Looking at a 6.4 tomorrow and need help..

[CamdenDawg]

Hi Guys,
I am new to the Powerstroke and know little to nothing about them. Most of my driving is done without towing anything, but I do have a 9,500 lb trailer/trackhoe that needs to be pulled as well as a camper in the near future. The truck that I am going to see is a 2 wheel drive 6.4 diesel with 70k miles on it that is hopefully stock. The OASIS report showed an oil leak and radiator replacement in '09 and a PCM recalibration done last year through a Ford recall.
What do I need to look for on the truck that is specific to diesels? Is there a way to tell if it has been modified i.e. horsepower chips or similar things? Will the onboard computer tell me anything? My goal is to get a truck that can pull the 9,500 lb load comfortably, but still function as a daily driver. Don't need horsepower boosting chips, but would love to know how to increase fuel mileage.
Any help is appreciated. As of now, I don't know what questions to ask.
CamdenDawg

[Capt dong]

rad, pcm and oil leak is normal.

look at the exhaust if you want to see if its been modded. a lot of times you cant tell.

if you can hook up some gauges and run the truck if you want to see how well it runs. you want operating temps within spec.

check coolant for proper level and color.

[superduty6.4]

Originally Posted by CamdenDawg

Hi Guys,
I am new to the Powerstroke and know little to nothing about them. Most of my driving is done without towing anything, but I do have a 9,500 lb trailer/trackhoe that needs to be pulled as well as a camper in the near future. The truck that I am going to see is a 2 wheel drive 6.4 diesel with 70k miles on it that is hopefully stock. The OASIS report showed an oil leak and radiator replacement in '09 and a PCM recalibration done last year through a Ford recall.
What do I need to look for on the truck that is specific to diesels? Is there a way to tell if it has been modified i.e. horsepower chips or similar things? Will the onboard computer tell me anything? My goal is to get a truck that can pull the 9,500 lb load comfortably, but still function as a daily driver. Don't need horsepower boosting chips, but would love to know how to increase fuel mileage.
Any help is appreciated. As of now, I don't know what questions to ask.
CamdenDawg

One way to check if it has been tuned is to see if there is soot in the tailpipe. Also you could take a look at the dpf part of the exhaust and see if the bolts that connect the exhaust system components together look like they have been wrenched on however this might not tell a whole lot because the person could have had problems with the original dpf and had a new one installed. You could just ask the dealer and see if they will tell you. If you plan on leaving the emissions equipment on and using it around the town it will eventually cause you problems because the emissions system needs the truck to at least be highway driven to function properly. As for mileage gains I don't know what you could do for an improvement if you plan on leaving it stock. Most people see gains if they do a dpf delete which requires a programmer.

[CamdenDawg]

Don't really want to leave the emmision stuff on it if not necessary. As for a programmer, what can you realistically expect from a mileage tune? How difficult is it to remove the dpf and put on the programmer? What exactly does the dpf do? Told you I was new to this stuff.

[superduty6.4]

The dpf is just a part of the emissions system that allows the soot that is produced from a diesel engine to be burnt off in a regen process rather than it just coming out the tailpipe. I am not to sure if this sounds right but I really don't know of an easier way to explain it. It is fairly simple to take out. The programmers plug into the obd port and then you just follow the instructions from whichever programmer manufacturer you choose. Mileage claims seem to be pretty consistent between 10-20%. Some people claim more though while others see no improvement which I don't know how there can't be any improvement but I guess each truck is different.

[CamdenDawg]

What fuel mileage can I expect with one of these things? I realize that it's a 7k lb vehicle...10..14..17..20..??

[strokinpower]

I get 10-11 in town and 16-17 highway neither of which are while driving conservatively

[superduty6.4]

Originally Posted by CamdenDawg

What fuel mileage can I expect with one of these things? I realize that it's a 7k lb vehicle...10..14..17..20..??

It is tough to say. I guess in stock form people on average from what i have seen get 15 or so. Deleted and tuned average might be 16-18 maybe. These would of course be all highway. It all depends on how close to the speed limit you drive. Around town I wouldn't expect anything spectacular. Some people claim consistently more. I have gotten more but that was when I had stock size tires and drove a little slower.

[Arco3580]

On the mileage, my '10 ran 14 mixed driving and 16 hwy. Once I tuned it I regularly get 17 mixed and 19 to 20 on the hwy out of 3.55 gears and 34" stock tires. The higher number is keeping it under 65 or 1700 rpm, which I rarely do. These numbers are hand calculated with the fuel always filled to the neck of the cap. Go with a good tune, enjoy the power and save your engine.

2010 F-250 4x4 Lariat CC LB 11,500 GVWR, RCD 450 rwhp tune

[Moto2four]

Originally Posted by CamdenDawg

What fuel mileage can I expect with one of these things? I realize that it's a 7k lb vehicle...10..14..17..20..??

In town I see maybe 1-2 mpg improvement. On the hwy and when towing is where I noticed the biggest difference. Hwy I get 18 hand calc with the cruise set at 65 unloaded.