what's coming up on your scan tool data list for upstream O2 output. It should fluctuate between around .1 to .9 volts several times per second. A circuit malfunction code usually indicates that the output is out of range, so make sure you also check the wiring between the 02 sensor and the computer.