2003 MM vs 2004 MM

[maraudernkc]

Can someone tell me most of the diffrences between the 03 MM and the 04 MM?

I know the 04 has dual knock sensors.

I know the 04 has a diffrent Trans.(What is the model # in 03 &04)

Any light you could shed would be great. I am really interested in drivetrain.

[GordonB]

Unless you opt for an aftermarket tune, the best performing Factory cars are the '04s -- I have a late 03 and a late 04. 04 has more power and does not bog down after shifting into 3rd/Drive.

If you are contemplating a purchase with Factory warranty, buy an 04 if you can afford it. BUT....you better HURRY!!!! Many dealers have now sold OUT!!

GordonB

[David Morton]

Can someone tell me most of the diffrences between the 03 MM and the 04 MM?

I know the 04 has dual knock sensors.

I know the 04 has a diffrent Trans.(What is the model # in 03 &04)

Any light you could shed would be great. I am really interested in drivetrain. '04 MM has no option for electric fuel door release. A thread here shows how to handle that thanks to VegasMarauders' great posting.

The extra knock sensor can be connected to your girlfriend. :o

The '02s and '03s have the 4R70W's and there have been some durability problems associated with those. The '04s have an upgrade 4R75W which is supposed to have addressed these problems and also has a 'learning curve' ability added to the Powertrain Control Module that's supposed to adapt the shifting caracteristics to your driving style. So says Ford, and I have noticed harsher shifting when I'm driving it with granny in the car. Mine gets 3rd gear at 33 mph under light throttle and full TCC, it seems, at 34. I haven't seen any posts with fried '04 transmissions yet. But I also haven't seen a lot of '04s here with superchargers that haven't put in shift kits either.

[SergntMac]

I haven't tracked the "decontented" stuff between the MYs, but mechanically speaking...

As stated above, the '04 has the 4R75W tranny, replacing the 4R70W in the '03. The chief difference is a slight gear ratio improvement coupled with a larger torque converter, 11.25" for the '04, vs. an 11.0" for the '03. I believe this was in response to early complaints of poor low end acceleration and erratic shiffting patterns.

While tranny failure (loss of OD) seemed to be a problem in early builds that is attributted to modifying the car or adding a supercharger, it looks different today. I believe that errors in EEC programs overworked the electronics, because quite a few '03 owners who didn't mod their car also suffered failures. Moreover, I recall a period of time where dealerships were reflashing EECs without the owner's knowledge, or, permission, so one could conclude that L/M knew something wasn't right in River City.

Many of us found other solutions on our own. When my tranny failed, Jerry W. did the rebuild, and he added his own solution that effectivly took tranny control away from the EEC. I could be wrong on this, but I believe Lidio found a similar solution with a product from Bauman engineering, likewise there is Reinhart's tranny kit. All seem to effectively step around the shortcomings, but it leaves me to believe that the real problem was programming.

There's quite a variety of EEC programs in the 18 months of '03 production, and I remember the very first change came before the cars were sold, because they crapped out coming off the trucks at dealerships. My first MM bought in June '02, did that, and the repair was a new EEC with a code of FDH2, sorry I don't remember what code it replaced, something with a S in it. There was also BMDO, CR01, and CR02, just to name a few. BTW, your EEC code is posted on a sticker, inside the driver's door jamb, just below the A pillar.

The '04s have just one code that I know of, MAV2, which says (in a way) that L/M got their act together for the '04s, and it's cool now. Today, I have the MAV2 EEC in my '03 MM, and while it offers a lot of additional tuning parameters, it took a lot of experimentation to get it to adjust to my Jerry built 4R70W tranny.

Other than this stuff, a Marauder is a Marauder...Timeless.