Somebody knows the difference betwen the 99-00 and 01-04 lightnings?, I've heard that the 01-04 has about +20hp than the 99-01, is that true and what is the difference? Thanks!
Differences
- Thread starter light_svt_mex
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there is a pretty long list of differences
differences in lightnings by year - Lightning Forum | LightningRodder.com
differences in lightnings by year - Lightning Forum | LightningRodder.com
03-04 made quite a few changes with can be helpful in the future. They upgraded the heads to 8 thread instead heads of 4 thread for the spark plug holes/inserts. Some of the of the late 2002's have the eight threaded heads.
Guys were popping plugs out of the cylinder when they beefed up more boost. Ford decided upgrade the heads to 8 thread. NO bueno when your under full boost and a spark plug pops out from the excess boost.
However if you have an 2002 or older you can always have the heads upgraded with Time-Certs.
++ TIME-SERT KITS ++ helicoil save-a-thread failure
Guys were popping plugs out of the cylinder when they beefed up more boost. Ford decided upgrade the heads to 8 thread. NO bueno when your under full boost and a spark plug pops out from the excess boost.
However if you have an 2002 or older you can always have the heads upgraded with Time-Certs.
++ TIME-SERT KITS ++ helicoil save-a-thread failure
it wasnt boost that was causing it. the NA 5.4's are known for their problems.
Didn't know about the NA 5.4 popping plugs. However, sounds like the issue carried over to the 5.4 99-02's Lightnings. Ford implemented more threads in the heads late November'ish of 2002 and the problem was pretty much solved as far as I know.
I have heard people installing the Time Certs and still popping a plug. More than likely shotty workmanship.
Hell I even had a buddy with a N/A 4.6 bolt-on 2002 Mustang GT that spit a spark plug. Looks like it was a general design flaw in the cylinder head, as it was the same one used on both the 4.6 an dthe 5.4
The 99/00 Lightnings were rated about 20 hp less than the 01-04's. Most of that was with the maf & inlet as well as the intake manifold. 99/00 had an 80mm maf while 01-04 had a 90 mm maf. Ford redesigned the intake runners on the intake manifold for 2001, and it produced a little more power. 01-04's also had 3.73 gears with an aluminum driveshaft as opposed to the 99/00 3.55's with a steel driveshaft. 03/04 had the 8 thread plugs and a different rear leaf spring. You'll also see other small differences such as door handles, mirror paint, headlights/taillights, cargo lights, etc over the years as well.
yes, the 01+ had a little more power than the 99-00 due to tuning difference...? There are a lot of small subtle differences between the years
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