Eclipsius Unbound?

Posted on November 23, 2015 by willyloman

by Scott Creighton

Hi folks. This morning I am packaging up Eclipsius and pushing him down the street to a real mechanic. Apparently my auto mechanic skill-sets were not up to the task this time around and I was lucky enough to find a local shop which would finish the latest head gasket project for a reduced fee. I still don’t know if it’s the gasket or a cracked head, but I think in terms of how it went bad (without overheating) that chances are it’s simply the gasket coupled with the fact that I didn’t have the head shaved last year when I replaced the gasket at that time. Yeah, that was pretty stupid.

Anyway… if you need me I’ll be on the road pushing my rock up the hill seeing if I can get it to a mechanic before my leg blows up. Should be fun, right?

So cross your fingers. Say a little prayer. Sacrifice a chicken. Do whatever it takes to appease whatever Gods you worship. I will see you guys in a little bit.

And oh yeah… the Redskins suck.😦

Filed under: Eclipseus Bound, Scott Creighton | 1 Comment »

Eclipseus Bound – Addendum

Posted on September 5, 2015 by willyloman

by Scott Creighton

Hail him! Do it now.

You do not mock the gods, the masters of the universe, without paying a steep price. Prometheus learned this chained to a rock having his liver torn out every day by the talons of an eagle. I have learned this, chained to an Eagle Talon (a.k.a. Mitsubishi Eclipse) having my heart ripped out by the damn thing on an increasingly regular basis.

I first started posting the Eclipseus Bound series on June 1 of last year when the darned Eclipse decided to rid itself of it’s own timing belt. That first episode was an epic battle and like the Lord of the Rings movies, it only got worse as the episodes continued.

On June 18th, after struggling mightily for the very soul of mankind and the avoidance of public transportation, I prevailed and laughed in the face of the gods for I had bested them as the new Belt of Timing hummed peacefully and harmonically in the heart of my mighty 98 hp steed.

However, my joy, my independence and my freedom were short lived things (as they often are for those who dare challenge the gods) when two months later on Aug. 20th, I learned the hard way about a thing called a “head gasket”

Believe it or not, both of those curses were revisited upon me yesterday in the course of about 9 hours and I came to a greater understanding of the world which we share.

Continue reading →

Filed under: Eclipseus Bound, Personal, Scott Creighton | 12 Comments »

Anyone know what this part of the coolant system is called?

Posted on July 11, 2015 by willyloman

by Scott Creighton

Hi guys.

Anyone know what this part of the coolant system is called? I have to replace or repair it and I can’t find a single mention of it in my cheap Haynes manual (don’t ever buy one of those)

I just finished coughing and cursing my way to replacing the water pump… which didn’t fix the problem… and then I found two pin-hole leaks in this freaking thing.

I found a diagram on the interwebs but it fails to mention 1. where the diagram comes from and 2. what the fucking part is called.

On the left side it connects directly to the water pump and the right, it takes in cooled water from the bottom of the radiator.

Taking the thing out was a major pain. It tore up my hands to the point where I felt like I just woke up after a dinner date with Bill Cosby.

🙂

If you know what it is called, I would appreciate you letting me know. If you think I should take it and beat myself to death with it, you can feel free to let me know that as well. Thanks.

partpart 2

Filed under: Eclipseus Bound, Personal, Scott Creighton | 17 Comments »

Eclipseus Bound III – Revenge of the Head Gasket – Epilogue

Posted on August 27, 2014 by willyloman

by Scott Creighton

“For Plato, only the virtues of “reverence and justice can provide for the maintenance of a civilized society…”

Without further ado, I am simultaneously proud and a little embarrassed to announce that my overly lengthy battle with the treacherous “ISIS”-linked head gasket has come to a gloriously successful conclusion. Like President Peace Prize, I saw a problem and droned the sh*t out of it until it went away.

At least, that is how I would like to see my victory. In reality, it took a Herculean effort on the part of several people, both here and online, to free me from my fate. Family, neighbors and readers of this blog contributed in many ways and for that I am humbled and grateful.

Yesterday, after a few tense moments (like a month and a half of them) and some back-tracking due to my failing to follow my father’s advise (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it) the Eclipse sprung back to life like a zombie in a cheap horror movie. Or like a vacationing James Foley. Take your pick.

It was running a little hot which gave me reason for concern but once the oil circulated through the engine and the coolant did as well, it seems to be running just fine. No leaks that I can see at this point, compression seems good on all cylinders and the timing appears perfect (for a 24-year-old POS)

In short, I have been freed from the rock of my little apartment and my poor liver is no longer being pecked at by an eagle (1991 Eclipse is actually an Eagle Talon) and for that I am eternally grateful as I putt around sweltering Tampa.

Epilogue

I guess at this point of the story, the epilogue, it’s necessary for me to explain my not-so-subtle (and perhaps, arrogant) comparison of myself to the Titan Prometheus. It may seem a little silly after all this time, me making the connection between him and myself based on nothing more that the name of my car and being bound to the apartment, but it in fact is a little more complicated.

Continue reading →

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Eclipseus Bound III – Revenge of the Head Gasket part 2

Posted on August 22, 2014 by willyloman

by Scott Creighton

I am finally one of those guys who has a big chunk of my engine sitting peacefully in my office. No, it is not a paper weight.

Current progress report on Revenge of the Head Gasket: no cracks in the cylinder heads, no warpage.

I was finally able to remove the head this morning after covering the situation in Ukraine.  The head seems fine, no cracks between the valves and as far as I can tell, no warpage to the head itself. I still have to procure a intake manifold gasket but after that and a bit of cleaning, it’s back to rebuilding and hopefully zipping round town in my pimped out ’91 Eclipse.

Will post a photo essay on the project once it’s complete. It’s a huge relief off my mind.

All hail Hypnotoad the Benevolent!

hail him… HAIL HIM!!!!

Filed under: Eclipseus Bound | 2 Comments »

Eclipseus Bound III – Revenge of the Head Gasket

Posted on August 20, 2014 by willyloman

by Scott Creighton

WTF is the mythical head gasket? Does anyone really know? Having never seen one, I am currently taking the agnostic position on it’s existence.

Hello ladies and gents. Today your hero Eclipseus continues to atone for all his sins against the Gods (masters of the universe?) as he is still chained to the rock of his little apartment while the Eagle Talon (a.k.a. 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse) pecks away at his liver (as if Eclipseus himself hadn’t already been waging war on that particular organ)

Ok. That’s a little over the top. Poor me. Poor me. ah, fuck it.

I’ll be working on the paper weight sitting in my driveway this morning trying to do a head gasket job having never attempted one in the past. Lots of parts and pieces to yank out of that magical engine thingy. happy happy joy joy.

stare at it. STARE AT IT!!!

Did see Hypnotoad the other night. He was waiting for food alongside the two outside cats I feed. The three of them just sitting in a line.The cats silently mouthed the words “help us” but I was mesmerized by the all powerful Hypnotoad. I could not aid them.

He’s a cane toad and a big one. Apparently feeding them dry cat food turns them into some kind of hybrid mutant toad things.Who knew?

The cats seemed nervous, as did I. I dutifully fed Hypnotoad as the cats sat quietly next to him eating dinner. They seemed nervous. As did I. An awkward moment. All hail Hypnotoad.

Anyway, I will provide updates as the Eclipsius Bound saga continues. It will be a little later this afternoon before I get back to writing. Have a good one.

(all glory to Hypnotoad..)

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If You’re Gonna be Poor, You Better be Tough – or – Eclipseus Bound Dénouement

Posted on June 18, 2014 by willyloman

by Scott Creighton

(just a quick note)

Last night culminated the epic saga of Great Timing Belt Fiasco of 2014. I had spent hours getting Mr. Eclipse ready for the wandering neighbor experts to help set the timing on his 98 horses of power in that little magical box called the “engine”.

The expert appeared like Gandolf the White and he whispered the magic incantation, Top Dead Center, and away we went.

Continue reading →

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