MALIBU RESPONSE 2003-2006

[bananaron]

Looking at a 2003 Response LXI .Any changes between this yr and a 2004 thru 06.Are the wakes pretty much the same.I ski a friends 2005 LXI and the wake is great.Also what is the 383 hammerhead engine like.Any info and comments would be appreciated.THX............Ron

[UWSkier]

Wakes will be the same from '03 to '06. Differences are the seat height is a bit higher in the '04-'06. The '03 felt like you were sitting a bit low for my tastes. They changed the dash/gauges and the font for the decal under the dash for '06. There were other minor changes as well, such as the factory stereo options over the years (JBL vs Sony, etc).

 

Hammerhead is hit and miss. If it's high hours and hasn't been problematic, it's probably fine. They're cammed up beasts that like to rev, but also have a tendency to burn oil if they were babied when new. There was a replacement dipstick for these and an updated oil capacity spec that helped address most people's issues. Review the history of the engine if it's available.

[aupatking]

Is the 340 monsoon engine on the 06 ZO compatible?

[UWSkier]

Negative. No ZO capability until '08 IIRC.

[MISkier]

The 07 can be converted to ZO, albeit with more cash and parts.

[baja]

I also can confirm the 07 Malibu LXI with the 340 Monsoon can be converted to ZO with the simple addition of the new ECM and the ZO unit. Works awesome.

[Bill22]

What year did DBW become standard in the LXI?

[UWSkier]

Thanks for keeping me honest guys. Thought the '08 was the first but good to know.

[DW]

@bananaron : 2003-2006 LXi is commonly referred to as Gen 1, the Gen 2 is 2007 on. Hull is same for all Gen 1 LXi's. I suggest going to Malibu Crew website to review comments on Hammerhead. Also, the Gen 1 LXi is the preferred barefoot machine, the Gen 2 model is not well received.

[UWSkier]

@Bill22 good question. Throttle by wire first appeared with the dash refresh in '06. It was the first year Malibu offered their own cruise, which leveraged TBW. Forgot about that. They didn't get shift-by-wire until '07 or '08, which is where my above confusion came from. Not sure if you can get the new ECM to work on an '06 or not. Might be limited to ZO.

 

BTW, the '06 and '07 TBW systems were not the most popular with people used to instant cable response. There was a bit of a lag which some didn't care for.

[UWSkier]

@baja does the '07 have shift by wire or only throttle? Does ZO require both? Wondering if it's fittable to an '06. If so, that'd be the ultimate Malibu. ZO in that hull? I'll take it.

[MISkier]

I had read somewhere a while ago that there was no ECM calibration for the 2006, so no ZO. Don't know if that changed or not. It seemed like the TBW was OK, but no support for the ECM to work with that year.

[baja]

@UWSkier I don't know the answer to your question. Skied behind my 07 Malibu LXi today starting it's 4th season with ZO. Seem to recall that the 06 and earlier couldn't accept the new ECM that is needed.

[powbmps]

What about the Z-Box option if you have an older boat? The guy I bought my 2003 LXi from was using it, and said it skied very similar to ZO.

 

The 2003 would either have the Monsoon 335 or the Hammerhead 375. The 375 obviously has more hp, but doesn't have any more torque. Malibu literature says the 335 has over 380 lb ft and the 375 has 387. I'm assuming the 2004 340 and 380 HH would be similar.

 

I would imagine the difference between the 2005 340 and 383 HH would be more noticeable though.

[UWSkier]

Yeah, much bigger difference between the Monsoon and Hammerhead once the latter became a stroker motor.

 

I've done a lot of reading on Z-Box myself. Many say that when paired with the latest SG version, it's pretty close.

[aspski]

is the freeboard the same in the 03-06 models? Any idea on how much there is?

 

[Bdecker]

I believe the issue in 06 ZO retrofits is the introduction of catalytic converters in 07. The ECM required to operate ZO doesn’t work with Indmar motors pre-cats. I learned this researching ZO for an 05 Mastercraft but suspect it is the same for Malibu. 06 was the first “drive by wire” in Malibu. Mastercraft launched it in 05 and CC and Malibu launched it in 06.

 

If ZO is important, I’d buy one that already has it.

[MISkier]

@BDecker, my 2009 Malibu Response LX does not have the catalytic converter and does have ZO.

[oldjeep]

I know this is an old thread, but in addition to monsoon and hammerhead engines there were also black scorpions. My inlaws 04 has 5.7 Merc black scorpion.

[DW]

@aspski : The freeboard on the 03-06 LXI is the same, used same hull and upper deck. Over on the Malibu site a member measured freeboard at 24".

[wolfgang]

Still love my 2004 LXI 340. 1000 hours. Lucky Lowe’s old boat. PP ok to 28 off at 34. Never tried shorter rope than that. Doesn’t use a drop of oil but I had to replace the entire tranny a few years ago.... I should probably have changed the fluid earlier! (And the clutch plate). Next on the list is storage locker cover skins.....