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Thread: Newbie in Muskoka Ontario Canada 04 MM black

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Muskoka Ontario
    Posts
    9

    Newbie in Muskoka Ontario Canada 04 MM black

    Just purchased
    ... great car... have owned an ex caprice cop car (impala ss so to speak) and all 3 roadmaster wagons (caprice, olds and buick)... the MM is the most comfortable (though pacing vipers on the 400 was fun in a woody wagon!)

    i understand the crossover tube is something to keep eyes out for... anyone?
    any other MM specific things ?
    thx!
    gord

    mine has a sunroof, trunk organizer, cd changer in the back
    where/what is the better looking subtle spoiler?
    gord
    parallax@vianet.ca

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    1,391
    Welcome and Congratulations! I am sure you will love your new ride. OEM spoilers are hard to find. You can find aftermarket ones that look exactly like OEM on eBay and Amazon.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Unpainted-F...IAAOSwT6pVsT9i

    If your MM doesn't have a tune already, talk to Marty Ochs at https://www.mosspeedshop.com/ or message him here in this forum. He will help you with improving the factory shift points to a much more desirable set-up.

    Most new owners do the usual mods of CAI, Tune, J-Mod, 4.10 gears and then go from there.

  3. #3

    Arrow Welcome Gord

    Hi Gord
    Welcome to the forum .
    Having a Marauder you need spares such as COT / Etc .
    Hard to find parts here in Canada .
    SOLD MY MARAUDER .

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Age
    32
    Posts
    900
    Welcome to the forum!

    My personal opinion on the stock crossover is to delete it, they will all leak eventually. ON3 makes a COT delete kit that is excellent quality.

    You can get the stock lip spoiler on EBay painted and unpainted, nothing looks better than the original style spoiler in my opinion.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Oxford, PA
    Posts
    459
    Good tough cars overall:

    1.cooling design of heads was not perfect so you can get a burnt valve towards the back
    2.Watch for rust rockers/rear fender and if the doors don't drain
    3.right rear axle bearings go out over many miles /takes the axle shaft with them
    4.HVAC control panel O rings go out
    5.lower Ball joints and upper control arm bushings -both cheap from Rock Auto
    6.Window switches on driver door
    7.Fuel pump after about 100,000 miles or running the tank on fumes all the time
    8.clear coat flakes off the paint
    9.Oil filter adapter section starts to leak
    10.Strange current draw when the car is off can happen -I think a cheapo alarm system caused mine or made it worse
    11.2004's have plastic timing chain guides that wear out
    12. OEM radio cuts off -easy swap using a Ford Escape radio
    13.Rear bumper cover gets stretched out over many high speed highway miles by the airstream underneath, there's a deflector panel you can make or buy to prevent this and zip tie it under there no one will see and your bumper cover won't sag.

    other than those items pretty much a 300,000 mile car.

    I drove a few LT1 chevys...these cars handle better, have way better seats, better interiors, about the same in quickness, with the chevy having more low end power (stock).
    Last edited by Agent2006; 07-02-2018 at 10:35 AM.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    New Orleans, LA
    Posts
    262
    this has been a very informative post

    i never knew the cross over tubes had issues

    A couple days ago I thought that my right rear bearing may be going out

    my oil filter adapter started leaking at 238k miles

    13 - good to know, where can i order one?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Muskoka Ontario
    Posts
    9
    thank you ALL for your replies and fount of information!
    not to be ignorant but can you explain the acronyms?
    CAI, Tune, J-Mod, COT (cross over tube?)
    and can someone comment on the SOLUTIONS to

    1. cooling design of heads was not perfect so you can get a burnt valve towards the back >>> so.... what should one do?
    3.right rear axle bearings go out over many miles /takes the axle shaft with them
    >>> so... replace approx. when? and do both at same time?
    4.HVAC control panel O rings go out
    >>> how do you replace/repair or whatever... where ARE these o-rings?

    5.lower Ball joints and upper control arm bushings -both cheap from Rock Auto
    >>> how often, or replacment period.. .or just a warning to keep eyes open?

    6.Window switches on driver door
    >>> can use pretty well ANY ford switch, correct... just have to re-place them in the stock "holder", correct? is the holder (armrest part) somehting found on other models, just a different colour?

    7.Fuel pump after about 100,000 miles or running the tank on fumes all the time
    >> again, any preventative measures... or just dont let run empty or just replace at 100k?

    9.Oil filter adapter section starts to leak
    >>> anything one could do... get a remote filter setup or??

    11.2004's have plastic timing chain guides that wear out
    >>now that sounds like something that SHOULD be replaced... can do easily or might as well remove chain or??

    12. OEM radio cuts off -easy swap using a Ford Escape radio
    >> if you have the code right!?... any better radio?

    13.Rear bumper cover gets stretched out over many high speed highway miles by the airstream underneath, there's a deflector panel you can make or buy to prevent this and zip tie it under there no one will see and your bumper cover won't sag.
    >>> where can you get the deflector panel? (cap'tin, the rear deflectors are failin' (scotty)

    thx again!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    New Orleans, LA
    Posts
    262
    cai = cold air intake
    tune = reprogram ecu, either with quarterhorse or xcal
    these cars shift horribly on the stock tune
    j-mod can be found on tccoa.com, its drilling holes in the transmission valve body to boost line pressure to firm up the shifts. J stands for the guys name Jerry. Hes a retired ford engineer.
    cot i assume same as you, first i ever heard it here

    1) head cooling mod
    3) sounds like it should be replaced every 50-100k miles
    I have 248k miles on mine and Im just learning of this
    yep always work in pairs, suspension and brakes

    4) Ive been doing residential and automotive hvac 15 years never heard of this, only thing i can think is the vac actuators on the head unit. If it leaks youll hear it whistling and the actuators wont work properly causing air to blow on the windshield instead of out the dash... but just a guess.

    5) look under there and grab the wheel and shake it to see if it has any play

    6) the switch pops out the housing and you can replace it. The door trim isnt part of the switch.

    7) always good to fill up at half a tank on any vehicle

    9) only thing u can do is fix it when it leaks. Mine has been seeping for years but just started leaving drips on the driveway about 8 months ago.

    11) youll hear a clicking noise mostly at first start up when they go bad its usually always due to running an aftermarket oil filter. Motorcraft is the only filter that has an anti drain check valve preventing dry start ups. All others leak down and cause tensioner failure due to no oil at start up.

    12) I like my pioneer bluetooth if your ok with aftermarket

    ---------------------

    13) First I heard of it. Can anyone post a pic of such or post a link where I may order one of these rear bumper deflectors too?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    KC
    Age
    48
    Posts
    3,511
    11. He is wrong, it's not a plastic guide that fails.
    2003 TENSIONERS are iron and do not tend to leak oil as the 2004 plastic tensioners do.
    This causes start up rattle and guide wear.
    Both years of mm (Mercury Marauder) will eventually need replacement timing components, and the majority of the group says go with iron 03 tensioners and ford oem chain guides
    Mine has 180k and makes a bit of start up noise, but it's going good so far...
    The twins2.3 whipple/aluminatorVortech V-2 lots of goodies

    Current marauders
    04 DTR totaled JUST NOW starting to part out 7-21-2021 https://youtu.be/REUxjP1BVpg

    04 Silver Birch Dark Charcoal Hardtop Whipple Supercharger
    04 Silver Birch Dark Charcoal Hardtop V2 Supercharger
    04 Silver Birch Dark Charcoal Converted
    03 DBP Light Flint #122
    03 DBP Dark Charcoal #232
    03 Silver Birch 300b Light Flint Going to fix er up
    03 Black 300a
    04 Silver Birch Dark Charcoal moonroof in the works

    04 Heaton Swapped DTR
    Joe's Wrecked DTR rebuild thread

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Northeast OH
    Posts
    7,999
    google eatc o ring replacement, plenty of videos.


    Ford escape radio audiophile unit from 05-07 escape or mercury mariner is plug and play, no code needed..trunk mount cd wont work but it has a 6 disc in dash changer so moot point.


    COT cross over tube, if yours is rusted bad, watch for ones for sale here the go quick mostly..they get pricey$250 plus


    google search rear head cooling mod


    2003 axles shafts were prone to wear due to poor heat treatment


    run 36 lbs air in front tires and 38-40 in rear for better wear.
    2004 SB Ported Trilogy 48
    Has supporting mods and stuff
    Thanks to Marty O for his help in updating this car.

    R.I.P.
    Rex "SC Cheesehead"

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Alberta
    Age
    31
    Posts
    25
    Definitely get a tune from Mo at Mo's Speed Shop! Completely changes the way the car drives. He is awesome to deal with as well.

    Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the forum from a fellow Canadian Marauder owner!
    -Manny

    2003 Marauder 300A
    2003 10th Anniversary SVT Cobra - 2.3 Whipple
    2006 F150


  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Oxford, PA
    Posts
    459

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    1,391
    The tune will make your MM shift better and operate more efficiently. Most of us here have gone to Marty Ochs at www.mosspeedshop.com He is a trusted source for tunes and other MM questions.

    The MM shares the same engine as the Mach 1 Mustang which suffered from the issue of the rear cylinders #4, and #8, not getting enough coolant and causing the infamous ticking later on. The Cooling Mod was developed to counter this. This is advisable whether or not you have the ticking sound, since it is a matter of when, not if, it will occur:

    https://www.mercurymarauder.net/foru...d.php?t=100702

    https://www.mercurymarauder.net/foru...ad.php?t=99920

    https://www.mercurymarauder.net/foru...t=93567&page=6



    Some members on this forum may have them for sale or you can find them here:

    https://www.lethalperformance.com/fo...ow-cooling-mod

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/LFP-EVEN-FL...-/390655942413



    The EATC will eventually fail due to the "O" rings. Contact FastBlackMerc on this forum. He can fix it for you for a low price. He fixed two of mine. Or if you want to try it yourself:

    https://www.mercurymarauder.net/foru...ad.php?t=80673


    The Cold Air Intake (CAI) is something that will help your engine breathe better. Most go with the K&N or the JLT option:

    https://www.knfilters.com/cold_air_i..._marauder.aspx

    https://www.jlttruecoldair.com/ZenCa...products_id=65



    The J-Mod is a nice mod:

    https://www.mercurymarauder.net/foru...ad.php?t=54024

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbIAKfhrdV0

    https://www.mercurymarauder.net/foru...ad.php?t=83874


    If your Coolant Crossover Tube (COT) goes bad and you can't find a replacement, the COT Delete is an option from ON3 Perfomance:

    http://www.on3performance.com/shop/o...delete-2-port/
    Last edited by Ambitious1; 07-03-2018 at 04:51 PM.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
    Location
    Avon CT
    Posts
    11

    New proud owner!

    Just wanted to say hello and I am glad I found this group. So much helpful info.

    I am not a "car-guy", but appreciate the glory of the mm. Never had a car like it. I have many friends who do speak the language and will rely on them as well as this group.

    I have an 04 in show condition with 48k. Looking at 2 trophies won from shows attended by previous original owner. I hope to bring it to a show in the future.

    Bought last week from dealer. While I have many questions, right now number 1 is - I have only one key and a fob, and do not have the code for the keyless door pad entry. Manual says it is on a sticker on the computer - is that the PCM mentioned in other posts? Is it easily accessible?

    My other option is contact the previous owner, but I have not found his number yet. Then there is the dealer, who seemed too busy to hook it up to their system to retrieve the code - I hear it is around $100 to do so.

    I'll have more questions later!

    Thanks!

    Scott
    Last edited by 04Mistress; 07-16-2018 at 06:22 AM. Reason: not sure posted this in right thread!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Age
    67
    Posts
    1,281
    If it ain’t broke don’t fix it my grand pappy used to say!?!? (sarc)

    These cars have a good rep over all and probably won’t leave you stranded anywhere. Typical 'car issues’ for this genre. Some of these posts would leave one to believe you will leave a trail of parts behind you before the car burst into flames - ain’t gonna happen.

    I’m in the process of arranging to have the Jmod, transmission tail shaft lubrication mod and the cylinder head cooling mod done. K&N CAI arrived today and is sitting on my couch. SCT X4 Tuner is sitting on a stool next to me at the moment. Awaiting a refurbished Windows laptop to arrive so I can purchase a custom tune from MartyO and load it into my SCT device.

    This is what I’m dreaming about:




    http://adtr.net/product/mercury-mara...harger-system/




    Quote Originally Posted by parallax_ca View Post
    thank you ALL for your replies and fount of information!
    not to be ignorant but can you explain the acronyms?
    CAI, Tune, J-Mod, COT (cross over tube?)
    and can someone comment on the SOLUTIONS to

    1. cooling design of heads was not perfect so you can get a burnt valve towards the back >>> so.... what should one do?
    3.right rear axle bearings go out over many miles /takes the axle shaft with them
    >>> so... replace approx. when? and do both at same time?
    4.HVAC control panel O rings go out
    >>> how do you replace/repair or whatever... where ARE these o-rings?

    5.lower Ball joints and upper control arm bushings -both cheap from Rock Auto
    >>> how often, or replacment period.. .or just a warning to keep eyes open?

    6.Window switches on driver door
    >>> can use pretty well ANY ford switch, correct... just have to re-place them in the stock "holder", correct? is the holder (armrest part) somehting found on other models, just a different colour?

    7.Fuel pump after about 100,000 miles or running the tank on fumes all the time
    >> again, any preventative measures... or just dont let run empty or just replace at 100k?

    9.Oil filter adapter section starts to leak
    >>> anything one could do... get a remote filter setup or??

    11.2004's have plastic timing chain guides that wear out
    >>now that sounds like something that SHOULD be replaced... can do easily or might as well remove chain or??

    12. OEM radio cuts off -easy swap using a Ford Escape radio
    >> if you have the code right!?... any better radio?

    13.Rear bumper cover gets stretched out over many high speed highway miles by the airstream underneath, there's a deflector panel you can make or buy to prevent this and zip tie it under there no one will see and your bumper cover won't sag.
    >>> where can you get the deflector panel? (cap'tin, the rear deflectors are failin' (scotty)

    thx again!
    Current Garage:

    2005 Mustang GT Premium
    2019 Ranger Lariat Super Crewcab 4WD
    2015 Triumph Trophy SE



    “You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
    Love like you'll never be hurt,
    Sing like there's nobody listening,
    And live like it's heaven on earth.”
    William W. Purkey

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