2004-Rear Axel/Rear End

[prg333]

I have a 2004 Marauder. It now has 158,255 miles on it. I have not driven it
In the months of NOV-to mid March since 2007. Except to take it out for a quick
Drive. In 2009 one of the bearings moved and the axel ended up getting an
Worn down in one spot. I was able to save the axel and
Have my mechanic move the bearings.
All was good. Rear deferential fluid did leak out very slowly about 2 yrs later.
My mechanic said don't worry for now, as the leak is so slow, as he barely had to
Top it off every 3.5 months between oil changes. But he did advise to have the
Rt and left axel shafts replaced and all new bearings.

I decided to have the shop do this now that spring is here and I had hardly drove the car since Nov.

The shop was having a hell of a time
With the rear end. The bearings basically
Dissintgrated when they pulled the axel shafts off.
The owner of the shop things a entire rear axel will
Job/ replacement of the entire rear end may need to be done.
He says the cost of a new Axel will be $3000.00. As he could not
Get a used one from a junkyard.
He advices against doing such a costly repair.
So they are going to put on 2 new axel shafts and bearings and hope that will be enough, to last a period of 1.5 to 3 yrs.
He says that it is possible the fix they will do might not work. As they would have to test drive
It after the work is done. If not then I could opt for
The entire new rear end re do with new axel. He is a honest no bs guy it appears

Has anyone else run into this problem?
Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

[RubberCtyRauder]

Any crown Vic rearend 2003 and up is fine to swap. Plenty in junkyards . Mid. 2005 and later have 31 spline axles . The 28 spline from ford is discontinued . Your mechanic needs better search skills. Interceptors often came with 3.55 rear , otherwise a gear swap is in order

[prg333]

Thank you I will Inform the shop

[RubberCtyRauder]

Can also use grand marquis rear. They are all the same only difference being the actual rear end ratio. So be prepared to swap gears to the. 3.55 if that is whAt you run and trac lok unit if not equipped. And it would be worth rebuilding it with new carbon clutches etc. in my opinion

[prg333]

The gears I have are standard factory. I never upgraded. 3.55 is that a
Different set up then the factory I have currently

[RubberCtyRauder]

3.55 is factory marauder. Grand marquis will 2.73 crown Vic might have. 2.73, 3.27,3.55

[camelgrundle]

Nope. 3.55 is stock

[RF Overlord]

^^^what RCR said^^^

Any 2003+ CV or GM rear axle will drop right in. Might be a good time to upgrade to 4.10s, too.

Also, in case you're concerned, the donor axle does not have to be from a car with RAS. There's no difference between air spring and coil spring as far as the axle housing is concerned.

[Logizyme]

Someone must have really botched the work on it because it is pretty difficult to damage the axle housing. Kind of weird that they say the bearing moved on its own. I wonder if a fixer bearing was used to fix a worn axle/bearing.

If you do need an axle housing 2006+ have 31-spline axles which can handle more power, you'll definently want to get one with limited slip(LSD) which will only come with 3.27 and 3.55 RAR. 3.55 can only be found on Marauders and P71's, but it is a rare option on P71's 2003+

Any housing from a 2003+ Crown vic, Grand Marquis, Town Car, or Marauder will bolt in.

I would get a second opinion. It might just need new axles and bearings.

[prg333]

Well as of now they are going to just to the right Axel shaft and
And put in new bearings.As they claim the left side Axel shaft is fine.
They got a bearing repair kit. As they say they
Were not able to get the proper factory
Bearing part. So a repair bearing kit was needed.
This is what my former mechanic did as well.

Hopefully this will fix the problem.

[License2Bill]

Any FLAPS should have the parts necessary to fix this problem. It sounds like they are trying to just put a band aid on it with the bearing repair kit.

[prg333]

Excuse my ignorance. Please define FLAPS. Sounds like the rear end of the car Axel and assembly may have have been a "lemon" or
Prematurely developed a more serious
Problem then other marauders. Is this
Particular thing the rear end Axel a
Week spot with crown Vic's grand mark and Maraudrrs
.
Bad design by Ford? Have others had this problem?

This problem developed at 95,000 when the car was 5 yrs old

[RubberCtyRauder]

FLAPS = friendly local auto parts store. 2003 models possibly had soft Axle shafts from factory due to bad heat treat

[prg333]

Mine Marauder is a 2004

[prg333]

I got my Marauder back. The shop replaced the right rear axle shaft
And used a repair kit for the wheel bearing. Since what they used was a "axle saver" they said it needs a entire rear axle assembly. I hope this repair will
Hold up. The last time the same "fix" was done, it lasted 5.5 years.
They claim a crown Vic rear Axel assembly could NOT be used bc of the different
Gear ratio traction control.
But they may not be as knowledgable on this topic, as fellow marauder folks on this site.

So my question is. I live in Pomona NY. Not far from NJ, or Westchestwr county.
Do any members know of a shop in the
Area who can replace the entire Axel assembly, if the need
Comes up?

[Comin' in Hot]

I got my Marauder back. The shop replaced the right rear axle shaft
And used a repair kit for the wheel bearing. Since what they used was a "axle saver" they said it needs a entire rear axle assembly. I hope this repair will
Hold up. The last time the same "fix" was done, it lasted 5.5 years.
They claim a crown Vic rear Axel assembly could NOT be used bc of the different
Gear ratio traction control.
But they may not be as knowledgable on this topic, as fellow marauder folks on this site.

So my question is. I live in Pomona NY. Not far from NJ, or Westchestwr county.
Do any members know of a shop in the
Area who can replace the entire Axel assembly, if the need
Comes up?

Your shop doesn't know what they are talking about... I would find another shop.

I had a pinion bearing go bad in my daily driver marauder and needed to get it fixed fast. I found a rear axle assemble out of a 2008 police interceptor with 30,000 miles and swapped it right in. The housing is the same, just make sure the gear ratio is the same. A bonus of using a 2006 or newer rear is that it comes from the factory with 31 spline axles.

[RubberCtyRauder]

Yes you can use a CV rear end..The gears would need switched if not equipped with a 3.55 ratio. That's it, nothing else. Your shop is not well versed in rear end work..I would look for another shop. They don't know what they are talking about.

[fastblackmerc]

Your shop doesn't know what they are talking about... I would find another shop.

I had a pinion bearing go bad in my daily driver marauder and needed to get it fixed fast. I found a rear axle assemble out of a 2008 police interceptor with 30,000 miles and swapped it right in. The housing is the same, just make sure the gear ratio is the same. A bonus of using a 2006 or newer rear is that it comes from the factory with 31 spline axles.


Yes you can use a CV rear end..The gears would need switched if not equipped with a 3.55 ratio. That's it, nothing else. Your shop is not well versed in rear end work..I would look for another shop. They don't know what they are talking about.

What they ^^^^^^^^^^^ said.

Your shop.......... sucks. Find another one.

[Logizyme]

LOL Who puts in a repair bearing with a new axle shaft?? New shop.

[jaywish]

There are certainly places available that can completely rebuild a rear for you. You will need to decide some basic things;
Are you going to go 31 spline?
Are you going to spring for factory new parts or used parts.

It is like this. The whole housing is easily found in almost any junk yard. The axles are often in good condition but could be replaced with new if you are so inclined.

Then you have gears. 3.55 gears are often sold by mustang guys going to 4.10's so can be had used cheap. Or you can buy new.

Than you have the posi unit. Here I suggest you buy new so you can be upgraded to 31 spline. Though you can probably find a used 31 if you search, I would then suggest new clutches.

You need a full gear install kit with all bearings and misc. There are several brands, you can just go Ford on all this.




I do recommend you go with the later 31 spline overall. This requires 31 spline axles, so an 06 and up housing would be harvested, and a 31 spline posi differential carrier.

It is also a perfect time to overhaul your rear brakes with new components, though what you have now can be swapped in.

If you wanted to go upgraded control arms this would be the time, or maybe just replace the original bushings.

If you have someone get a used housing, as is suggested here, and build the unit in advance you can expect a much quicker job as all they need to do is swap in the whole complete unit almost while you wait.

[fastblackmerc]

If you wanted to go upgraded control arms this would be the time, or maybe just replace the original bushings.

I don't believe the original busing are available or ever were...... to get new bushings you have to buy the entire arm. In that case I'd go aftermarket.

[jaywish]

Now that you mention it I had to reuse my originals when I put in the Z&M's way back when.

[prg333]

Thank you for all the good advise.yes the shop I go to is good
For other things. But rear end work on
This car not so much it appears.
A used rear Axel assembly appears to be the best way
To go vs new. How much can a used set up go for . I think
Around $800.00 to $1100.00 new maybe twice that.
Anyone get better prices?

[RubberCtyRauder]

Try car-part.com and search for crown Vic rear axle assembly. Must use. 2003 to 2011 $250-$500. Then gear swap if you don't find a 3.55 ratio. Gear swap I'm thinking around $750 installed with new parts included .

[GreekGod]

Ford's 8.8" design is a copy of a GM (General Motors) design. They even use the same carrier bearings! The design is called a Salisbury-type. They typically have many engineering compromises - especially running the bearings directly on a hardened part of the axle shaft. A very, very bad idea, and the usual reason for failure.

I wouldn't ever consider a limited slip differential (so called "posi" - a GM term) replacement. Eaton has a superior replacement for the clutch differential - the Eaton Detroit Truetrac. it has no clutch plates to wear out. >>>

http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/ProductsServices/Vehicle/Differentials/detroit-truetrac/index.htm

prg333 - run away from your trusted repair shop - they are incompetent.

==

[RF Overlord]

LOL Who puts in a repair bearing with a new axle shaft?? New shop.My thoughts, exactly. That shop sounds like a bunch of clowns...

I might have missed it, but exactly why did they say you need an entire new housing? Lots of people have had bad bearings and I've never heard of one damaging the housing...

And get someone to remove that repair bearing and do the job correctly.

[prg333]

They claimed I needed a entire new Axel and housing bc
Of the fact that they could not get "the proper parts" to
To do the job 100% correctly. So a bearing repair kit was
In order. They claim they could not get
The replacement Axel to match for the
3.55 gear traction control and possitraction.

[fastblackmerc]

They claimed I needed a entire new Axel and housing bc
Of the fact that they could not get "the proper parts" to
To do the job 100% correctly. So a bearing repair kit was
In order. They claim they could not get
The replacement Axel to match for the
3.55 gear traction control and possitraction.
As stated in previous posts, whomever is doing the work hasn't a clue. I'd drive away very quickly from that shop.

The rear end in your Marauder is the same, with the possible exception of the gears and or splines on the axles, as all the panther chassis vehicles Ford built from 1993 - 2011. The panther chassis is all Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Cars. They are plentiful in just about any recycle yard. You'd probably want to stick with the 3rd generation which is from 2003 - 2011.

[GreekGod]

As stated in previous posts, whomever is doing the work hasn't a clue. I'd drive away very quickly from that shop.

The rear end in your Marauder is the same, with the possible exception of the gears and or splines on the axles, as all the panther chassis vehicles Ford built from 1993 - 2011. The panther chassis is all Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Cars. They are plentiful in just about any recycle yard. You'd probably want to stick with the 3rd generation which is from 2003 - 2011.

2003 and up housings are all the same ("outboard" shock absorbers) - pre 2003 are different (also have different wheel offsets)

==

[prg333]

Thank you for your advise guys😊 I won't
Go back to the shop for any rear end
Work. I dont know how long the repair
Bearing will last. I never got a clear
Answer on why the entire rear Axel housing rear end
Needed rreplacement.
I think only if there is significant damage to the Axel or
Important parts, should one need to get the entire rear end
Re-done. Only the right rear Axel shaft had to be replaced along of course Several bearings. The left side is fine I Was told

[RF Overlord]

They claimed I needed a entire new Axel and housing bc
Of the fact that they could not get "the proper parts" to
To do the job 100% correctly. So a bearing repair kit was
In order. They claim they could not get
The replacement Axel to match for the
3.55 gear traction control and possitraction.100% :bs:

For one thing, whether the car has traction control or not, has nothing to do with the axles. It's a function of the ABS system.

For another, the axle shafts are the same for Traction-Lok (posi) or not.

The only "proper parts" they may not have been able to get would be the 28-spline carrier as it's discontinued, which again has nothing to do with your having a bad axle bearing.

Fail, fail, and more fail.