Terminator Ownership did not start well for me

[2003RedfireVert]

Are you talking about these? I have noticed a lot of heat comes from that blower so if removing the hood insulation and installing these vents helps with that and hearing the whine then I'll get right on it

LFP BILLET HOOD VENTS 2003-2004 FORD SVT COBRA​

Yes, This is what I bought. Fitment was OK, be patient with them. Overall I’m pleased with them.

 

[03cobra#694]

Yes, This is what I bought. Fitment was OK, be patient with them. Overall I’m pleased with them.

I have the Fore vents on mine. Factory ones are useless, unless you cut the flaps off.

 

[Lee_87]

Yes, This is what I bought. Fitment was OK, be patient with them. Overall I’m pleased with them.

I see what you're saying with be patient seems like some had fitment issues

 

[60_HitME]

Somehow I went from looking for a cheap TDI Jetta or something that would get 40mpg so I wouldn't have to daily drive my 27yr old 7.3L to buying a $38k 2004 Cobra with only 26k miles on it that gets 12mpg. Not sure how it happened but it happened and I do it again since I was crazy about the 03-04 cobras when I was a kid. Anyways the dealership that had the car was 280 miles away and after looking up reviews on this place and looking at the car's history which was clean I made the decision to buy it without a warranty and without going to look at it and just have it delivered. Couldn't be happier when it arrived, the interior and exterior looked like it had just come from the factory and the only thing I saw wrong was the tires, an all-season tire that definitely don't hook at all Drove it 25 miles within the first hour and it broke down on the side of the road. Had it towed home and found out the plugs were fouled but couldn't figure out why. So had to have it towed to a garage 40 miles away that specializes in tuning Mustangs. They found some very loose wiretaps going to the ECU from the coil packs, put some new injectors in, map sensor, plugs, re-tuned it, and gave it back to me with 570WHP.
Now I have had it back for about a month and drove it for 200 miles with no issues car seems to run great but I'm just so paranoid thinking something is going to go wrong. That first experience of breaking down at 25 miles really ruined it for me and I'm trying to just enjoy it. I know it's an 18yr old car but every little noise or clunk when shifting gets me nervous thinking "oh great what's gonna break now". I'm sure I'll get over it in time and just enjoy it. Like I said it's got 26k miles on it (only 3k miles from 2011-present) and my plan is to keep it under 1200 miles a year, I definitely didn't buy the car to compete or street race at all I just wanted it to finally have one after so many years.
One thing about this car right now is that famous supercharger whine these cars were known for is not very loud which is a little upsetting. It doesn't have the stock Eaton blower it has an older KB 2.2l which is putting out 15-17 boost but still thought I would hear that whine. Once I recover some money I might look at putting a different supercharger on it and doing the subframe bolts, and IRS bushings since I read those might contribute to the clunking noise i hear and definitely need tires.
Anyways I just wanted to share my first-time experience with my Terminator maybe someone else had a similar experience with theirs.

Prices are nutty. I paid 32k cash T&L paid by the dealership for my new 2004 Terminator.

 

[shurur]

I see you were originally looking at a VW.
If you are a VW or Audi guy, you certainly have gone over to the other side!.

My other car is an Audi.

The Mustang is far easier to work on and driving it is an "all car" experience.

Enjoy.

 

[Lee_87]

I see you were originally looking at a VW.
If you are a VW or Audi guy, you certainly have gone over to the other side!.

My other car is an Audi.

The Mustang is far easier to work on and driving it is an "all car" experience.

Enjoy.

Oh not at all I just wanted something cheap that could get like 40mpg and there were dozens of TDI Jettas in my area. Every vehicle I ever owned was a ford mainly trucks, and my daily driver now is a built 1995 F350 with the 7.3L. I just somehow ended up finding an ad for a cobra and well here I am lol

 

[CobraBob]

Congrats, and welcome! Yep, owning an 18+ year old car can be a bit unsettling at times. Especially when the car has had multiple owners and lots of mods. Any one of the previous owners could have messed stuff up, and then you're left to discover their mistakes as the new owner.

The 2003-2004 Cobra always was a bit rough around the edges, so clunks and rattles do serve to rattle your brain, especially on longer drives. Best thing you can do is spend the time to ensure that mechanically (engine, drivetrain, suspension/brakes, etc.) it is as solid as it can be. And then just enjoy it on the road. Happy motoring!

 

[stangfreak]

bro my car has 16K miles, garage kept. And things are starting to go on it. Especially the hoses. stuff that you wouldn't believe would break. its a 19 year old car. it is what it is.

 

[TK1299]

I’ll take that 2.2 from you

 

[NorCal_03Cobra]

Almost 100k miles here and just got done replacing the 6 rib pullies/belt while also upgrading the 8 rib crank & harmonic balancer -- it's all part of the ownership experience... I prefer to drive mine, hope y'all enjoy those garages

 

[Mojo88]

Maybe it's just me I mean I haven't really been going pedal to the floor style every time I pull out main reason being the tires are junk so it just spins, and until I get a little more familiar with the car. ......

I have run 3 different sets of wheels and tires on my Roush (29 lbs boost, 625whp), and the difference in traction was astonishing. 8-year old tires, looked good and had some traction..... 12-year old wheels/tires looked brand new but had almost zero traction.......... then I put on new set of Falkens and it felt planted like I couldn't believe.

You're not really gonna get that wonderful whine unless you give it some throttle, but I would be very careful until you get some decent tires on her. And maybe put a tad smaller pulley on the S/C (if you can).

 

[Fastback]

Almost 100k miles here and just got done replacing the 6 rib pullies/belt while also upgrading the 8 rib crank & harmonic balancer -- it's all part of the ownership experience... I prefer to drive mine, hope y'all enjoy those garages

Good deal, how'd the experience go for you? I just got my Metco 6 ribs. I still have the original belt in place and the stock lower.

 

[Lee_87]

I have run 3 different sets of wheels and tires on my Roush (29 lbs boost, 625whp), and the difference in traction was astonishing. 8-year old tires, looked good and had some traction..... 12-year old wheels/tires looked brand new but had almost zero traction.......... then I put on new set of Falkens and it felt planted like I couldn't believe.

You're not really gonna get that wonderful whine unless you give it some throttle, but I would be very careful until you get some decent tires on her. And maybe put a tad smaller pulley on the S/C (if you can).

Yeah, these tires that came on are just some cheap all-season tires that just spin in 1st or 2nd. I'll probably get a set of Mickey's or Nitto's.

Its got a small pulley on it off hand I do not know what size

 

[Mojo88]

......Just curious as to why you recommend putting a smaller pulley on?

A little more power, and definitely more whine!

 

[robvas]

It's par for the course... I seem to need to get a tow for something or another once a year.. or twice.

Yup...

 

[CobraBob]

Yeah, these tires that came on are just some cheap all-season tires that just spin in 1st or 2nd. I'll probably get a set of Mickey's or Nitto's.

Its got a small pulley on it off hand I do not know what size

Here is a tip on measuring your upper pulley size from my Terminator FAQs

If you are not sure what size upper pulley you have, you measure across the top of the grooves, not the outer edge, as shown in the Pulley Boys photo below.

 

[Bdubbs]

These cobras are generally noisy. Starting with the engine and through the T56. My transmission has always been notchy and clunky sounding.

I've owned mine for 12 years and about 12,000 miles. Currently has 31k miles.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

 

[Lee_87]

These cobras are generally noisy. Starting with the engine and through the T56. My transmission has always been notchy and clunky sounding.

I've owned mine for 12 years and about 12,000 miles. Currently has 31k miles.

Sent from my moto g power (2021) using Tapatalk

Ok. That was worrying me at first but after reading some more I see these cars can be a bit noisy

 

[NotSatisfied]

Somehow I went from looking for a cheap TDI Jetta or something that would get 40mpg so I wouldn't have to daily drive my 27yr old 7.3L to buying a $38k 2004 Cobra with only 26k miles on it that gets 12mpg. Not sure how it happened but it happened and I do it again since I was crazy about the 03-04 cobras when I was a kid. Anyways the dealership that had the car was 280 miles away and after looking up reviews on this place and looking at the car's history which was clean I made the decision to buy it without a warranty and without going to look at it and just have it delivered. Couldn't be happier when it arrived, the interior and exterior looked like it had just come from the factory and the only thing I saw wrong was the tires, an all-season tire that definitely don't hook at all Drove it 25 miles within the first hour and it broke down on the side of the road. Had it towed home and found out the plugs were fouled but couldn't figure out why. So had to have it towed to a garage 40 miles away that specializes in tuning Mustangs. They found some very loose wiretaps going to the ECU from the coil packs, put some new injectors in, map sensor, plugs, re-tuned it, and gave it back to me with 570WHP.
Now I have had it back for about a month and drove it for 200 miles with no issues car seems to run great but I'm just so paranoid thinking something is going to go wrong. That first experience of breaking down at 25 miles really ruined it for me and I'm trying to just enjoy it. I know it's an 18yr old car but every little noise or clunk when shifting gets me nervous thinking "oh great what's gonna break now". I'm sure I'll get over it in time and just enjoy it. Like I said it's got 26k miles on it (only 3k miles from 2011-present) and my plan is to keep it under 1200 miles a year, I definitely didn't buy the car to compete or street race at all I just wanted it to finally have one after so many years.
One thing about this car right now is that famous supercharger whine these cars were known for is not very loud which is a little upsetting. It doesn't have the stock Eaton blower it has an older KB 2.2l which is putting out 15-17 boost but still thought I would hear that whine. Once I recover some money I might look at putting a different supercharger on it and doing the subframe bolts, and IRS bushings since I read those might contribute to the clunking noise i hear and definitely need tires.
Anyways I just wanted to share my first-time experience with my Terminator maybe someone else had a similar experience with theirs.

Look at my threads, I share sentiment.


Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app

 

[NorCal_03Cobra]

Good deal, how'd the experience go for you? I just got my Metco 6 ribs. I still have the original belt in place and the stock lower.

It all started because I had an OE pulley fail on the 6-rib system, so I replaced all of those and a new belt (Gates # K060962)

Removing the stock lower was the most difficult & concerning part when the big bang comes as you break it loose (requires A LOT of effort -- make sure to use a 1/2" drive impact socket)

Definitely consider upgrading to the Metco lower + Innovators West kit - I can't imagine going through all of that and putting the stock crank back on... I had to try a few different belt sizes and ended up with Gates # K080785HD as I've got the Metco aux idler kit and 1x100mm