Possible 6.4 Buyer

[codyd5051]

Hello all, I currently own a 2003 6.0 Powerstroke with 250,000 miles on it and am looking at buying an 08 6.4 Powerstroke with 138,000 miles. I am a Ford guy and have loved my 6.0. I have read a lot about how potent the 6.4's can be and how easy it is to achieve good fuel economy. I average about 23mpg (hand calculated of course) with my 6.0 and would like to meet or beat that. I have a few questions and concerns about the 6.4. I am looking for a truck in the south or the west coast. Living in Duluth, MN we have the worst winter road conditions and the salt destroys the undercarriage of vehicles.

1.) Is it worth buying a higher mileage 6.4? I bought my 6.0 with 132,000 on it just over 2 years ago, so i do quite a bit of driving. If so what should look out for?

2.) What tuner should I use to get the best blend of power, fuel efficiency, and reliability? intake and exhaust would be an automatic, egr delete would be done with the tuner.

3.) I know the 5R110 is a solid transmission, but can it hold up to a 6.4 that does a lot of daily driving and towing with a tune on it? To be perfectly honest i have never changed the transmission fluid on my 6.0 and it shifts like the day I got it, but I would never do this with a newer truck.

4.) What makes the 6.4 better than the Duramax?? My buddy has one and my 6.0 and his Dmax have been neck and neck. I would love to send him crying home to his momma because his Allison cant hold enough power.

Thanks from a hopefully future 6.4 owner!

[Skew12]

Great questions.

[blackcloud2k]

Buying a higher mileage 6.4 is alright in my book. Just make sure you get an oasis on it and records to see what kind of issues it could of had in a previous life. A tuned 6.4 will walk all over your buddies dmax. The 5r110 is a solid tranny that has been holding up alot longer than previous ford trannys ever did with the kind of power that a tuned 6.4 puts out. It wont last forever, but it will last. You wont see the kind of mileage out of a 6.4 that you are seeing with your 6.0 right now. You can get 17-18 up and down the interstate empty tuned if you are kind and not driving 75+ mph, but you wont see 23. A DPF delete and tuner is a must though. There are lots of good tuners out there for the 6.4. I personally run spartan, but H&S is quality and has shift on the fly if that is something that you want. I prefer the guage set up of the spartan though. You have alot more parameters to monitor on the spartan than the H&S. Tune for tune though you cant go wrong. KEM makes great tunes that can be added to the H&S, SCT, or the non updated spartans. The Duramax is a good motor with a comfy riding truck, but those front ends have some issues in the higher HP trucks. I have personally seen a few break with a load behind them.

[INJEKTER1]

Originally Posted by codyd5051

Hello all, I currently own a 2003 6.0 Powerstroke with 250,000 miles on it and am looking at buying an 08 6.4 Powerstroke with 138,000 miles. I am a Ford guy and have loved my 6.0. I have read a lot about how potent the 6.4's can be and how easy it is to achieve good fuel economy. I average about 23mpg (hand calculated of course) with my 6.0 and would like to meet or beat that. I have a few questions and concerns about the 6.4. I am looking for a truck in the south or the west coast. Living in Duluth, MN we have the worst winter road conditions and the salt destroys the undercarriage of vehicles.

1.) Is it worth buying a higher mileage 6.4? I bought my 6.0 with 132,000 on it just over 2 years ago, so i do quite a bit of driving. If so what should look out for?

2.) What tuner should I use to get the best blend of power, fuel efficiency, and reliability? intake and exhaust would be an automatic, egr delete would be done with the tuner.

3.) I know the 5R110 is a solid transmission, but can it hold up to a 6.4 that does a lot of daily driving and towing with a tune on it? To be perfectly honest i have never changed the transmission fluid on my 6.0 and it shifts like the day I got it, but I would never do this with a newer truck.

4.) What makes the 6.4 better than the Duramax?? My buddy has one and my 6.0 and his Dmax have been neck and neck. I would love to send him crying home to his momma because his Allison cant hold enough power.

Thanks from a hopefully future 6.4 owner!

if your mpg is while towing, you will not get there with the 6.4 if its highway...no stopping , running the speed limit u could get close to that... tuned of course...as far as stomping a Dmax.... 3 of my friends drive them...the one without the tune tried from a stop and 2 different roll ons...he was very embarrassed...the other 2..... they talk but will never line them up.... as far as the tranny... as long as you are not peddle to the medal drag racing "all of the time" you should be fine.... i would recommend regular maintenance however

[codyd5051]

Thanks for the feedback! regular maintenance isn't a problem i've just been amazed by my tranny and am kinda putting it to the test ha ha. I know the 6.4 is very closely related to the 6.0 similar to an educated older brother. The internals are rock solid, well aside from hpop, injectors, headstuds ha ha. I couldn't be more thankful that they went to a common rail injection system as compared to high pressure oil. I am injector weary after this 6.0. So i have to ask. Do the 6.4's have injector problems? I have heard of turbo nightmares, but with it being used i hope that that situation as been solved by someone else. Im not worried about the rest of the truck as it is a ford.

Any other things i should be particular in monitoring if i get this tuck?

I have also heard that changing injector nozzles can help increase fuel economy but i think that would require a custom tune. any feelings about doing this?

Sorry if i'm getting repetitive, just getting excited about my prospect.

Thanks again!

[blackcloud2k]

There were some injector, and radiator issues with Job 1 trucks but for the most part those issues have been solved. If you look for a job 2 or newer truck you shouldnt have any issues. You probably wont have any issues with Job 1 trucks either though. My truck is a late Job 1 truck and I havent had a single issue with it. The biggest thing is getting an oasis report on what ever truck you find to see what has happened to the truck so you know what you have on your hands. I havent heard the injector nozzle thing, but you never know. If you delete the DPF, and tune the truck you will be amazed at the animal the truck will become. Most will see 2-3 mpg increases, but some trucks see more, some see less, you never know.

[banks7.3]

Originally Posted by blackcloud2k

There were some injector, and radiator issues with Job 1 trucks but for the most part those issues have been solved. If you look for a job 2 or newer truck you shouldnt have any issues. You probably wont have any issues with Job 1 trucks either though. My truck is a late Job 1 truck and I havent had a single issue with it. The biggest thing is getting an oasis report on what ever truck you find to see what has happened to the truck so you know what you have on your hands. I havent heard the injector nozzle thing, but you never know. If you delete the DPF, and tune the truck you will be amazed at the animal the truck will become. Most will see 2-3 mpg increases, but some trucks see more, some see less, you never know.

Sorry but what do you mean job 1 truck and job 2 truck

[swalker332]

What i have seen at my dealership is the P0088 code for hpfp, lifters coming apart, and 1 or 2 injectors over fueling and melting the pistons. those are the major problems that i have seen. plus ford came out with the "fix" with the new turbo oil feed line to save the turbos. and the newer coolant overflow tank to "fix" the radiator problem. just trying to give you a heads up.

[banks7.3]

Originally Posted by swalker332

What i have seen at my dealership is the P0088 code for hpfp, lifters coming apart, and 1 or 2 injectors over fueling and melting the pistons. those are the major problems that i have seen. plus ford came out with the "fix" with the new turbo oil feed line to save the turbos. and the newer coolant overflow tank to "fix" the radiator problem. just trying to give you a heads up.

If I take my 08 f450 in for service will the dealership do any of the things as a recall or whar

[swalker332]

im in nevada our state just passed a new law basically saying that if we find anything that is wrong with your vehicle that can be covered under warrenty we can fix it. we just have to ask the customer if its ok first. i did a hpfp today on a 08 f250 6.4 and after replacing that i found the high side turbo was stick and wasnt boosting all the way, i go to the ok to replace the highside turbo and replaced the oil feed tube with the new style for free for the customer. helps me make more money.