I did help. See my other post. The washer would have been pinched in the squish zone, and for sure could have cocked the piston to reduce the diameter at the skirt. That would make it sound like a hollow knock, that comes and goes. Retarding the timing would have also dropped the pressure enough to cause the knock to go. I just don't think scaring folks with the idea of broken crankshafts and bent piston pins, is a good idea. It didn't happen that way.