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jhamlin's avatar
jhamlin
Explorer
Jan 16, 2014

Are Ford 6.4 Diesels really all that bad??

Inviting comments from any & all current owners of Ford 6.4 diesels used for towing. I'm currently in the market for a used 1-ton diesel for towing a Big Horn 3400, and have observed many negative reports on the 6.4 in this forum. Not disputing anyone's negative experiences, but I realize there may be 50 good experiences to one really bad one - usually only the negative ones get reported. Makes sense - people with bad experiences naturally need to vent. Case in point, I was in the market for a van to be used in the expediting business years ago. I saw countless forum reports on Dodge/Mercedes Sprinters that were extremely negative, but went ahead and bought a used 2007 anyway. Today I have over 475K on this van and its still running strong (there are countless Sprinters out there with over 600K on 'em). I'm trying to put things in perspective, and not ruling out any of the big-3 at this point.

PS: Plenty of negative reports out there on Dodge Rams & Silverado's as well.
Tow Vehicles

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  • Paul_Clancy's avatar
    Paul_Clancy
    Explorer
    Jan 16, 2014
    Get an oasis report from the ford dealer to know if it has been a problem truck
  • Skid_Row_Joe's avatar
    Skid_Row_Joe
    Explorer
    Jan 16, 2014
    I'm a Ford diesel man, and I would not hesitate to buy either a 6.4 or a 6.7. I have full faith in my Ford 7.3 diesel I've owned for over 10 years now.
  • hedge's avatar
    hedge
    Explorer
    Jan 16, 2014
    I owned one (09), had no problems over 50K (km) but It was pretty hard on fuel. That was my reason for updating to the 6.7
  • jerem0621's avatar
    jerem0621
    Explorer II
    Jan 16, 2014
    The 6.4 has a reputation of three things

    1) eating radiators
    2) V10 ish mpg
    3) pretty dramatic regen cycles (seems hit or miss, some report significant de-powering, others not)

    But I do not own one so I would not know first hand
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    Jan 16, 2014
    I'm not a "Ford" man, but be it said, if this is the vehicle you're considering, go ahead and get it. Like you said, the bad reports are the ones that get noticed and the good things are never mentioned. So if you really want this vehicle, go for it. It might be one of the good ones, and it might be one of the "problemed" ones. For all the ramping and raving how great they are, if you get the ONE bad one, all those good reports won't matter anyway. Go with your 'gut' feeling, examine the vehicle, test drive it, have your mechanic inspect it, look up it's history on Car Fax or something like that, ..... (and then buy a chevy!) :)

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