Questions about buying 2003 Marauder

[pez]

Hello all,
I'm new to the Marauder world, but have owned different Panthers in the past - it's time to come back to the fold.... :D

I'm looking at a 2003 Marauder with about 100,000 KM on it (about 60,000 Miles), looks to be in great shape... Black on black. From poking around these forums, it looks to be a 300B, I THINK... (no separate dash clock or seat pockets). I'll have the VIN shortly.

A few questions;

1. axle issue - does this apply only to the 300A models, or are some 300B models affected?

2. Any other technical issues to look out for on these, other than the standard stuff?

Those are the biggies for now, any responses would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Colin

[fastblackmerc]

Hello all,
I'm new to the Marauder world, but have owned different Panthers in the past - it's time to come back to the fold.... :D

I'm looking at a 2003 Marauder with about 100,000 KM on it (about 60,000 Miles), looks to be in great shape... Black on black. From poking around these forums, it looks to be a 300B, I THINK... (no separate dash clock or seat pockets). I'll have the VIN shortly.

A few questions;

1. axle issue - does this apply only to the 300A models, or are some 300B models affected?

2. Any other technical issues to look out for on these, other than the standard stuff?

Those are the biggies for now, any responses would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Colin

1. No

2. None that are common.

Send RoyLPita your VIN and he'll pull an OASIS report from Frod detailing the car's warranty history if any.

[Zack]

Check my signature.
Is the car you're looking at this cheap with this many goodies?

[jgc61sr2002]

Welcome aboard.:welcome1:



Axel issues apply to Marauders produced before 1/1/2003.

[cyclopsram]

Aren't all Canadian 03s... 300 B...?? Which is with Traction Control and a mini spare... Most if not all of the other deletes were part of the cost savings and taken out of all Crown Vics and GMs around the same time...RAM

[Peter]

Where are you? Tha canadian marauders are between 300a and 300b they also have heated seats...

[RF Overlord]

Hey Colin, welcome aboard! You will find the good folks here know WAY more about Marauders than anyone else, including most dealers.

To answer your questions:

1. The axle TSB only applies to cars built before January of 2003.

2. If this car is a Canadian 300B, then there are no big issues to look out for. Start the engine when it's dead cold (shouldn't be a problem now, eh?) and see if there's a puff of blue smoke from either tailpipe. If there is, don't panic; this is fairly common and doesn't indicate any major problem. Also check the front tires for inner tread wear. This is also common; the factory alignment specs are to blame. Do a search for "Carfixer's alignment specs" and use those instead.

One more thing: yes, the factory transmission shift schedule sucks. It upshifts way too soon. This is easily corrected with a tune from any of the excellent vendors here. Which leads me to the last point: mods. Whatever mod you can think of to do to this car, someone here has done it. Cosmetic, handling, braking, performance, you name it. All the info is here for the asking. And don't even bother trying to convince us you want to keep the car stock; resistance is futile...you will be assimilated. :D

[RoyLPita]

Welcome aboard. Enjoy the site. If you have the VIN, PM me and I'll run it through Ford's OASIS database. BTW, I have many satisfied customers here.

[pez]

Thanks for the responses guys! Many of the names around here I recognize from CVN... Heated seats, eh? I didn't think it had them, that's excellent.

RF Overlord (seems to me you were also on CVN) - as for mods, of course I'll be doing some! My thinking at this point is, in the order of what I'll do when I get the car:

1. winter tires and rims
2. change the fluids, synthetics as applicable (more on this below)
3. remote start/alarm
4. tune from one of the vendors around the board
That'll do it 'til summer....
5. roots type blower, I suppose a Trilogy setup - I'd prefer to stick with a 3.55 rear end for mileage, and a roots type blower should keep enough down low for that, I'd imagine, and also from what i've seen around here
-at same time, cooling mod
-also reflash at that point
6. lsd (maybe)
7. headers
8. probably some suspension goodies too

Those are the biggies, probably more along the way....

As for the synthetics, any suggestions? Ie, for oil (I know this always leads to heated debate) - in my other Panthers I always ran Mobil 1 5w30, of course Ford changed the recommendation to 5w20 for lower CAFE numbers - I'd be inclined to stick with one of these two - comments? Also, what about the different grades of Mobil 1 these days?

For ATF, what's the current thinking on Amsoil ATF (I've run this in 4r70w's in the past with great success, and it IS Mercon V compliant... Or, is it best to stick with Ford Merc V? Umm, Amsoil ATF for the P/S fluid, um, DOT 3 I believe for brakes... Coolant hasn't been changed in 4 years either, I don't think. Also, what about the rear end? Something fully synthetic would be good...

Cheers,
Colin

[RF Overlord]

Yes, I am also on CVN...

To your mod #6 above^^^, the Marauder already has LSD...Ford calls it "Traction-Lok".

You're right about oil threads...I guess they're the same everywhere... ;)

As long as you're stock, the Ford-recommended Motorcraft 5W-20 is a superb oil and I wouldn't hesitate to use it. If you prefer Mobil 1 products, no worries there either. If you decide to add a blower, switching to 5W-30 is a good move.

As for AMSOIL ATF, I have no direct experience with it, but it IS highly regarded and if you've used it in 4R70W transmissions in the past, you should have no problems in the Marauder. I prefer the Motorcraft MV product, but that's just me. The more important thing is to change the fluid often. If you do a fluid exchange (flush), then 30,000-mile intervals are fine. If you use the pan-drop method, then more often is better. I do a pan drop at every other oil change (10,000 miles) because it's easy. Get yourself one of the pans with a built-in drain plug...it makes the job much quicker and MUCH less messy.

Use Motorcraft 75W-140 (synthetic) in the differential. Ford supplies it in the axle TSB kit, so that tells me they consider the 80W-90 conventional the rear-end came with from the factory isn't up to the job.

[pez]

Oops, I knew that about the lsd on the Marauder... :o I thought that was an option, actually.... That's good though!

Umm, what about the valve stem oil seals? How many 4v motors were affected by this? I thought it was just the 2v motors, and that was fixed sometime in the late nineties.....

Umm, for winter rims/tires, should be OK with regular Panther steel 16" rims, with 225/60R16 tires, or is there another size that would be ideal for the Marauder?

[RF Overlord]

what about the valve stem oil seals? I thought it was just the 2v motors, and that was fixed sometime in the late nineties.....You are correct...it was 1996, IIRC.
should be OK with regular Panther steel 16" rims, with 225/60R16 tires, or is there another size that would be ideal for the Marauder?I don't drive mine in snow, so I can't help you there, but plenty of other people here do, and I'm sure someone will be glad to chime in.

[melfunkshun]

for winter rims/tires, should be OK with regular Panther steel 16" rims, with 225/60R16 tires, or is there another size that would be ideal for the Marauder?

03+ panther steel rims (16") are the way to go. You can use that tire size up front (225/60R16), but the preferred size for the rear is 225/70 R16, which is a truck tire.

[Seneca]

For ATF, what's the current thinking on Amsoil ATF (I've run this in 4r70w's in the past with great success, and it IS Mercon V compliant... Or, is it best to stick with Ford Merc V? Umm, Amsoil ATF for the P/S fluid, um, DOT 3 I believe for brakes... Coolant hasn't been changed in 4 years either, I don't think. Also, what about the rear end? Something fully synthetic would be good...



I have amsoil in my transmission And as soon as it's warm enough to work on the car it's coming back out and i'm going to stick with motorcraft. do some research on here I beleieve there's a thread on Synthetic trans fluids.
IMHO it's to slippery shifts are not as firm as before.
Just my 2 cents. Seneca