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View Full Version : It was a good day for the Marauder



unixadm
07-13-2004, 09:06 PM
Well the Marauder got a couple of upgrades/mods today.

First thing was an 8am appointment at a Formula One Window Tint shop. I had 20% tint installed on the back and rear side windows and UV Protectant Film installed on the front windows. Came out great and cheap too at only $195 with a lifetime warranty. The Marauder really needed this and it looks great. I noticed a big reduction in heat today when leaving work which is a good thing with a black car with charcoal interior!

Second, I got home and UPS showed up with the SCT 9100 from Lidio at Alternative Automotive. I read the instructions, and went about flashing my EEC with his 3.55 program he did for me. After I was done, I went for a quick trip around the block and MAN what a difference. Especially the transmission shift characteristics. It really shifts nicely now and no more darn TC lockup at like 25mph! This car shifted just as bad as the 99 CVPI I had a couple years back. I thought the transmission was going out before I realized that was Fords 'tuning' at work. :)

Third, I gave the car a nice hand wash and dry and she looks great. The tint shop kind of got the car all dirty so it was really needed. A full wax strip, clay bar, polish and wax is due in the next few weeks. I'm just waiting on my hook and loop pad for my Porter Cable buffer. Once the detail is done, it will expose the areas that Ford will need to fix as the paint is just 'okay' on my Marauder.

Fourth, two pairs of Pioneer 3-Way 6x8's showed up so those are to be installed shortly. I also picked up the speaker adapters so ther will be no cutting or splicing. I wanted a plug and play installation on this car. I also got a 6.75 woofer to try out for fun.

I'm going to miss the car during the week. I put it back in the garage under the cover until this weekend. I've put 250 miles on it in a little over a week... what am I thinking! :) :)

My other ride, my 95 Maxima SE 5-Speed should be here by the end of the week. I've already begun collecting upgrades/mods for that car as well. Ebay is my friend for this car, that's for sure!

One thing, be proud of this forum. A quick trip to Maxima.org will have you crying 'rice'. "Dude, I modded my windshield wipers with LEDS and they blind everyone on the road now.. IT'S HOT!!". The level of 'technical' detail here at MM.net is such a good thing!

TAF
07-13-2004, 09:34 PM
Congrats! But...I can only warn you...the "mod sickness" only gets worse...'cause you can make the car better and better. :up::burnout:

FiveO
07-13-2004, 09:40 PM
Congrats! But...I can only warn you...the "mod sickness" only gets worse...'cause you can make the car better and better. :up::burnout:


I know...I'm infected :(

unixadm
07-13-2004, 09:43 PM
I know...I'm infected :(
haha. I know. I go mod crazy on all of my cars. However for me, I 'try' to do things progressively, keeping things interesting with the car over time. If I do everything up front, it'd be awesome. However with me and cars, if I'm not doing something new, I loose interest and get something else. So a paced mod routine, helps manage the budget and my wants for a better ride.

Patrick
07-14-2004, 12:03 AM
:up: :up: :up: :up:

sailsmen
07-14-2004, 06:32 AM
It makes me smile to see others enjoy their MM, we owe it to this site. You will enjoy your MM all the more now that you have personalized it and got a good tune. :D

Logan is the man! :banana:

rayjay
07-14-2004, 06:42 AM
I'm going to miss the car during the week. I put it back in the garage under the cover until this weekend. I've put 250 miles on it in a little over a week... what am I thinking! :) :) 250 miles? I put that on the 1st day! 1,000 the 1st week :lol: On the mod front, I'm going to wait till next spring when the motor will be all broke in. I too will start with a chip. Modding does tend to become an addiction. I usually picked up 2-3 mods a season for my ZX3. With the ZX3 being mass produced and a large aftermarket, mods were relatively cheap compared to the MM.

unixadm, the SCT9100, can the computer easily be restored to OEM for service dates? Does it do anything other than upgrade the tranny?

unixadm
07-14-2004, 07:40 AM
unixadm, the SCT9100, can the computer easily be restored to OEM for service dates? Does it do anything other than upgrade the tranny?
The SCT9100 was extremely easy to use. It saves your stock programming so you can reflash at any time. It works like this:

1. Pull Fuse #5 from the underhood power distribution box to disable the fuel pump
2. Plug in the SCT9100 into the OBDII port
3. Follow the prompts in tuning mode and it will save your stock programming automatically
4. Select the program that was done for you. I had 2 done by Lidio, a 3.55 program and a 4.10 program. The SCT9100 can hold a maximum of 3 custom tunes.
5. It will erase and flash the EEC. It takes under 10 minutes to flash.

Once the flash is done, you shut the car off, unplug the SCT9100, reinstall fuse #5 and fire the car up.

The SCT9100 also doubles as a light diagnostic tool, so it will pull DTC's and also clear them.

rayjay
07-14-2004, 10:49 AM
Thanks unixadm. I can see where we need the tranny program. What was the cost of the SCT9100? Does compare price wise with a Diablo chip? I had a Diablo in my Focus and it made a very noticeable difference. So much so that I used to pull the chip for the winter.

unixadm
07-14-2004, 10:59 AM
The price was $525. It's roughly $200 more expensive to go with a tuner over a chip. However the tuners are becoming more popular and the fact that I can pull codes with it and such makes it more useful. Plus I can revert back to stock in the matter of minutes without having to crawl up under the dash.

I have not taken the car out on the highway yet. But part throttle around town driving was so much better. You actually get a 3rd gear now if you don't have OD off. Plus no more converter lockup at almost idle. Either way you go, whether it be a chip or tuner, I'm sure you'll be happy.