[NoDOHC]

Short update:

I finally came to what appears to be a logical conclusion on the engine failure.

My first problem was that I was running an experimental 15 degree negative split on the ignition timing, second was that I had never calibrated the CAS. Unfortunately, this required the death of yet another set of apex seals to discover.

It turns out that the rattling noise that I was always hearing in second and third gear on the highway (which was really loud on the Dyno, in 4th gear) was not the transmission, but was actually preignition. I am surprised that the engine held together for 6,500 miles like that. I thought that I was running 32 degrees BTDC timing, but I was actually running 42 degrees timing leading (not really too bad) and 57 degrees BTDC timing trailing (which caused the preignition).

Other information for his thread:
F
Iridium Plugs really help, they lowered EGT, improved idle quality, and significantly improved preignition resistance.

Clean spark plugs are a must for an hard acceleration or dunno runs.

I made 1 dyno run in second gear (warmup) with the Defined Autoworks headers (which are really awesome, by the way) and put down over 230 WHp at 8,800 RPM (which reads very low, as the test was done in 2nd gear). My first 3rd gear run made 218 WHp at 6,800 RPM (which was max rpm where all faces of both rotors were operational). I was hoping to do an actual 4th gear run, which usually read about 5% higher, but chipped an apex seal on the front rotor.

I wish I could post the graphs, but the printer was down at the Dyno and I really just wanted to get home after breaking the engine again. This allowed me to catch the CAS stabbing mistake (which accounted for 10 degrees of the unintended advance), but unfortunately did not allow me to catch the negative split issue. I caught the negative split issue later when I heard the engine rattling again after the seals were replaced on the front rotor. A later tear down to replace oil seals revealed that three of 6 apex Seals were broken, but remained in the groove, allowing the engine to make compression.

Returning the trailing timing to 0 degree split and setting the leading spark advance to 34 degrees eliminated preignition for about 2,000 miles. Unfortunately, after everything got broken in and carboned up, even this configuration rattled, requiring new spark plugs (which are not cheap). NGK iridium plugs resolved this issue for about 6,000 miles so far.

When I can afford the engine blowing up, (which will probably be spring) I will try again on the dyno. (Getting dyno plots this time).