Been looking at powerstrokes in my area, seems like the only thing around me is ridiculously expensive 6.7s or 6.4s. Are 6.4s that bad? I don't really beat on my trucks and have been known to drive like an old man. Really kind of want to stay in a Ford.
HerpDerp1919
That was kinda a joke. Kinda.
6.4s (IMHO) are really complicated, short run trucks. With a simple tune change, you can have a screamer. Maybe the most fun truck ever. But... If you have a bad one, it will rule your world.
6.4s are like your back. If you don't have back problems, you don't even know that you have a back. But, if you do have back problems, you cannot think of anything else.
I have a 6.0. There is very little than can go wrong on a 6.0 that a motivated person with a good set of tools and a case of beer can't handle. The 6.4 is different. You have to start thinking about jacking up the body to pop the turbos and a fuel system that can need complete replacement. ...and pistons. ...and rear exhaust manifold bolts. Crap that people shouldn't have to think about.
I am not going to tell you to swear off. But.. if you are shopping for a 6.4... try to find one that the person is selling for some reason *other* than it being forged in Satan's caster. Then, delete it and treat it like your most favorite girlfriend. Ever.
...or it will treat you like your worst girlfriend ever.
6.4s (IMHO) are really complicated, short run trucks. With a simple tune change, you can have a screamer. Maybe the most fun truck ever. But... If you have a bad one, it will rule your world.
6.4s are like your back. If you don't have back problems, you don't even know that you have a back. But, if you do have back problems, you cannot think of anything else.
I have a 6.0. There is very little than can go wrong on a 6.0 that a motivated person with a good set of tools and a case of beer can't handle. The 6.4 is different. You have to start thinking about jacking up the body to pop the turbos and a fuel system that can need complete replacement. ...and pistons. ...and rear exhaust manifold bolts. Crap that people shouldn't have to think about.
I am not going to tell you to swear off. But.. if you are shopping for a 6.4... try to find one that the person is selling for some reason *other* than it being forged in Satan's caster. Then, delete it and treat it like your most favorite girlfriend. Ever.
...or it will treat you like your worst girlfriend ever.
The problem is not that it is the worst idea. ...but, it could be.
All that I am saying is be careful. A 6.4 (again, IMHO) is like lotto - except that you win if you break even. I am sure that there are tons of 6.4s rolling around with no issues. What I am also sure of is that they are meticulously maintained. The trick is getting one of those.
I passed a 6.4 on the road not long ago. It had a decal on the back window that said "6.4L" superimposed on a grenade. Think about that. Someone not only went to the trouble to buy that decal and put it on their truck - but someone else actually went to the trouble of designing the decal and marketing it. That shows initiative, in my book.
So... just aim for a good one. Balance repair history and miles and cost. That's all that I am trying to say.
All that I am saying is be careful. A 6.4 (again, IMHO) is like lotto - except that you win if you break even. I am sure that there are tons of 6.4s rolling around with no issues. What I am also sure of is that they are meticulously maintained. The trick is getting one of those.
I passed a 6.4 on the road not long ago. It had a decal on the back window that said "6.4L" superimposed on a grenade. Think about that. Someone not only went to the trouble to buy that decal and put it on their truck - but someone else actually went to the trouble of designing the decal and marketing it. That shows initiative, in my book.
So... just aim for a good one. Balance repair history and miles and cost. That's all that I am trying to say.
Ditto to that @djmaguire. Two of my best friends that pull fifthwheels had 6.0’s and told me to get rid of my tundra so I can upgrade my trailer to a fifth wheel. The buddy with the 6.0, sold his truck and found a one owner 6.4 that the guy used for long hauling. Fully *****ed. Titan ~75/80 gallon transfer tank in bed, beautiful truck. Zero issues over the last year.
The other buddy of mine found a 2011 6.7 in Texas, 100k miles on it, flew out, drove it home to VA and has had issue after issue, BUT, he’s a mechanic and can fix it all without breaking the bank. I knew a guy at work that was selling his 6.4 dually. He owned it from day 1. Only had 33k miles on it when I bought it 2 years ago. He only drove it to pull his racing boat and small fifth wheel camper. Both my buddies went with me to check it out. We drained some fuel from the water separator, checked the oil, drove the snot out of it for about a half hour. I bought it and within 6 months, the truck lost some “dead weight”. Knock on wood, I’ve had Zero issues with it. We all value the trucks and don’t “hotrod” them when some teenager gets next to us with their Duramax or Cummins. We know what our tuned trucks can do. We also don’t want to spend money when we don’t “need to”.
Look the truck over, take it to a diesel mechanic or even a Ford dealer ( that you trust) to check it out. I took mine to a dealer and the mechanic said that he’s never seen a truck like mine in that great of condition and for what I paid, I stole it.
Mind you both my buddies are mechanics and if something doesn’t sound right, they will tell me and we all look into it.
In short, do your homework.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The other buddy of mine found a 2011 6.7 in Texas, 100k miles on it, flew out, drove it home to VA and has had issue after issue, BUT, he’s a mechanic and can fix it all without breaking the bank. I knew a guy at work that was selling his 6.4 dually. He owned it from day 1. Only had 33k miles on it when I bought it 2 years ago. He only drove it to pull his racing boat and small fifth wheel camper. Both my buddies went with me to check it out. We drained some fuel from the water separator, checked the oil, drove the snot out of it for about a half hour. I bought it and within 6 months, the truck lost some “dead weight”. Knock on wood, I’ve had Zero issues with it. We all value the trucks and don’t “hotrod” them when some teenager gets next to us with their Duramax or Cummins. We know what our tuned trucks can do. We also don’t want to spend money when we don’t “need to”.
Look the truck over, take it to a diesel mechanic or even a Ford dealer ( that you trust) to check it out. I took mine to a dealer and the mechanic said that he’s never seen a truck like mine in that great of condition and for what I paid, I stole it.
Mind you both my buddies are mechanics and if something doesn’t sound right, they will tell me and we all look into it.
In short, do your homework.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It comes down to price really. Both the 6.0 and 6.4's have been typically problematic in ABSOLUTE stock form. Again, generally speaking.
But...if you can score a great deal, know and completely understand to be ready for major repairs. That being said, these 2 engine platforms have been around plenty long enough that their are ALOT of great shops out there to make them very reliable. So at the end of the day, you can be all in on a nice reliable 6.0 6.4 truck for well under the out the door price of a much newer truck.
www.cncfab.us
But...if you can score a great deal, know and completely understand to be ready for major repairs. That being said, these 2 engine platforms have been around plenty long enough that their are ALOT of great shops out there to make them very reliable. So at the end of the day, you can be all in on a nice reliable 6.0 6.4 truck for well under the out the door price of a much newer truck.
www.cncfab.us
6.4's can be bad, but also like a lot of others have said can be very good. I currently own 3 of them, all deleted, all with different miles and all different years. Have they been perfect trucks? No, not at all. To me its the usual small stuff on them after the deletes such as radiators, updated parts, alternators, thermostats and a few minor things here and there.
Can a 6.4 be a complete catastrophic failure...absolutely! I work on, service and do performance upgrades to all year Powerstroke's and I choose to drive 6.4's. Even with giving them a good beating every once in a while...sometimes more than that they have held up well with minor issues. Biggest was 2 of them needed radiators, while at it replaced all the hoses and thermostats while it was all apart.
There is still a lot of serviceable parts for the common person with a set of hand tools and some common knowledge can fix on these trucks. The parts tend to be a little more expensive compared to the 6.0's, but the same time the aftermarket has a great selection of parts to bring your truck back and better than before.
Can a 6.4 be a complete catastrophic failure...absolutely! I work on, service and do performance upgrades to all year Powerstroke's and I choose to drive 6.4's. Even with giving them a good beating every once in a while...sometimes more than that they have held up well with minor issues. Biggest was 2 of them needed radiators, while at it replaced all the hoses and thermostats while it was all apart.
There is still a lot of serviceable parts for the common person with a set of hand tools and some common knowledge can fix on these trucks. The parts tend to be a little more expensive compared to the 6.0's, but the same time the aftermarket has a great selection of parts to bring your truck back and better than before.
I owned a 2008 6.4 for about 95,000 miles. I bought it used with 9,500 miles and sold it with around 104,000. Tuned and weight loss at 10,000 miles.
Headgaskets popped around 42k miles, had it studded at a shop.
Cracked an up pipe and had to have that fixed at the shop.
It ate radiators left and right. Put probably 7 rads in it. Finally think that was fixed with the latest mishimoto rad and the support bar. There were no rad issues when I sold it.
That's the only major things and it was still a great truck when I sold it. It ran awesome, was fast, comfortable, tons of usable power for daily driving. It never got over 15 mpgs and averaged around 13. So the mileage was bad but that's relative.
I upgraded to a 2014 6.7 and it is awesome too.
6.7s have been out since 2011 and they should be getting easier to find and afford now. If I were you I'd not even consider a 6.4 just because 6.7s are so much better engineered.
Ford engineered the downfalls of the 6.4s and 6.0s out of the 6.7s. Anything from the proper amount of head bolts, bigger better lifters, oiling system for the top of the valve train, etc....
You can leave a 6.7 stock and have good sense of reliability.
You may be able to find a 6.7 in your budget. You can definitely find a good deal on a 6.4. The market for them is in the buyers favor b/c of their reputations. A 6.4 won't have much resale value if you're looking down the road or ever selling it or trading it in.
If you get a 6.4, look for one owner, stock, low miles, and well maintained.
Headgaskets popped around 42k miles, had it studded at a shop.
Cracked an up pipe and had to have that fixed at the shop.
It ate radiators left and right. Put probably 7 rads in it. Finally think that was fixed with the latest mishimoto rad and the support bar. There were no rad issues when I sold it.
That's the only major things and it was still a great truck when I sold it. It ran awesome, was fast, comfortable, tons of usable power for daily driving. It never got over 15 mpgs and averaged around 13. So the mileage was bad but that's relative.
I upgraded to a 2014 6.7 and it is awesome too.
6.7s have been out since 2011 and they should be getting easier to find and afford now. If I were you I'd not even consider a 6.4 just because 6.7s are so much better engineered.
Ford engineered the downfalls of the 6.4s and 6.0s out of the 6.7s. Anything from the proper amount of head bolts, bigger better lifters, oiling system for the top of the valve train, etc....
You can leave a 6.7 stock and have good sense of reliability.
You may be able to find a 6.7 in your budget. You can definitely find a good deal on a 6.4. The market for them is in the buyers favor b/c of their reputations. A 6.4 won't have much resale value if you're looking down the road or ever selling it or trading it in.
If you get a 6.4, look for one owner, stock, low miles, and well maintained.
i'd love to own a 6.4. favorite body style by far, up until the
new refresh. having to take a cab off to do a routine performance
upgrade is silly to me. and the engine's perception of being a
throw away scares meh
new refresh. having to take a cab off to do a routine performance
upgrade is silly to me. and the engine's perception of being a
throw away scares meh
Well, the EPA requirements resulted in some poor engineering in the 6.4L.
As said before there are lots of knowledge on what needs to be done to have a good power system (assuming you are OK with setting up a 2006 like setup with is contrary to ....)
Problems to be solved.
Ten head bolts are troubling, studs need to be replaced with ones that can take the pressure.
The water pump is in an aluminum housing which means the cooling system needs to be in perfect condition to ensure there aren't any small leaks that will cause cavitation that will removed the aluminum in the timing cover resulting in antifreeze in the oil sump.
The fuel washes into the oil sump due to the dpf cleaning step (this is a well known engine killer, it damages the top end, turbos, and to some extent the bottom end of the motor).
EGR coolers can develop a leak, not that common but when this occurs the exhaust gas will enter the cooling system.
If you set aside 10-12K you can rework the power system, and obtain a good result. If you tune to race you can damage any power system, bullet proof or not.
As said before there are lots of knowledge on what needs to be done to have a good power system (assuming you are OK with setting up a 2006 like setup with is contrary to ....)
Problems to be solved.
Ten head bolts are troubling, studs need to be replaced with ones that can take the pressure.
The water pump is in an aluminum housing which means the cooling system needs to be in perfect condition to ensure there aren't any small leaks that will cause cavitation that will removed the aluminum in the timing cover resulting in antifreeze in the oil sump.
The fuel washes into the oil sump due to the dpf cleaning step (this is a well known engine killer, it damages the top end, turbos, and to some extent the bottom end of the motor).
EGR coolers can develop a leak, not that common but when this occurs the exhaust gas will enter the cooling system.
If you set aside 10-12K you can rework the power system, and obtain a good result. If you tune to race you can damage any power system, bullet proof or not.
I have an '08, one owner with 180,000. 100% stock. Began getting the fuel pressure code late last summer. Have changed oil religiously @ 3,000 and fuel filters at 7,500.
Tried all the simple remedies for the FP to no avail have been making plans to go in "deep":
HPFP
BPD Oil Cooler System
Head Studs
Turbo(s) rebuild
EGR delete
DPF delete
Up-pipes
Tuner
IC boots
V belt
Fan Clutch
Water-pump
Thermostat
Radiator
Updated core support
While apart have a valve job done
My thinking is that would remedy most (hopefully all)the 6.4 Achilles heels.
I'd welcome opinions.
Tried all the simple remedies for the FP to no avail have been making plans to go in "deep":
HPFP
BPD Oil Cooler System
Head Studs
Turbo(s) rebuild
EGR delete
DPF delete
Up-pipes
Tuner
IC boots
V belt
Fan Clutch
Water-pump
Thermostat
Radiator
Updated core support
While apart have a valve job done
My thinking is that would remedy most (hopefully all)the 6.4 Achilles heels.
I'd welcome opinions.
I think diesels in general are ridiculously expensive, but WELL worth the extra price.
In my case stepping up from a practical four cylinder car to a truck that can haul a larger trailer, I was shocked at how much it cost. IMOH the cheapest part of ANY diesel, regardless of the model, will be the purchase price. The extra costs are repairs, which will happen, more gas, more expensive oil changes, mods, tunes, etc... To me its six of one or half a dozen of the other, but my goal is to drive a 4WD off road and haul an 11k trailer, so what is right for me is the 6.0. If I got a newer truck, with $1100 per month payments, it would never leave the pavement and that's no fun.
In my case stepping up from a practical four cylinder car to a truck that can haul a larger trailer, I was shocked at how much it cost. IMOH the cheapest part of ANY diesel, regardless of the model, will be the purchase price. The extra costs are repairs, which will happen, more gas, more expensive oil changes, mods, tunes, etc... To me its six of one or half a dozen of the other, but my goal is to drive a 4WD off road and haul an 11k trailer, so what is right for me is the 6.0. If I got a newer truck, with $1100 per month payments, it would never leave the pavement and that's no fun.
What is the concern with 6.4 pistons with stock / semi stock tunes?
When I did my the same to my 6.0 a few months back the cylinders still had the original cross hatching, sealed up perfect.
When I did my the same to my 6.0 a few months back the cylinders still had the original cross hatching, sealed up perfect.
I’m glad to see this post and would love to add to it.
My friend is selling his single owner 2010 F450. 69,000 miles. Miticulously maintained. He’s added a secondary oil filter... I’d have to get the exact model of what he put on. It goes under the bed of the truck.
He even sends off the oil for analysis after oil changes. That’s just how he is. So I feel comfortable in the maintanence he’s done. I can also get a complete list of stuff that he has done. It has been deleted and tuned for pulling. I know he hasn’t driven it hard or raced it.
I posted on a diesel forum about this truck and no one gave any positive feedback. Every single reply was to leave the truck alone and walk away from it.
So I feel better seeing these replies. I’m interested in the truck and can buy it for $28,000. It’s lariat. Not that it matters to me.
My friend is selling his single owner 2010 F450. 69,000 miles. Miticulously maintained. He’s added a secondary oil filter... I’d have to get the exact model of what he put on. It goes under the bed of the truck.
He even sends off the oil for analysis after oil changes. That’s just how he is. So I feel comfortable in the maintanence he’s done. I can also get a complete list of stuff that he has done. It has been deleted and tuned for pulling. I know he hasn’t driven it hard or raced it.
I posted on a diesel forum about this truck and no one gave any positive feedback. Every single reply was to leave the truck alone and walk away from it.
So I feel better seeing these replies. I’m interested in the truck and can buy it for $28,000. It’s lariat. Not that it matters to me.
I’m getting an exact list of what has been done to the truck. I also currently drive a 2015 6.7... I’ve have had many people tell me I will be taking a step back by going to the 6.4. But my wife will drive the 2015 F250 and I would be driving this potential F450.
What else should I find out other than what has been done to the truck? I’ll find out and post it here. And then if anything else is needed once I get the truck I’ll have it done. If there are things to help bulletproof it.
What else should I find out other than what has been done to the truck? I’ll find out and post it here. And then if anything else is needed once I get the truck I’ll have it done. If there are things to help bulletproof it.
F450 you say? Well that will likely be better for you too. The stock F450 was setup by Ford for full time work. In doing so the engine is more reliable if it was used as a F250/350.
As to the negative comments: I would take it this way, the stock engine needs changes in order to meet what most user's expectations for longevity. The good news is just like the 6.0L there are many years of design change knowledge when implemented have provided many happy owners.
The bottom line for me is if you revert the 6.4L to a 6.0L configuration with all the changes you have a great engine. If you factor in fuel economy and compare it to stock engines of any size you will be very happy. I found a couple of improvements worth noting: 1) the engine sound is lower with the egr coolers removed, 2) the fuel economy jumped up to over 20/15 mpg in highway/towing (previous mileage 15/11), and 3) replacing the turbos show how the stock configuration miles have lessened engine parts effectiveness.
As to the negative comments: I would take it this way, the stock engine needs changes in order to meet what most user's expectations for longevity. The good news is just like the 6.0L there are many years of design change knowledge when implemented have provided many happy owners.
The bottom line for me is if you revert the 6.4L to a 6.0L configuration with all the changes you have a great engine. If you factor in fuel economy and compare it to stock engines of any size you will be very happy. I found a couple of improvements worth noting: 1) the engine sound is lower with the egr coolers removed, 2) the fuel economy jumped up to over 20/15 mpg in highway/towing (previous mileage 15/11), and 3) replacing the turbos show how the stock configuration miles have lessened engine parts effectiveness.
I had a 2006 6.0 that was a virgin and sold it with 55k miles on it. I WISH I NEVER WOULD HAVE! I thought I was upgrading to a better truck when I bought a 6.4 with 130K and didn't have any work done to it. I have Powerstroke, Duramax, and Cummins, friends and every single one of them told me to delete the EGR and DPF then at a minimum put a 4" single muffler exhaust on the truck if not you will blow the motor. Well I waited 20K miles too late. Now I'm upside down $20K on a truck I only had for a year and dumping another $11k to put a used motor in. If I've learned anything it is when the guys on this forum tell you to do the delete DO IT NOW otherwise you are going to end up just like me and dropping triple the cost of a basic delete just to have a running truck.
hello all, some of this talk is a bit scary. i just bought an 08 e350. while it runs well and has had engine work done it does have a check eng code for low turbo voltage. i purchased it as a driver until my 7.3 e350 camper conversion comes together, i am looking for a tech to service in the chicago area. i am thinking someone handling fleet vehicles will have more exposure to these animals. as i expect to drive for at least one travel season i am thinking a tuner would pay for itself in saved fuel and code monitoring. thanks
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