Stroker: Titan Engine: My Story

[Gojeep]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Man am I glad the one I fitted for a customer is still running perfectly from day one. Compression was spot on too between all cylinders. Think he has around 50,000 km on it now in a year and a half of daily commuting and some offroad work to get to the best fishing holes.

 

[Talyn]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Marcus, you got that engine around the same time I got mine. I was at Titan when you posted your writeup on installing the engine. Glad that one worked for you.

 

[Gojeep]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Marcus, you got that engine around the same time I got mine. I was at Titan when you posted your writeup on installing the engine. Glad that one worked for you.

It took about 4 months to land it here by slow boat via China, literary! So would have been built 5-6 months before the write up went up. Wonder if they changed machinist or something since as dont think he knows me from Jack at time of order to look after the one I got?

 

[Talyn]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

That would have been right around the time they built my first engine, which they replaced when I went there. Maybe they gave yours special treatment considering it was going overseas.

 

[mhead]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

15-APR-2009

Here is the next installment on my Titan story. It's the end of the Titan story really...

I've put about 10K miles on the normal rebuild they supplied to replace the stroker (as described above). The engine had a bottom end knock -from day 1- when hot so I figured I'd just drive it till it died. Out to Vegas a couple weeks ago, 70 mph driving under cool (hi 60's F) weather. Engine didn't indicate hot but pushed a lot of coolant out and overheated when we got stuck in traffic in the city. We shut down by the side of the freeway (been THERE before).Discovered oil sludge in the radiator coolant overflow bottle.

So the Titan is sitting beside the Jeep right now. My new Jasper arrived today. Jasper is more expensive and I hope that I'll get what I paid for with this engine. Jasper is a big company and maybe it's a bad thing but I ordered the motor Monday and a Jasper truck delivered it to the house on Wednesday. They will come again and get the core. All included in motor's price. When you call Titan you always talk to the same person who it is very evident is also running the shop besides the phones. Call Jasper and the sales associate answers the phone with 'hello Mike' since their information system identifies the caller and automatically brings up a contact info screen on his compuer. A very different size company and possibly I hope a very different quality control program.

So I did two engine installs of Titans and one head job, paid a total of nearly $2000 and got 10K miles for my cash and troubles. And the worst was that my Jeep was down for 6 months and I was grounded.

I'll do my third engine install this weekend and will post my experience with Jasper here from time to time.

But my Titan story has now ended...

 

[Talyn]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Wow... just wow.. your story is nearly identical to mine. Two different short blocks from Titan, one rebuilt head form Titan, one rebuilt head from me on the Titan... Always made some serious noise, and had multiple issues. The engine developed a serious knock and I decided it was time to give up on it. I replaced it with a 4.6L stroker of my own build and the titan is sitting at my machine shop in pieces.

My story isn't over yet though as I an not finished with Titan.

 

[mhead]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

The Titan went off a few days ago as a core for the new Jasper stock rebuild I purchased. Maybe Jasper will have better luck with it.

The new Jasper is in and has 300 miles on it. I operated it at about 90 degree air temp. Temp gauge got up a little past the middle but this is normal for an XJ. The new Jasper runs really smoothly compared to both Titans. And it doesn't have a bottom end knock when it gets warm. I didn't realize the Titans idled rough until I put the Jasper in.

I noticed that the Titan would expel a lot of radiator fluid into the overflow bottle and then draw it back. The Jasper doesn't seem to expel much and doesn't draw much back either.

I took the opportunity of the Jasper install to install all new steering linkage plus a new PSC power steering gearbox, all purchased from Quadratec. The PSC steering box is nice and tight but came somewhat out of adjustment, being harder to turn right than left. I had to remove it and return it to PSC. They were really good about the return and corrected the adjustment the same day they received it. It's back in now and between the new steering and motor the old XJ feels just like new.

So I'm happy and back on the road!

 

[MGrobe]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Good to hear that your new engine is starting off in a much more promising fashion. Keep us updated as I am always interested in how engine rebuilds turn-out (who has good quality/service and who doesn't).

I used to always dream of the day that I would need to do a rebuild and steup up to a stroker... But after reading a lot of the issues in this thread and hearing some other horror stories, I'm thinking I would have to be crazy to sacrifice the reliability that I take for granted now and exchange it for more power.

 

[mhead]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Good to hear that your new engine is starting off in a much more promising fashion. Keep us updated as I am always interested in how engine rebuilds turn-out (who has good quality/service and who doesn't).

I used to always dream of the day that I would need to do a rebuild and steup up to a stroker... But after reading a lot of the issues in this thread and hearing some other horror stories, I'm thinking I would have to be crazy to sacrifice the reliability that I take for granted now and exchange it for more power.

Yes, this is the conclusion I eventually came to as you can find in my comments above. I hope it didn't cost you as much as me to make this discovery!!

 

[IslanderOffRoad]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Mhead, does Jasper make a stroker or is it a stock 4.0?

 

[mhead]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Mhead, does Jasper make a stroker or is it a stock 4.0?

I purchased a stock 4.0 rebuild. To my knowledge Jasper does not make a stroker but I suggest you contact Jasper for the definitive answer.

Mike

 

[MGrobe]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Yes, this is the conclusion I eventually came to as you can find in my comments above. I hope it didn't cost you as much as me to make this discovery!!

The good news for me, is that my current employee is working just fine. I might have to start treating it a little better (I already have an employee of the month parking spot for it). If I did get a new employee (engine), I wouldn't use my current one as a source for it that's for certain. I would definitely keep it for my fail-safe if things go sideways.

I just can't imagine having the patience that you guys have had during all this. Kudos to all of you that have gotten this far.

I digress... I hope there's a full summer of solid performance for you.

 

[Talyn]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

I used to always dream of the day that I would need to do a rebuild and steup up to a stroker... But after reading a lot of the issues in this thread and hearing some other horror stories, I'm thinking I would have to be crazy to sacrifice the reliability that I take for granted now and exchange it for more power.

Just build your own. You will learn a lot in the process if you already don't have the knowledge.

 

[Darky]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Just build your own. You will learn a lot in the process if you already don't have the knowledge.

x2
Plenty of guys on here run strokers reliably. Just take this as a lesson not to buy from Titan. If you buy it, go with Hesco. Otherwise, it doesn't sound like a hugely difficult task to do it yourself. That's my plan when I decide my engine needs a rebuild.

 

[MGrobe]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Just build your own. You will learn a lot in the process if you already don't have the knowledge.

I have built an engine a SBC a good 22 years ago. Of course it wasn't a stroker and I wasn't the owner of the end result, so I couldn't begin to say how well the effort lasted. I'm not against doing the work myself, its a matter of time, interest and space. Hopefully I won't be in that position any time soon.

 

[MGrobe]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

x2
Plenty of guys on here run strokers reliably. Just take this as a lesson not to buy from Titan. If you buy it, go with Hesco. Otherwise, it doesn't sound like a hugely difficult task to do it yourself. That's my plan when I decide my engine needs a rebuild.

I'm sure plenty have had success. Of course I've seen a lot with cam issues among other problems. If I was thinking of having one built for me then Hesco certainly would be at the top of my list.

But like I said for now my excitement has been reined in a little.

 

[Darky]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

My plan is to just copy someone else's build. Find someone who's built approximately what I'm looking for and what they're running in it and just plagiarize the heck outta their build sheet.

 

[mhead]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

Just a check-in.

The Titan engine has been gone over a year now. Replaced as mentioned above with a Jasper stock rebuild. Now have over 25K on the Jasper. It just purrs. One lifter sometimes clacks when the engine first starts but this noise always disappears after just a minute or two. No complaints otherwise.

After the Titan/stroker event of this thread I've come to think that a stroker isn't a good thing. Yes a little more HP would be good at times on hills, but I use my XJ for vacations exclusively and I've concluded I'll just shift down and go a little slower. I've come to see a stroked engine, even one done and installed correctly, as less reliable. I'd rather have reliability over power.

To the others with Titan problems that replied to this thread: I hope you've found some good solution.

 

[gradon]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

My stroker is at about 25K. It's a DD, I love it and will build another one(esp. if I keep the eliminator).

 

[Zapthepunctual]

Re: Stoker: Titan Engine: My Story

I just read through the whole story...wow.
I have 203K on my 96, with hopefully anothe100k to go but it always helps to know what my options are. I guess I should look elsewhere when my time comes.