Ford 6.4 diesel reviews

fordmantpw · Jun 30, 2015

STx said:
I still like my 7.3, though I've seriously considered the 6.7. The 7.3 is in the shop right now for $4600 in repairs but it's all running gear (thrust washers, drive shaft issues, front axle, hub and brake problems) and it's got 270k on it so it's to be expected that this stuff will wear out. The engine itself, has not needed anything done to it yet. I'm still on the original injectors and glow plugs and I work the truck hard. It doesn't start unless it's got a load to move.

It's funny that you can buy a 6.0 or 6.4 for less money than a clean 2001 - 2003 7.3. That alone should tell you something about those engines. Yeah, the 6.0 can be reliable but, all things being equal, I'd take the 7.3 or 6.7 instead.

Around here, the 6.4 trucks hold their value extremely well, and you can't come close to buying a 7.3L for less than a 6.4L.

farm boy00 · Jun 30, 2015

Diamondpilot said:
In 2005 they redesigned the entire front end. They gained 18 degrees of steering by loosing the leaf springs for coils. The 06 I have now will turn around in about 2/3 the area my 04 F250 and my 05 Dmax would.

Chris

Are you for real about the turning?!?! That's just amazing turning radius. We have a 05 Dmax to with snow plow and it's great for Turning. Currently it's over 412,000miles

STx · Jun 30, 2015

farm boy00 said:
We have one too but right now it needs tranny work. Have you had problems with your tranny?? They usually go right about that miles i think

My tranny was good until 242k when something happened that literally ripped the transfer case in half. Whatever it was caused a crack in the transmission housing so we rebuilt it since it had to come apart anyway. I added a shift kit, a low stall heavy duty torque convertor and did some other hardening during the rebuild. I had hoped to be able to plan for the transmission replacement and get one from Brian's Truck Shop but the way it worked out, that wasn't possible.

If I were you, I'd either find a reputable local tranny shop to rebuild it or get a BTS tranny. The BTS was around $5k the lat time I looked but it also comes with a lifetime, unlimited mileage warranty. The 4R100 is actually a good transmission if hardened.

Diamondpilot · Jun 30, 2015

farm boy00 said:
Are you for real about the turning?!?! That's just amazing turning radius. We have a 05 Dmax to with snow plow and it's great for Turning. Currently it's over 412,000miles

Yes. That was the reason Ford did the redesign of the front end in 2005.

Chris

brown40 · Jul 1, 2015

There is a 'Ford Guy' on Youtube that has a bounty of information on the 7.3, 6.0, 6.4 and 6.7 diesels. I found him seeking 'oil pan replacement'--an issue on the 7.3 and 6.0 at the least. He mentioned the 6.4 has an incredible potential for power and some issues with the regen. He does the 'bulletproofing' mentioned on the motors and is easy to follow. It'd be worth a watch to find out what a guy who gets called to fix them has noted about them. What stuck with me on the 6.4 was how much and how easily he ?doubled? horsepower on the 6.4 and got near 1000 ft lbs of torque (memory may not be good--I just remembered being stunned!)
Powerstrokehelp is the channel. Good luck!

Soundguy · Jul 1, 2015

farm boy00 said:
Got one. Needs tranny work now......

i think i'd do the tranny work and not go to 6.4

I have a 6.0, it does pretty good.

have 2 7.3's a 350 and a 450. the 350 has started to drip trans fluid if parked nose down. so i park it back wheels off the driveway and no more leak. eventually i MAY fix it. If the leak never gets worse, 6$ of walmart atf will run it per year. It might just leak the rest of it's life ..

fordmantpw · Jul 1, 2015

brown40 said:
There is a 'Ford Guy' on Youtube that has a bounty of information on the 7.3, 6.0, 6.4 and 6.7 diesels. I found him seeking 'oil pan replacement'--an issue on the 7.3 and 6.0 at the least. He mentioned the 6.4 has an incredible potential for power and some issues with the regen. He does the 'bulletproofing' mentioned on the motors and is easy to follow. It'd be worth a watch to find out what a guy who gets called to fix them has noted about them. What stuck with me on the 6.4 was how much and how easily he ?doubled? horsepower on the 6.4 and got near 1000 ft lbs of torque (memory may not be good--I just remembered being stunned!)
Powerstrokehelp is the channel. Good luck!

The 6.4L has tons of potential if you delete the DPF, DOC, EGR and tune it. Removing all that stuff is much better for the engine too. Just don't get caught doing it...

Fordman1981 · Jul 1, 2015

dodge man said:
I agree, anything with DPF can be a problem. I know Dodge also has a interval for cleaning the EGR system. If I were shopping for a Dodge with a Cummins, I would stick with pre 6.7 engines or get the newer ones when they started with the DEF(2013?).

We have 2 2012 rams with the 6.7 in our fleet not one issue with either yet. One I drive and only has something over 40k the other is in the field more. 120k and no issues at all. We have a ram 5500 with the DEF no issues so far but it's a 2015 20k I think in it so far. My experience I wouldn't hesitate a bit recommending the 6.7 cummins.

Fordman1981 · Jul 1, 2015

fordmantpw said:
My '08 seems to regen about once every tank. It normally doesn't bother me, and I don't notice any power loss, but it always seems to happen at the most inopportune time. You know, like the last mile of a 200 mile trip when my next 20 trips are going to be short 3-milers. I'm sure that regen isn't good for the engine though. DEF started with the '11 model year (at least for Ford it did, I'm pretty sure the same for GM and Ram). Trucks with DEF seem to be much more reliable than pre-DEF trucks with DPF. Also, WNAFMA (we need a few more acronyms)

On ram DEF didn't start until 2013. Unless your talking cab and chassis. I think the CC started in 2011 with DEF on Ram.

STx · Jul 1, 2015

fordmantpw said:
The 6.4L has tons of potential if you delete the DPF, DOC, EGR and tune it. Removing all that stuff is much better for the engine too. Just don't get caught doing it...

I don't think removing it on a diesel is actually illegal, but I'm not certain. I know that we're required to get emissions testing in my County when we do our inspections but that only applies to gas engines. I'm running basically a straight pipe on my 7.3 and have no problems with Johnny Law or the vehicle inspections.