[myth44]

Hey all! My name is Mike and I am very new to the Titan scene. So new in fact that I don't even officially own one yet. Tuesday I went to a dealership that had just gotten a 2005 Titan SE 4x4 in galaxy black with only 68k on it :eek_surprise:. I immediately fell in love when I took it on the test drive. Went back and forth a bit with the sales man and ended up walking. Fast forward to today, he calls me with a better offer, but still not as low as I'd like it. I countered, he talked to his manager, and we made the deal. As soon as I'm off work tomorrow I'm going to drop a check and drive off with my new babe.

I currently drive a 2002 WRX which is nearing the end of it's life on it's second motor. It has been a great car and I am keeping it to build, but it is no longer reasonable as a daily when I smoke more than Diesels that are rolling coal.

Sorry for the long winded intro. Can you tell I'm excited?

Cliff Notes (for anyone who doesn't like reading)
Name: Mike
Vehicle: 2005 Titan SE Galaxy Black
Previous: 2002 WRX

 

[MiloM]

Lil advice - before you pick it up I would check and make sure that all the normal problems with the early titans have already been fixed...

Have the manifolds been replaced? With headers?
Original exhaust? If it hasn't already broken behind the muffler it will.
Brakes? New Rotors etc. Any vibration?
Rear end? Whine, replaced etc.

Probably a few more that I am forgetting.

Great truck but pretty much all the early guys have the same problems. If it is a good enough price and you can do the work yourself none of these are a really big deal save the rear end and the mani's.

Welcome to the club. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[TheHops]

Very good advice from Milo. He pretty much hit everything.

Treat the T well, and it'll treat you well in return! Best vehicle I've owned, bar none.

Oh, and welcome to the addiction. :eyebrow:

 

[myth44]

Thanks fast the welcomes and advice. I am very mechanically inclined so none of them should really be a huge deal. But I will look into all of those problem areas

 

[avmaldo]

Congrats. I always try to use that negotiation tactic, when it works out you can get an amazing deal. Great job! Welcome to the forum and good luck!

 

[myth44]

Alright so the rotors are all brand new. Not just lathed. There's no whining so far. I forget what else you said to look out for but I'll check those too.

I went in to pay and they dropped the price another $100 when I got in the finance office.

The thing that threw me off was the trans temp gauge. I thought that was engine coolant temp. I was worried that my tstat was stuck open cuz it barely gets above a quarter. And took forever. But I realized that's trans temp. Oops.

 

[TA CC TX]

Congratulations on the new T and nice job on the low miles for an 05 so far as miles go your barely broke in. Look see if you got an after market transmission cooler big mod around here.

 

[ASLakeCharles]

Congrats on the Titan. I went from a Chevy to the Titan and its pretty much a night and day difference. I am not easy on mine and it still asks for more. They handle like a car almost and ride very smooth. I think you will really like it.

 

[myth44]

So this is the broken exhaust flange obviously



So that's two of the problems down...

But can anyone tell me what is leaking here? It is just the oil pan?



And last but not least. What is leaking here?

 

[myth44]

So far I love it! I've only put about 120 miles on it since yesterday but it is so much smoother than my subie. I drove my car after I picked up the truck and was a little scared to drive my car because it feels so dangerous on the road. I can't believe I've lived with it for so long.

 

[4mula1fan]

Axle seal has failed. You will more than likely need new rear brake pads and e brake shoes while it's torn down.

 

[MiloM]

Axle seal has failed. You will more than likely need new rear brake pads and e brake shoes while it's torn down.

Yep... what he said.

Not a bad job, there are very good instructions on here. Have to use a puller to get the axle out then cut the old bearing off and press on the new one. Stealership wanted some ungodly amount to do mine so I tackled it myself. Took about 2 - 3 hours. Parts are cheap.

On the oil pan, it may be leaking around the plug. Mine looked like that once and one of the tranny coolant lines had a very small leak and it was blowing back. Once I looked at the top of the skid plate I could see where it was coming from.

 

[ASLakeCharles]

So they put on new tires right there in the rear and didn't notice that leak?... I mean come on its obvious look at the sludge on the rim, its been leaking for a while.

 

[MiloM]

So this is the broken exhaust flange obviously



So that's two of the problems down...

But can anyone tell me what is leaking here? It is just the oil pan?



And last but not least. What is leaking here?

Take a pic of your exhaust mani's and b-pipes so we can see what you've got there...

 

[Mrjackson40]

This titan family will find that needle n that Titan stack

 

[Walrus]

That rear axle seal is leaking pretty good and from the looks of that wheel it just started.
Oil pan probably just needs a new crush washer.

 

[myth44]

I'll take some picks tomorrow of the manifolds and post them up.

Is it safe to drive it with the leak? I contacted the dealership to see if it's covered under their 60 day warranty. They aren't open tomorrow so I'll probably hear back Monday

 

[Walrus]

By all means get them to replace the axle seal.
Exhaust manifolds are difficult to see but you can usually hear them at cold start up. One of our supporting vendors has a bulletproof fix for the stock manifolds and you said you were mechanically inclined.
As mentioned, get a pic of the B pipes and the manifolds if you can. The previous owner may have already installed headers. If so, you scored.

 

[myth44]

So at cold start up I am just listening for an exhaust leak right?

 

[Walrus]

So at cold start up I am just listening for an exhaust leak right?

Yes.
Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick ticktick tick tick tick

Very subtle but not an injector tick.
Drive it though a tunnel, or near a freeway wall with the window down if you can.
Do you know what a set of headers looks like versus the factory manifolds? Look for headers first.