well im gonna add my 0.02 sounds like your chasin the infamous phantom knock and youve been goin through the motions, now couple things...
1) last time you replaced your spark plugs? are they gapped correctly? what kind of plugs?
2) are you spark plug wires and ignition coil boots torn? they can short if so and can cause knock?
3) someone recommended racegas...you can try that and or like a lucas octane booster in with your 93 if race gas isnt available...
4) how are your fuel trims? in spec? + or -??
5) ever had anything replaced in the valvetrain??
check on these and report back....
i hate intermitten problems like these.. damn gremlins haha

 

Stock it will pull something like 1* per 10* over 120 or 130*F. I have never actually looked at the trim table, I just know from experience on the dyno. I believe its 120 (been awhile since I have experienced it to be truthful) and then by 150* IAT it will have pulled an add'l. 3*. I had a car come in with the MAF touching the UICP and RIGHT in the path of hot air from the radiator. It was showing 154* air temps at the MAF in 77*F air.

aaron

 

not to hijack the thread or go off topic john, but do u know of if they make an airbox on the market other then the stocker, that could seal the air filter on an aem intake for 03 evo 8...to help keep the inlet temps down to help prevent that from happening...im kinda limited to 91 cali crap octane, and whatever you can do to keep the temps down kinda keeps knock at bay to a certain extent you know??...good luck op

 

Does the car have a catch can? Has it had one most of it's life?

 

never had a catch can.

don't know if I mentioned this: the only thing we found when we looked recently was that the #1 cylinder piston top was CLEAN AS A WHISTLE. looked brand new. all the others were black, full of carbon buildup. a coworker suggested that I may have a leaking head gasket, and I have since filled up my coolant and i'm going to monitor the level over the next week.

what do you think of this?

 

Thats a leaking headgasket. Ive had a simliar issue with knock turns out it was my coil packs going bad. Alot of people on here skip coilpacks when they have issues Ive noticed these Evo coils factory are only good for about 70k miles

 

i've got Sparktech's COP, but I haven't ruled them out.

 

I look in, and your experience is so close. 93fahrenheit -1 degree, 122 -2, 171 and 180 -3

 

well, I changed the oil today and tried to saw the filter in half to check for bearing material. i didn't see anything weird in the oil, but I couldn't get the filter in half...should have spent more than 7 bucks on a hacksaw lol i'll finish that task tomorrow.

still waiting on my Tactrix cables so I can go back to my old tune and get some race gas to see if that cures my knock to try to rule out real knock.

 

you need to get a snake tune ! you may have false knock coming from somewhere do you change your front motor mount ?

 

what is a snake tune? the front motor mount is about the only thing I haven't changed lol no offense, but please read the thread. I've outlined in detail everything I've done so far, and i'm looking for new ideas. it doesn't help to keep repeating the same things I've done.

 

funny, i have same issue although in lesser degree. going WOT for logging starting 3500+ rpm gives me clean run(0-2 knocks at most). going WOT from 2500+ will give me 4-10 counts sometimes and sometimes not. then again i have exede twin street disks so i blame it on that for giving me phantom knock. i havent had a chance to go find racegas to confirm my theory.

 

^ Your issue is 100% tune related. Starting WOT runs at different RPM points will mean you are hitting slightly different load points (down low primarily). You'll need to tweak your tune in the 2500 - 3500 area.

 

Odub, I looked at your logs and noticed the LC1 is logging stoic AFR's even at WOT - is it really that lean?

 

I don't have a wideband, so I don't know if you can use those numbers as good.