03/04 Trans

[Cartman]

Is the 75 trans from the 2004 compared to the 2003's 70 any stronger in itself?
Can you reprogram and J-mod both as well?

One of the reason's I wanted to get an 04 was that it had an improved tranny and higher stall TC from the factory.

I guess if I wanted to get more performance out of the trans and replace the TC anyway, I should probably get the '03 and save some money? That and they're easier to find... Although I hear gripes about the 03's paintjobs, are the 04's the same or were they done better?

[Marauder2005]

Is the 75 trans from the 2004 compared to the 2003's 70 any stronger in itself?
Can you reprogram and J-mod both as well?

One of the reason's I wanted to get an 04 was that it had an improved tranny and higher stall TC from the factory.

I guess if I wanted to get more performance out of the trans and replace the TC anyway, I should probably get the '03 and save some money? That and they're easier to find... Although I hear gripes about the 03's paintjobs, are the 04's the same or were they done better?
I have an earily 03 300a. The paint by no means is great, I have heard
no complaints from 2004 owners...

[ghost03]

I have an 03 and my paintjob has a lot of imperfections. As a matter of fact I was speaking to a friend and he said the same thing about the 03 paintjobs. Another friend has an 04 and looks much better than mine.

[JACook]

Is the 75 trans from the 2004 compared to the 2003's 70 any stronger in itself?
Can you reprogram and J-mod both as well?
The 4R75W is internally the same as the 4R70W. The differences are in the torque converter, and also
the 4R75W adds a turbine speed sensor to better control the shifts.


Although I hear gripes about the 03's paintjobs, are the 04's the same or were they done better?
I wouldn't necessarily write off all the '03 paint jobs. I've no complaints with the paint quality on Blue.
But then, it may have gotten a little special attention...

[423REED]

Is the 75 trans from the 2004 compared to the 2003's 70 any stronger in itself?
Can you reprogram and J-mod both as well?

One of the reason's I wanted to get an 04 was that it had an improved tranny and higher stall TC from the factory.

I guess if I wanted to get more performance out of the trans and replace the TC anyway, I should probably get the '03 and save some money? That and they're easier to find... Although I hear gripes about the 03's paintjobs, are the 04's the same or were they done better?*
CARTMAN,
I PM'd you a listing of the 2004 Marauder specs that I've put together. I own a 2004 Marauder and my engine, trans, etc., all work great. I also have a beautiful paint job. My Marauder was built on April 19th 2004, so it was closer to the end of production. IMHO the factory seems to have gotten most everything right on the later production cars. The 2004 trans is beefed up to better handle the power and torque, and it has different shift characteristics for better performance. But, I don't know if you can feel it in the seat of your pants, as I've never driven a 2003.
Jim
______________________________ _______
2004 MARAUDER 300A - DTR BORN 04/19/05
1994 TAURUS SHO - DK GREEN

[Cartman]

*
The 2004 trans is beefed up to better handle the power and torque, and it has different shift characteristics for better performance. But, I don't know if you can feel it in the seat of your pants, as I've never driven a 2003.

Well what I basically want to know is if I strap a blower to the engine is either transmission going to handle it better or will it be the same?

Also I've found a black/black 2003 that was repainted by Ford and is now for sale. The owner said the original exhaust pipe was 1&3/4" ... is that true? He said he made it 2&1/4 now.

Help me out here please. I was planning on getting an 04 with a sunroof. This 03 doesn't have one. It seems like something I'd like to have though.

[mpearce]

Maybe this will hep answer your questions.


http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7491


-Mat

[Cartman]

Yeah I did read that but it didn't talk about the 75 and what I wanted to know was how the 75 was superior. 423REED pm'd me about the 75 transmission. I guess the short of it is that the 70 is more than enough anyway so my concerns about the two model years shouldn't be about the tranny.

[423REED]

Well what I basically want to know is if I strap a blower to the engine is either transmission going to handle it better or will it be the same?

Also I've found a black/black 2003 that was repainted by Ford and is now for sale. The owner said the original exhaust pipe was 1&3/4" ... is that true? He said he made it 2&1/4 now.

Help me out here please. I was planning on getting an 04 with a sunroof. This 03 doesn't have one. It seems like something I'd like to have though.CARTMAN,
Because of all of the modifications and the heavier duty guts Mercury put into the 2004 trans, I would think it would take a little more abuse. But, some 2003 Marauder owners have added superchargers without any problems at all! Remember, you can always install a larger capacity cast aluminum trans oil pan, and you can add an external trans oil cooler if you're very worried. Plus, when you put in a Trilogy s/c, they rescan the computer that controls the engine and transmission management. Both years have truly HD transmissions, with the 2004 being a little beefier than 2003. I personally think that the drivetrain of the 2003-2004 Marauder is up to having 450hp. Everything is heavy duty. This DOHC V8 engine isn't your Grandpa's Grand Marquis 4.6L SOHC V8 engine!
*
The only reservation i've had is the change from 3.55:1 to 4.10:1 gears. This is a really great, and relatively inexpensive performance mod. The Marauder, to the best of my knowledge, came from the factory with a HD 8.8" diff/axle that has 28 spline axle shafts. I just feel that changing the gears & doing the s/c would likely put a little extra stress on the axle shafts. It was designed for 302hp and a 3.55:1 ratio out back. If it were available, i'd like to install an EHD 8.8" diff/axle with 31 spline axle shafts. But, unfortunately the Marauder is not a Mustang, so we don't have that combination available to us right now from Ford Motorsport. But again, people have done these mods without any problems, so far. Good luck with your Marauder mods.
Jim

[423REED]

Well what I basically want to know is if I strap a blower to the engine is either transmission going to handle it better or will it be the same?

Also I've found a black/black 2003 that was repainted by Ford and is now for sale. The owner said the original exhaust pipe was 1&3/4" ... is that true? He said he made it 2&1/4 now.

Help me out here please. I was planning on getting an 04 with a sunroof. This 03 doesn't have one. It seems like something I'd like to have though.*
CARTMAN,
Here's a quote from my 2004 spec memo regarding the factory original exhaust system. "...the exhaust leaves via a 2½ inch dual exhaust with 2¼ inch tailpipes that are accentuated with a pair of 3½ inch O.D. X 26" long polished stainless steel exhaust tips."
Jim