Spent more time working with the engine. Figured out the valve timing is off. While it seemed ok if you just looked at the valves being closed at the right times .. closer examination revealed issues with things happening too soon in the valve timing. Removing the oil pump showed the cam gear was on correctly. Looking thru the openings on top with a small mirror revealed I didn't get the dots lined up the last time I put it all together after clearancing the rods/cam/etc on assembly. Dumb mistake. I drained the oil and unhooked everything from the engine. I then removed it from the plane and put it on the engine stand. I pulled the left head and cylinders and split the case. I put the cam in the right position and cleaned everything up. I started reassembling it.
