Another one bites the dust. (99, Ebony)

From what I've gathered here and my gear head buddy heard, I threw a rod. Since I'm not a mechanically inclined person (no, not at all), I'll just describe it for ya. In early April, I noticed a pinging noise emanating from the engine. Well, that ping soon became a pronounced knock and evolved into a full-on jackhammer, especially when shifting gears at lower speeds. It tended to quiet down/even out between 50-60 MPH on the highway. Yes, the oil situation was pretty outrageous leading up to it.

Since I've known for a long time that I wasn't willing to throw anymore money at the vehicle, I just waited for the inevitable to happen. I'd read these forums and just knew it was coming.

And what a glorious departure she made. I was on the Poplar Street Bridge crossing into Illinois from St. Louis last Wednesday night when it went down. There was an awful racket and then the only sound I heard was that of other vehicles honking and blowing by me. Managed to coast off the bridge onto the Rte 3 South exit ramp where momentum died, and I was able to walk to a gas station to borrow a phone book. Luckily, the tow guy and I beat IDOT back to the scene just as they were about to hookup one of their "cherry pickers" to drag it away. Technically, I was in a lane of traffic, so they had every right to clear the way as quickly as possible.

Anyway, long time lurker and first time poster. I've read these forums since '03, when I was originally researching the VX and recognize a lot of names from way back then. I'm undecided as to what is to become of the corpse, but I'll keep ya'll informed.