Oil Starvation

[Qmulus]

Personally I think it is a bit of a stretch to think it is heat. These cars had transmission cooling and temp data, and were not much hotter than engine oil. One had a recent clutch and the disk looked new with the part number stamp still present. Until I see data (MoTec has IR sensors that would be good for this), I am not convinced that transmission or clutch heat is an issue. ALL the bearings on these cars were damaged, not just rears, although those may have been the worst.

I am more inclined to believe that the flywheel/clutch assemblies were out of balance, putting more stress on the rear main bearing. IF that was the problem. Or the oil relief valve stuck (but why..) leading to lack of oil pressure, then the failure of main and rod bearings.

It does surprise me that people that are building these engines aren't using coated bearings or friction and heat coatings on pistons, combustion chambers, valves, etc. Heat and friction are the enemy of any engine, and these modern coatings make a significant difference. That stuff may not be legal for spec cars, but if _I_ were building an M96 I would definitely be sending some parts to Calico for it.