Mazda: 99 Protege starting problem, head gasket, clock position

Question
QUESTION: I just recently replaced my head gasket on my 99 protege 1.6 liter. It has about 127K miles on it. I got the timing right and everything back together but it won't start. It's trying to really hard but it seems like i'm missing something simple. It turns and turns but just won't crank. I figured maybe a bad sensor or something but any advice would be much appreciated, thank you for your time...

ANSWER: Single or double cam?

You say you got the timing right.  Are you 100% you put the cam gears back on properly.  If the dowl pins were not position at the correct clock position the timing on the marks will match up but the lobes will be wrong and it will not start to run though it can fire.

If the above is for sure then break it down simple.  Fuel ( is it flowing and are the injectors pulsing), electricity (all connections re-plug them, strong battery), crank signal (check for fire on all 4 cylinders, CPS can fire on 180 degree rotation and not on the other 180 degrees giving you only 2 cylinders with fire.  If all this is in place then cross check your timing.

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QUESTION: It is a dual cam. I left the cam gears on the shafts so that wouldn't happen. I noticed the MAF sensor looks a little charred or darker than usual. would a bad maf sensor cause it not to start? I know that fuel is getting to the rail but i don't know if it's getting through the injectors. Also, are the injectors supposed to be in a certain order? IF so that could be it because i was rushed and didn't mark where they were, I just put them back in. How would I test injectors? Thank you again for your expertise, you are greatly appreciated....

Answer
The car should fire up, it won't run though with a bad MAF.  The MAF is a sensitive device a sharp hit or a drop can damage it.  While cranking it tap on the case and manipulate the wire harness a little to see if you get a change.

The injectors themselves have no particular place they are all the same, the harness on the other hand is specific though the way it is made make is hard to cross up the connections.

Injectors seldom fail so no need to test them, the chances of more than one failing at the same time it nil.  If only one was a fault it would run on the others and misfire.

To rule out fuel, spray a small amount of starting fluid in the throttle body, close it up and give it a try if it fires and dies then fuel may be your direction of attack if it doesn't a timing or a spark issue exists.

Are you getting fire on all four?