How Shocking !

[Dragcity]

Yes, I searched... And there are so many threads on leaking shocks, I thought I'd start my own.

I woke up this morning and said "hey, whats that oily spot doing under MY Marauder?" Hoping it was from my Brother-in-laws truck.

To no avail, same spot this afternoon at lunch. Oh ****!. I am now 1,000 miles out of warrenty, so to speak. I still have 4 months left in time though....

So, what's the buzz on good replacement rears these days Fellas?

[ctrlraven]

Yeah I've noticed mine look a little wet but nothing leaking. I'll probably be replacing mine soon.

Check out http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/performance/brand.php?makeid=17&modelid=639&year=2004&partid=26

They have KYB and Monroe shocks unless you want to spend the extra $$$ for the QA-1's. I'll be getting mine from the site above.

[Dragcity]

Thanks Chris, I'll check it out....

I need them now though. I suspect there can't be too much oil left in the leaky one.

[melfunkshun]

Last year, I had a leaky rear shock (driver side) with 38k on the odometer. I replaced the shocks with Monroes (I believe they were Sensa-Trac Severe Service). They came with a lifetime warranty and they were only $30 each at the time. So far, no problems.

[Dragcity]

Yes, The Sensa-Trac is what I am finding is the only reasonable fix. I can get them tonight for $36 @.

How does yours ride with those. Is the handling better - same - worse.???

[ROB502]

I had mine done under warranty at 16K :eek: both struts and one shock were leaking.:flamer:

[Dragcity]

So, I am on the phone with parts at Culligan Lincoln Mercury and I hear the parts guy ask a co-worker if they made a Marauder in 2004....Should I just hang up???

Oh wait, $60.15 each...

Wow, he says, those are different from the Grand Marquis !!!!

Must have been Einstines little Brother...

[Dragcity]

KYB lists the same part # (551603) for both the CVPI and the Marauder.

Is that true? Are these parts interchangeable between species???

[ctrlraven]

Yes, The Sensa-Trac is what I am finding is the only reasonable fix. I can get them tonight for $36 @.

How does yours ride with those. Is the handling better - same - worse.???

Yeah I'd like to know how the ride is also. I don't for see myself needing super performance ones.

[Dragcity]

NAPA has some sort of Super Duty CVPI rears made by Monroe????

$88 each.

I think I'll go with teh quick fix Sensa-Trac and let you all know what I think

[KilledKenny]

The Crown Vic and PI, Grand Marq and Marauder all have the same design in the rear for shocks. Just different dampening depending on models.

[TheDonk]

There are several people that have replaced their's w/
Monroes and haven't heard any complaints from them.
FYI:
Monroe Rear SensaTrac #5995 ~ $30 range
Front Severe Service #553001 ~ $75 range

[BLACKMARAUDER04]

adding to this.... what IS THE stock part number OR MODEL NUMBER FOR THE MM SHOCKS?

[Dragcity]

Thanks everyone!

I just ordered the Monroe Sensa-Trac. I'll have them Sat Noon. $26.96 each.

I did find Gabriel Brand locally for $18.00 each. I'm not too sure about those.

I'll let you know how they feel after the install this weekend.

[Sharky]

Obviously mine's not a Marauder but I just wanted to say the SensaTrac is a very good replacement for the OEM shocks. I'm very happy with them. It's funny how the OEM shocks felt fine until I replaced them with the Monroes - BIG difference.

My left front OEM shock puked it's oil at 40k miles, BTW. :shake:

I have owned over 30 different vehicles in my lifetime, driving some of them well into the mid-100s and have NEVER had a shock failure. This is the first Ford I have ever owned (but it probably won't be the last, if I can find a Marauder).

[larryo340]

I believe OEM P71 cop shocks would ride a little firmer and handle better.
I have them in my GM, plus with the front P71 shocks I find that on braking the front does not drop down as much as original equipment for standard car. Plus I like the firmer ride.

[Green96]

Has anyone contacted Bilstein to see if they are developing a set for the MM (or for any 03 or up CV/GM)? I have put Bilsteins on the last two vehicles that I have owned as daily drivers and love them. Nothing else is close in my opinion.

[melfunkshun]

Yes, The Sensa-Trac is what I am finding is the only reasonable fix. I can get them tonight for $36 @.

How does yours ride with those. Is the handling better - same - worse.???

The car seemed to handle better and I noticed the ride was a bit stiffer. But what sold me was the lifetime warranty. The install should be very easy. I let my local mechanic do the install and he didn't even have to take my back wheels off.

[djbruce26]

FWIW (not necessary relevant anymore)... I tried ordering some stuff from AutoPartsWarehouse once.....
After 3 weeks (and 1 un-responded e-mail) I call them up to ask where my order was that I should have received in 12-14 days... they told me a part was backordered and that they would cancel my order. Then they hung up on me. Nothing changed by two days later... so I call again and get a slightly different story... but they actually cancelled my order while I was on the phone. Then I got an automated e-mail saying I canceled my order and after they assessed the situation I would not be charged the restocking fee. I got a full refund... after wasting 4 weeks of time when I should have known better and just ordered from a known source (in my case I ended up referring to www.adtr.net).

[JMan]

I can attest to the leaking shock syndrome. I had two, one front and one rear on the Vic.

I replaced just one rear with a factory Motorcraft unit. When the front let go, the Sport shocks were on backorder locally and the MM shocks were on intergalactic backorder. I drove around for two weeks getting beat to death and then succumbed to a set of factory Police Interceptor shocks. I would not recommend PI shocks as they are much harsher than the Sport or MM shocks - much! I also cut one full coil from my front springs - big mistake! I later replaced the springs with Eibachs - also a mistake but far better than cut springs.

This combo will not allow a traditional alignment, not to mention Carfixer's specs. A little bit of die-grinder work and everything is happy. This is on a CVSport. Same size tires (P235-50/18) front and rear, hence I can rotate them unlike the MM. Although I could get my camber down to zero now, I have it set at -.70* for handling purposes. My toe-in is slightly positive as well for everyday driving (no wandering). This set-up works very well for me on that car. It handles superbly, tracks straight and is still extremely comfortable on the highway. Tire wear is negligible as so far. Some of the backroads that are rough and bumpy still make me regret the PI shocks, however!

The factory shocks are engineered to the hilt. I'd stick with them unless money is a big factor!

Best luck,

J

[TheDonk]

what IS THE stock part number OR MODEL NUMBER FOR THE MM SHOCKS?

Updated numbers:

Front: 3U2Z-18124-BH List $125

Rear: 3U2Z-18125-AC List $90

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

I wouldn't use sensatracs on anything other than a passenger car. They have grooves cut in the piston near the center of its travel to allow oil to bypass the seal (IE, they are designed for soft boat ride, intentionally) to increase ride comfort. The grooves get more shallow as you compress the shock, letting it build pressure. I have run them before and they were barely better than OEM, in a GM H body (Bonneville/LeSabre/Olds 88-98). The KYB GR-2 was a million times firmer in that application, than the sensatrac. I think sensatracs on the marauder is going to be going backwards from the Tokico's. They will be better than blown ones, but I sure won't use them on this car.

I have also heard that there is no direct replacement shock for the MM, other than stock, because the Tokico's have built in bumpers so our big wheels don't travel up too far and kiss the wheel wells. The sensatrac, etc replacement parts are designed for the marquis/crown vic with smaller wheels and do not have the correct travel limiting. I think this applies to fronts only though. The rear air ride does not let the axle move much.

[Dragcity]

Well, as promised I am reporting on the Monroe Sensa-trac rears.

I Picked them upa t 11:00 AM this Saturday and had the Marauder back on the ground by 12:30.

Overall, the back end feels much better than it did. I think it feels better than it ever has. So far I am very pleased with the replacements.

My left rear was leaking pretty bad, so I replaced them both. The manufacture of the Monroe replacements seems much better than OEM. My Son said the OEM had "Fairy Boots" on them. Referring to the corrigated plastic boots that cover the piston rod. The Monroes have a steel sleve that covers the piston rod.

I would not say the Monroes are A Mod of any sort, but are a cheap, effective fix for OEM rears. They went in without a hitch, came with all new hardware and feel just fine.

compressing each by hand, off the car, the OEM seem a bit more difficult to compress, but on the car, the new Monroes feel a bit stiffer.?????

So far so good. And best of all, my Son got to help me out and I let him put a shock in and use my air rachet. I even let him pull the T-Bird in and out. It was a good day all around... He's not very good at reverse yet...