New Guy. New Guy Questions.

[jjaguda]

Hello everyone.
REcently bought an '03 MM with 52k miles - highway. I have looked as several threads on problems with these cars. I'm not going to complain, as I've been through several battles over things like the Tremec 3650 BS 5speed problem with cold 1st - 2nd and 2nd - 3rd shift problems. Also have had the older Crown Vics with the POOR intakes with the plastic water jackets that blow out at the worst possible times. (Yes, I guess I'm into punishment sticking with a product line with a poor design history on several fronts, but I still like the blue oval, and, other manufactures all have their own manufacturing defects.) BUT, I am looking for a summary of the most common problems the MMs seem to have. I've seen the "blue smoke" problem and the left head problem. Is there anything else? Is there anything specific they you guys feel I should absolutely know about the blue smoke and head problems? Should I get a horse and just shoot it when it breaks? Should I buy a powerball ticket and click my heels together three times, etc., etc.

Thanks for any advise.

Joe

[mpearce]

Hello & Welcome,

My advice...

Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of your new vehicle, focus on how much you like the car. Afterall, thats why you bought it, right? Make sure you read up on all of the Marauderville threads where people have fun, get together, eat fantastic food, race, and take pictures etc. The true meaning of this car lies in the people behind their wheels, not the blue smoke that comes from the tail pipes. Blue smoke, head problems, and ticks asside...take some time to enjoy your vehicle...it is in fact one of 11,000.

-Mat

[Patrick]

Welcome!!

I had the Master cylinder go out at 300 miles. No problems in 2 plus years of any kind since. Well I broke the ash tray but I dont think that counts. Just enjoy!!!

[Bluerauder]

Originally Posted by mpearce

My advice...

Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of your new vehicle, focus on how much you like the car. Afterall, thats why you bought it, right? ...
-Mat

I agree ... so far, I have had not one real problem with the car other than the sticking passenger window. I have had so much fun with the MM that any little nits and noids don't even bother me. Of course, I don't have blue smoke, moisture in the headlights, swirly black paint, or tie rubs on the door tips. Guess I am just lucky. Now where's that wood to knock on.

[wchain]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Welcome!!

I had the Master cylinder go out at 300 miles. No problems in 2 plus years of any kind since. Well I broke the ash tray but I dont think that counts. Just enjoy!!!

Patrick, you're supposed to empty it out when its full.....

[Merc-O-matic]

Enjoy the car....I know you will.
Don't worry about the blue smoke, etc. Get a new
oil change( synthetic ) and forget your troubles.
At over 50K you're good to go!

Gotta Love It!

[merc406]

Joe, buy the Powerball ticket and click your heels

[FastMerc]

Hey dude you have one of the coolest and most identifyable cars on the road today enjoy it,you will realize this the more you drive it

[Marauder8]

Welcome to our world.......................

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by wchain

Patrick, you're supposed to empty it out when its full.....

I got your #!!!!

[jjaguda]

Thanks for the replies.


Please don't get me wrong. I love this car. I've wanted one since they first appeared. I tried getting a new one but it turned out to be too much of a PIA finding a local dealer that would find one, and Mercury stopped production. With that I figured I get one out of warranty that I can modify without messing with the dealer warranty poop. Anyway, I hope to have a long relationship with the MM.

My questions deal keeping the car in top shape. As I want to keep this car for the long haul, I just want to know what problems I may be facing. I like to keep my cars in top shape with 3k oil changes, 30k trans service, etc. If I do, or will, have a valve seal problem, head cooling problem, or any other problem, I just want to know about them in advance. Like others, I'm not big on surprises.

So - Merc-o-matic . . . synthetic oil. Got it.
I've done a full flush of the trans and torque converter.
Have cleaned, polished, shined, sat and starred at, one of the meanest looking, best performing 4200 pound production cars on the street. I've had several Crown Vics. This MM is night and day in all categories. I very much understand the uniqueness of this car. Went to the same shop for the muffler install and the trans service. The gearheads hanging out drop what they are doing and gather around my car. VERY COOL!

Thanks again for the info. Look forward to trying to find a local group here in New Orleans the appreciates the MM and the MACH 1.

[FordNut]

You have mentioned most of the problem areas. Maintain the engine and tranny, they should be fine. Keep an ear out for rear end noise, there was a production problem with some units having axles that were improperly hardened, causing premature wear of the axles/bearings. Otherwise little things like leather steering wheel wrap coming loose, moisture in the headlights, tires (wear, alignment, pressure, balancing) have been discussed in many threads here.

Enjoy having one of the coolest cars around. I still come out of stores to find someone walking around mine to check it out! And they're ignoring the sporty cars parked nearby!!!

[MENINBLK]

Welcome to the MercuryMarauder.net group !

You'll soon find out that you've joined the nicest group of people you could find ANYWHERE !!!

I've got a Black 2K4 Marauder that's almost a year old with 20k on the odometer.
No problems here to talk about.

I have changed the oil with Mobil1 0W-20 and a K&N HP-2010 filter every 3k miles up until 12k miles.
I had the oil sent to Blackstone labs for testing and they told me that I was good to go for 5k miles on Mobil 1,
so I now do the Oil and Filter changes every 5k miles and send a sample to Blackstone
to keep a tab on the engine's health.
The Service Manager at my dealership enjoys reading about the oil analysis, and finds it very valuable and educational.
I am the first customer he has seen take more interest in my car's health,
than most people take in their own health.

I also elected to flush the Tranny every 15k miles instead of the 30k service interval
that FORD recommends just on experience with other FORD vehicles.
The next Tranny service I do I will also send a sample of the tranny oil to Blackstone
to see what their analysis reveals about my tranny also.

The rear end I had serviced at 20k, and everything looks good at this point in time.
For my next rear service, I will be adding a Stud and Girdle kit,
just for the added strength, and the bling bling factor...

My next big service is at 24k, where I will flush out the Antifreeze, change out the thermostat,
the fuel filter, and have the Throttle Body/Intake Manifold cleaned also.


Enjoy your Marauder, pay attention to its service needs, and the problems will be very few.

[CBT]

Welcome aboard, shipmate! The car is great, this site is great, life is great! Each time I take a friend for a ride I can't tell who is more excited, me or them. As for your questions, ask away. There are a lot of educated folks here who will gladly answer your questions or at least point you in the right direction.

[jjaguda]

Since a started this thread, let me share my newly discovered situation. Now that it has warmed up down south, I have verified that I DO have the blue smoke problem. Only at start up after sitting a while. I've been waiting to be sure I not mistaking condesation exhaust in the cold weather as "smoke" (even though I could smell the burning oil). I did another search for "blue smoke" but I did not find a thread on repair out of warranty. Since I can't go to Ford and have them replace the head(s) what is my next move? Has anyone done the replacement of the valve seals? For that matter, I'm guessing from what I read that it IS the valve seals.(?) I'm using Motocraft 5w20, fram filter & driving it with a great deal of enthusiam (if you know what I mean).