Looking at maybe picking up a Marauder in the next few months, couple questions.

[SID210SA]

Watch for bad paint, a/c head unit, wacky wiper syndrome, and headlights turining on and off by themselves.

 

[Blackened300a]

Watch for bad paint, a/c head unit, wacky wiper syndrome, and headlights turining on and off by themselves.

Add weak axles and early 2003 300A start-up smoke.

 

[breeze]

Add weak axles and early 2003 300A

i honestly dnt get this one, unless ford changed the rear axels how would they consider them to be "weak". "oh lets make early 03's axles weak and later on put the stronger ones in".

 

[Mr. Man]

Add weak axles and early 2003 300A start-up smoke.

Our '04 has occasional start up smoke. I think it's just inherent to the car.

 

[SamF]

i honestly dnt get this one, unless ford changed the rear axels how would they consider them to be "weak". "oh lets make early 03's axles weak and later on put the stronger ones in".

Ford had a fairly long run of poorly hardened axles, the ends at the bearing would gall over time and eat up the bearings (throwing metal through the rear and growling) There was a TSB/Repair program that provided new axles, bearings and a cleaning of the housing. The problem affected cars across the Panther platform including early build Marauders until they identified the problem and revised their production parts.

This was one of my axles at 35K. I replaced them with new 31 spline CVPI axles and Differential (out of warranty)

 

[SamF]

Our '04 has occasional start up smoke. I think it's just inherent to the car.

Mustangs with the 4.6 sometimes have it as well, Ford calls it a "design characteristic"... My 03 does it once in a while, usually when I start the car in front of a crew of onlookers