ironpony
Minister of Fire
oh, I forgot to mention I keep a titan in the bed of the dodge for back-up
J/K
if they would put a diesel in the titan I'd buy one
J/K
if they would put a diesel in the titan I'd buy one
RE: Anyone using a Nissan Titan for a work truck . . .
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ProfessorGT
New Member
I have no experience with that truck, but after doing an engine job on a Nissan Altima, I would NEVER get a Nissan myself, nor will I ever work on one again! EVERYTHING about doing the engine job was a real PITA! EVERYTHING was hard to get to, lots of sharp edges everywhere, and it was impossible to get the engine out the top! After fighting with it for too long, had to get it to a shop with a lift so I could take the whole cradle out the bottom to do the engine swing.
It's just as bad as having to remove a cab on a Ford truck to do a turbo or any other major engine work. The manufacturers just don't seem to give a damn about those who want to do their own repair work. I like Ford Trucks, but would never buy and of the newer ones because of the rediculous requirement of having to pull the cab to do engine work. AND, ever since they "Updated" the 7.3 in 1998 the diesel has been a POS, which was made even worse when the 6 Litre came out.
A '97 7.3L Diesel was one of the best trucks they ever made, but it still had one major flaw (the auto trans) and since then Ford has still not gotten the anal craniotomy necessary to design anything even remotely desirable for those of us who like to do our own work. The problem with the E4OD trans (better know as the E4-Oh-No!) is that it was a modified C-6 (3-speed) that was doomed from the start by extremely poor design. It was never really fixed until the aftermarket took it upon themselves to rectify the situation. So, a properly rebuilt one will solve this trannys ills, but beware the mods necessary are extensive. The pioneer on this one was Jim Galatioto of ATO transmissions in California - Jim is one of those rare auto tranny wizards who really knows his stuff. After he's done with an E4OD the operating temp stays safely in the 150 degree range. Before Jims work these things normally run in the 250 degree range and are doomed to failure by design!
I do not apologize for my frankness because I'm just stating facts!
We need a durable, tough diesel truck that can work!, and work hard without wimping out. We don't need some sissy thing that goes fast but can't pull a wet noodle out of its own ........., and constantly breaks down in the process. You get the idea!
Let's see, who else is there?
Chevy/GMC? Well the Duramax (Isuzu engine) with the Allison Automatic is a great drivetrain, but I can't say I have much repair experience with them, and traditionally the Chevy part of the equation has not given us great vehicles. The Allison trans is unquestionably the best automatic trans on the market, and, as long as you beef it up (if you hot rod the engine) - no worries. In stock form, as long as the engine is stock as well, they are basically bulletproof.
Toyota Trucks ......... that's a real Oxymoron! No real man drives a Toyota, let alone one of what they call a truck! Calling one of their vehicles a truck is just an insult. Try hauling anything of any significance with one of those heaps and sorry, but it just won't do it, and that is if the brake calipers don't sieze up first, or the frame rails don't rot away from under it! They do a good job of "buying" owner loyalty by paying for out of warranty repairs, but when I need to do a job I just can't see trying to do it with the wrong tool: In other words, you don't cut a 24" diameter tree down with a coping saw, so why would you do anything but get a few bags of groceries with a Toyota "Truck"? Just not a good choice of equipment!
Dodge?
Hmmm, the Cummins engine is phenomenal, but up until only the most recent few years, the quality of the truck was horrendous. Basically the truck would fall apart around the engine! Since about 2006 things have gotten much better and I might even consider one if the price was reasonable! The only remaining "issue" is the auto trans. Dodge doesn't seem to be able to build an automatic that works (How many years have they been building Caravans?, and the auto trans in those things is still a P.O.S. that doesn't hold up). They've had the Ford disease with respect to truck trannys, seemingly up until the new automatic they are using behind the Cummins. It (an Allison copy) is supposedly a good trans, but again I have no experience with them.
So, what is the answer? If what you are looking for is a real work truck and not just a wuss-mobile you basically have to either fork over a boat load of money, for something new with a long warranty in an attempt to protect yourself from expensive breakdowns (and forget about doing your own service) or build it yourself!
It's getting harder & harder to find a nice clean late 90s vintage Ford or Dodge (Cummins with an inline injection pump), but that's a good starting point. My preference is the Ford, but even a beefed-up E4OD tranny (automatics are the ONLY way to go), is a compromise. The better plan is to invest the money you would have spent on the E4OD, into an Allison 2000 series trans swap.
(continued)
It's just as bad as having to remove a cab on a Ford truck to do a turbo or any other major engine work. The manufacturers just don't seem to give a damn about those who want to do their own repair work. I like Ford Trucks, but would never buy and of the newer ones because of the rediculous requirement of having to pull the cab to do engine work. AND, ever since they "Updated" the 7.3 in 1998 the diesel has been a POS, which was made even worse when the 6 Litre came out.
A '97 7.3L Diesel was one of the best trucks they ever made, but it still had one major flaw (the auto trans) and since then Ford has still not gotten the anal craniotomy necessary to design anything even remotely desirable for those of us who like to do our own work. The problem with the E4OD trans (better know as the E4-Oh-No!) is that it was a modified C-6 (3-speed) that was doomed from the start by extremely poor design. It was never really fixed until the aftermarket took it upon themselves to rectify the situation. So, a properly rebuilt one will solve this trannys ills, but beware the mods necessary are extensive. The pioneer on this one was Jim Galatioto of ATO transmissions in California - Jim is one of those rare auto tranny wizards who really knows his stuff. After he's done with an E4OD the operating temp stays safely in the 150 degree range. Before Jims work these things normally run in the 250 degree range and are doomed to failure by design!
I do not apologize for my frankness because I'm just stating facts!
We need a durable, tough diesel truck that can work!, and work hard without wimping out. We don't need some sissy thing that goes fast but can't pull a wet noodle out of its own ........., and constantly breaks down in the process. You get the idea!
Let's see, who else is there?
Chevy/GMC? Well the Duramax (Isuzu engine) with the Allison Automatic is a great drivetrain, but I can't say I have much repair experience with them, and traditionally the Chevy part of the equation has not given us great vehicles. The Allison trans is unquestionably the best automatic trans on the market, and, as long as you beef it up (if you hot rod the engine) - no worries. In stock form, as long as the engine is stock as well, they are basically bulletproof.
Toyota Trucks ......... that's a real Oxymoron! No real man drives a Toyota, let alone one of what they call a truck! Calling one of their vehicles a truck is just an insult. Try hauling anything of any significance with one of those heaps and sorry, but it just won't do it, and that is if the brake calipers don't sieze up first, or the frame rails don't rot away from under it! They do a good job of "buying" owner loyalty by paying for out of warranty repairs, but when I need to do a job I just can't see trying to do it with the wrong tool: In other words, you don't cut a 24" diameter tree down with a coping saw, so why would you do anything but get a few bags of groceries with a Toyota "Truck"? Just not a good choice of equipment!
Dodge?
Hmmm, the Cummins engine is phenomenal, but up until only the most recent few years, the quality of the truck was horrendous. Basically the truck would fall apart around the engine! Since about 2006 things have gotten much better and I might even consider one if the price was reasonable! The only remaining "issue" is the auto trans. Dodge doesn't seem to be able to build an automatic that works (How many years have they been building Caravans?, and the auto trans in those things is still a P.O.S. that doesn't hold up). They've had the Ford disease with respect to truck trannys, seemingly up until the new automatic they are using behind the Cummins. It (an Allison copy) is supposedly a good trans, but again I have no experience with them.
So, what is the answer? If what you are looking for is a real work truck and not just a wuss-mobile you basically have to either fork over a boat load of money, for something new with a long warranty in an attempt to protect yourself from expensive breakdowns (and forget about doing your own service) or build it yourself!
It's getting harder & harder to find a nice clean late 90s vintage Ford or Dodge (Cummins with an inline injection pump), but that's a good starting point. My preference is the Ford, but even a beefed-up E4OD tranny (automatics are the ONLY way to go), is a compromise. The better plan is to invest the money you would have spent on the E4OD, into an Allison 2000 series trans swap.
(continued)
ProfessorGT
New Member
The best way to do the Allison swap into a Ford is to find a used International school bus to be used as the donor vehicle. The engine is the same 7.3L as is in the Ford pickup, so all the hardware to bolt it up is there. Take the harness and the control computer (Allison calls it the TCM - Trans Control Module), and away you go. The trans will last forever, assuming you run synthetic oil (Transynd - by Castrol) in it.
This trans is only available as original equipment in the GM pickups because Allison (which used to be owned by GM up unil 2007) was forced into a no-compete contract by GM when this trans was developed. This basically meant that Allison could not offer this trans to any manufacturer that would put it in a vehicle that would directly compete with the GM pickup! If not, Allison would not have been given the funding to develop this tranny. This is also why you will see this trans in vehicles like Ford F-450s and higher - (because thy don't compete with the GM pickups).
So, the Ford F-250, or better yet the F-350 Super-Duty with the 7.3L and the Allison becomes the best choice, and one that the average mechanic can still service with no major issues. If you look, you can still find some good copies that are in decent shape for less than $10K. My dream truck is the 350, crew cab, dually 4X4 with an Allison conversion.
To make things even better, on top of that a waste veg oil conversion (not Bio-Diesel), solves the fuel expense issue, while at the same time makes things more environmentally friendly! (I've been running a Mercedes 300D on straight veg oil for 3 years now with no issues, and I can't wait to do a Ford truck).
Well, nuff said!
Happy Truckin! ;-)
This trans is only available as original equipment in the GM pickups because Allison (which used to be owned by GM up unil 2007) was forced into a no-compete contract by GM when this trans was developed. This basically meant that Allison could not offer this trans to any manufacturer that would put it in a vehicle that would directly compete with the GM pickup! If not, Allison would not have been given the funding to develop this tranny. This is also why you will see this trans in vehicles like Ford F-450s and higher - (because thy don't compete with the GM pickups).
So, the Ford F-250, or better yet the F-350 Super-Duty with the 7.3L and the Allison becomes the best choice, and one that the average mechanic can still service with no major issues. If you look, you can still find some good copies that are in decent shape for less than $10K. My dream truck is the 350, crew cab, dually 4X4 with an Allison conversion.
To make things even better, on top of that a waste veg oil conversion (not Bio-Diesel), solves the fuel expense issue, while at the same time makes things more environmentally friendly! (I've been running a Mercedes 300D on straight veg oil for 3 years now with no issues, and I can't wait to do a Ford truck).
Well, nuff said!
Happy Truckin! ;-)
OhioBurner©
Minister of Fire
Professer, wow thats a mouthfull! I agree with just about everything. I'd love to have one of the older 7.3's but in my last truck purchase since this is a daily driver the only hauls occasionaly I needed more reliability and not so much grunt so I went with a newer gasser. Lots of both smokers and gassers on the families farms, but the gasser made far more sense for me. I've done some calculations and talked to other folks who have contemplated the same decision and have determined that a new diesel you'd have to be putting way more miles on it per year than I do to make it cost effective, or be using it for work daily. And then you still have the worry of the ticking timebomb under the hood. I've heard some horror stories of just the turbos costing more than rebuilding the entire V10 motor. The one thing I disagree about though is the auto's, and I think that comes down more to preference, but I went way out of my way to get me the 6-speed even though the modern torqueshifts are probably as good as the allison. I have several trucks, and the only one with an auto is a 78 bronco (and I plan on doing a ZF swap someday). Again as a daily worker, I could see the auto being easier to use obviously, but even most the daily workers I know still have the 5 and 6 speeds.
I have the '04' 4 door loaded, Had a new ford at the same time, still got the Titan! I get about 18 mpg, Yes you guys can come read the screen it has to do with the way you drive. Ihave not had any real trouble with the truck, its got 84000, one set of tires, new brakes on the front. I will have to get tires in the spring/summer. the next truck i buy will be the same.
OhioBurner©
Minister of Fire
EKLawton said:
Not that I dont believe you but a couple points... That 'screen' your reading is probably not accurate, verify with hand calculations over a long period to see. I have yet to see one that actually reads true. Another thing is the milleage itself is usually not perfect either, most spedometers read a tad high from the factory meaning it looks like your traveling further than you really are (but only by a couple percent typically).
EPA rates the Titan at 17mpg hwy anyhow, so yes if you are driving it for highest economy you could actually beat that number since the newer epa tests are suppose to be more realistic than in the past. However if your saying you get 18mpg driving around the city I'd say your screen is way off. Just for reference my 2500# heavier F350 with the 6.8 V10 can get in the 15's if I dont have it loaded, but my true AVERAGE is much less (including hauling, winter driving, those trips to the city, etc) which is in the 13's. Overall I'm satisfied with the mpg considering its a big heavy gasser.
Everyone always says they get XXmpg and usually it is the single highest number they saw 1 time, on the highway, with a tailwind, going downhill. Just something to be aware of. I have a spreadsheet on my phone I record every fillup since the truck was new, both hand calc and on the screen numbers, yeah I admit to being a bit of a nerd. But atleast I can post the graph and screen shots and folks can make thier own opinion.
My biggest reason for not going foreign is I want an 8 foot bed and a crew cab, and you can only find that on the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks and they dont have any. And my further preference is solid axles, manual trans and transfer cases, and manual hubs, again, they dont have it. Yeah you could call me a control freak, I dont like anything automatic. More rugged and if I do happen to break it, I can fix most of the mechanical stuff easier, and usually cheaper. I didnt really need the big tow rating but the payload rating does come in handy when hauling firewood, thats something to think about. Its nice to be able to haul a cord of wood in the bed and still pull a trailer with a small tractor and gear and more wood (ok, I might have been a little bit over the rating, but just a little).
EKLawton said:
The TruckChick's Titan consistently gets 16 MPG.
84,000 . . .
10)If you have not already changed the battery, do so today! The OEM batteries just suddenly go bad. Do not attempt to jump it.They short inside and a jump can make the dash start to smoke!
2)As soon as you notice rough running or a check engine light, consider replacing the cats. When thay come apart, the pieces lodge in the resonator. Even though replacing cats is expensive ~$1600, it's cheaper than replacing the engine.
3)Have you repaired/replaced the rearend yet?
Jimbo
Manatarms
New Member
firefighterjake said:
I've had several different pick-up trucks over the years...ranging from 4 banger 4x2 toyotas (had that truck 10+ years)..moved on to through the sizes on up to a 2005 Titan, 2002 F-150 on up to F-350 diesels. I'm not a fan of the Titan...or any "full size" Japanese truck for that matter....come to think of it...I don't like any 1/2 ton trucks much at all. They're just not built as tough as a 1 ton. The Titan and Tundra are more weekend warrior trucks....cool looking and sounding...drive like cars...excellent engine power and off the line punch (I smoked a lot of people at stop lights in the Titan : )
However, if you want to use it like a TRUCK....i would look elsewhere. I've poured more money into repairing 1/2 ton trucks than I care to mention...they are just not built that tough. The Titan was in the shop a dozen times...Everything broke...rear diff, brake rotors (multiple times), bedliner peeled off, rear shock tower disconnected and punched a hole it the bed...you name it...it was a comedy of crappy construction.
If you want a TRUCK...I would go 1 ton (3500 or 350). They cost about the same to purchase...get the same mileage...but I never seem to spend as much fixing them. Granted, they're not as fast, and they don't handle or drive like the 1/2 tons...but you can beat the hell out them (plow, tow, etc.) far harder than any 1/2 ton.
Just my take.
ISeeDeadBTUs said:
I have not done any of that, the truck is well kept. the only thing that needs fixed is the GPS and at 1500 just for the part foget it! When I bought our Altima I got the bumber to bumber warrenty so that wont happen again. The numbers for MPG are acuret, I dont drive in the city that much. Last week we were in DC and gotaround 15 mpg. I do run 5/30 mobil 1 and k&n air filter, plus my tires are at 40 psi witch helps alot.
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