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6.4's in the Future

2K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  srjd 
#1 ·
Hey guys,
I'm having a boring Saturday night. Stoked to say that my Spartan tuner, DPF and EGR delete are purchased and on their way. I had my second regen. yesterday on the highway and was Pi$$ed. I just started using Diesel Kleen and was seeing MPG improvement, then during regen I watched the gas needle plummet. All I could keep thinking was, don't worry, this is the last regeneration you're ever going to do. Haha.
So the prompt for this post is really about 6.4 motors in the future. All this working on my truck and getting to know her really well has me thinking. I don't believe I'll want to leave the truck behind for a very very long time. Is there a point with such a short lived motor (only 3 years) will become too scarce to be able to just swap the block out? I could definitely see just putting a new engine in eventually as I love the truck. For those who have experience in such mechanical worlds, how long until this era might come upon the 6.4?
The way I figure it. My purchase style for vehicles is to save money for years, then when it's necessary, make the purchase. I had close to 30k over about 5 or 6 years of saving. In the next decade I can easily make that back as I am a habitual saver. I figure putting 30 grand back into a truck wouldn't even be necessary to make it slick and amazing again. What is everybodies thoughts? Why or why not?
Sorry if this is a boring post. Just sorta laying around with nothing but my thoughts.
 
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#2 ·
There is a lot of unknown with the future of 6.4s right now. We know the issues and there are fixes, however the platforms haven't really been out long enough with said fixes to have a true grasp of how long they will really last.

Now, that all said... If you have the means (savings) to rebuild your block vs throwing a "new" or reman in its a lot cheaper. You also know that most of the hard parts are still in good shape (provided nothing has gone boom). The goal should always be to rebuild a motor on your time, not when it leaves you on the side of the road. And in all reality you shouldn't need to dump 30 grand into one of these trucks unless you really abuse it. The drivetrain, body, and frame hold up quite well. Its the motor that is going to cost you. And a full rebuild with a 6.4 bulletproof will usually run you around $12000-$15000, that is for pistons, cam, lifters, studs, up pipes, bearings, machine work, and labor. In theory all of that should pretty much make the 6.4 as indestructible as any cummins on the road. Obviously maintenance still plays a HUGE role as does quality tuning...

Even so, you should get around 200k out of a 6.4 if you take care of it before you really need to start worrying much. That isn't saying that things can't happen and you want that $15000 saved up incase bad things happen... Just stay on top of rocker arm wear, basic maintenance, and run a mild or low hp tune.

People bring this up all the time (I did as well when I first bought my truck), but if there is one thing I have learned it is this: If you don't race (boosted launches, sled pulls, drags, or try to show up every cummins or duratard on the road), make sure to run a mild tune, and don't run her hard till she is all warmed up... Those MAJOR failures aren't as major... Cracked pistons do happen, but usually they are a product of A LOT of heat, fuel, boost, and a serious lack of brain power. Blown head gaskets shouldn't be an issue unless you run a hot tune or you start getting up over 200k (They do still pop... An egr cooler failure will still do as much damage as on a 6.0 as does running the truck hard when its cold). Lifter failure is an issue just like the 6.0 but it is made worse by worn rocker arms and lack of lubrication... Stay on top of oil changes and when you have signs of bad rocker arms (popping out the intake) spend the cash to change them and those lifters should live just as long as a 6.0. If you avoid idle time as much as you can (if you live in the frozen north like me... Well you gota adjust your oil changes accordingly) it will reduce ring and cylinder wear and oil dilution.





Once the aftermarket starts catching up with the serious lack of reman and new components and releases quality parts (heads, camshafts, rocker arms, etc) things will also start getting cheaper and the repairs will start happening quicker because shops can actually finish the work. But stay on top of your brakes, fluid changes, suspension, SALT REMOVAL!!!!!!!, and monitor the crap out of the truck... Do all that (and have a good relationship with your diesel mechanic, you will need them eventually) and you really shouldn't need that $30,000 that you have saved up for quite a while. Also develop a plan for the truck... Are you like me? Do you want to build the motor before it goes boom and go for all out reliability or do you want to go a bit farther and go for all out performance (reliability mods + go fast mods). Depending on what you want, how far are you going to take the build. Lift? Tires?? Transmission??? Gearing?????

The future is always going to be there for the 6.4, these things aren't going anywhere. If you are smart and have the savings and understand the pitfalls of these trucks then keep reading and learning.
 
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#4 ·
+Hey Crazy,
Thanks for the very thorough reply. I've already had a steep learning curve with these motors in that I immediately jumped right into these forums and got so much information I was overwhelmed. But through time I'm really wrapping my head around it all and I'm understanding my truck a lot better now. I have all of the experienced people on here to thank for that. I started using fuel additive and now after only a half a tank of it I won't ever stop, that's for sure.
I decided to go full delete for the egrs and have decided to take it on myself, consider it more time to get to know my new truck I guess. And like I said the dpf and tuner should be here in a day or so. I was just sort of wondering. I know that 30K would be steep on any scale which is exactly why I would rather go that route than buy another truck.

It's good to know that your opinion is that parts and blocks won't be disappearing anytime soon. I absolutely don't plan on abusing this truck. I.E fluids and everything In about a year when the tires need changing I AM going to go ahead with a 4.5 inch lift and probably 35's. That's mainly just for clearance and help in the mud when I get into it going duck hunting. As for how I drive, I still don't even know what beyond half throttle feels like I'm pretty sure, at that point she really starts to move.
Like I was saying, I just really love the truck. I think keeping the cash stashed is the way to go especially if like you're saying 15k for a whole built block. That leaves me tons of room for tranny, transfer case, etc. What about interior upgrades? For those who have experience running old trucks, can ya'll typically find upgrades or replacements for interior components to keep your style and comfort up to date?
 
#5 ·
15k is for a full build provided there is no other damage. Think Toren here... He got insanely lucky that his hung injector didn't destroy the block. Then we are talking somewhere around 18k just for the new motor, then you have pistons and everything else to add on top. You can buy them built from places like Midwest diesel but you gota hope they have the parts in stock.

The key on a 6.4 is stay ahead of the failures.

Interior upgrades are easy (not cheap... but easy), find a rolled truck with the interior that you want and god hog wild. The newer heated and cooled seats will need some additional wiring, but they aren't all that hard. But if you are looking 2013 and newer expect the bill to start adding up quick...
 
#6 ·
I asked myself this same question jackpot. I would just say the first part but it might sound offensive. As it will be a couple years before I could do the rebuild I want. I hope that as long as there as many 6.4 enthusiast/owners out there, the future should be bright. If not, then we have a rare beast.
 
#7 ·
I didnt get lucky....I STOPPED driving it!!! We trailerd it back from. Idaho. That's what saved the block. It still took .020 to clean it up. Most are saveable if common sense is used. Like I said tho, mine damn near ran normal even with the melted piston. I can see how people just keep running them. Most people create more damage then the failure does by just being lazy and cheap and not shutting it down and towing it.
 
#8 ·
op, try stanadyne fuel additive in your next tank.
I used kleen flo in the past, it was ok. With Stanadyne, there was a definite increase in mpg, and my truck was quieter.
 
#9 ·
Thanks for the advice. Based on everything that I had researched I really wanted stanadyne but couldn't find it. After I'm out of this diesel keen I'll switch though. Weirdly, after that last regeneration lie-o-meter sky rocketed up to 24 mpg on the highway. Now I know that's not accurate but I don't have the deletes yet so it's only been running maybe an mpg or so high.
Anyways, word is deletes and tuner are here tomorrow. :)
 
#10 ·
Toren what signs did you see when your injector hung? Higher egt or could you hear it?
 
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