Threw a rod clear through the block 3 laps in on Sunday!!!! I thought that I was down on power all weekend; cost me the win and the division title!!!!!! But, I did start from the pole.

 

damn sucks!

 

Did you have excessive blow by and >15% leakdown?
Or was this related to a bad shift?

I have seen this happen for both reasons. Neither is pretty, end result is the same.

 

That's the funny part no bad shift and no signs of impending doom. We looked at all the data after and no sign of anything. It just seemed down on power and then exploded. It really seemed fine the day before since I was able to get the pole.
Anyway, we'll have a new one in for the Runoffs!!!!

 

Pretty typical of a block with worn rings. Did you have high amounts of oil consumption?

 

I did previously, but for the last 2 races it was good. This was a really loose built race motor. It made great power previously, but I guess that is the trade off increase power decrease longevity.

 

Was this an NA motor or boosted?
When you say loose, what were the tolerances used? In my experience, these motors are very particular in what is a reasonable range. It will also vary significantly with the type of sleeve used- oem vs. iron.

 

It was NA. Not sure on tolerances, but I'm sure they were where they should be. I use King Motorsports for my engines and I know they are very reputable. Everything has to be OEm due to class rules.

 

Getting leakdown and compression numbers on a fresh motor is a good idea.
You can get a relative baseline and monitor the engine's wear. Keeping a logbook for such thing is also a good idea to get how many hours you can get on the engine before power starts tapering off prior to requiring a rebuild. It's always better to rebuild an engine as before it gets too thrashed.

-asura

 

I will definitely start keeping a log. Its a royal PITA to have to get an entire short block to replace the fubared parts, get it out to King, and have them build a new one before I leave for the Runoffs.