Forum Discussion

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
  • ricatic's avatar
    ricatic
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2014
    45Ricochet wrote:
    Wow the F150 is considered a "Superduty" also :H Cause it accounts for roughly 40-50% of Ford truck sales. Don't get us going " full member " :B
    OBTW McDonald's must have the best hamburger also :B Couldn't resist guys


    ...now you have done it...but one has to admit that the blue koolaid is some powerful stuff

    Regards
  • 45Ricochet's avatar
    45Ricochet
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2014
    Wow the F150 is considered a "Superduty" also :H Cause it accounts for roughly 40-50% of Ford truck sales. Don't get us going " full member " :B
    OBTW McDonald's must have the best hamburger also :B Couldn't resist guys
  • Turtle_n_Peeps's avatar
    Turtle_n_Peeps
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2014
    Engineer9860 wrote:
    Low sales numbers by GM, and Ram is the reason the 6.4L PSD blew up in my company truck at 120,000mi.

    Got it. I knew there had to be a reason other than the engine is just plain old junk.


    ROTFLMAO, todouble, funny those high sales numbers didn't hurt the 7.3's rep much? Out of a trillion or so of those sold, almost everybody say's it's the best diesel engine ever put in a LD Ford truck.

    But then again, maybe it's because it REALLY was a good engine? :R
  • Engineer9860's avatar
    Engineer9860
    Explorer
    Jan 26, 2014
    Low sales numbers by GM, and Ram is the reason the 6.4L PSD blew up in my company truck at 120,000mi.

    Got it. I knew there had to be a reason other than the engine is just plain old junk.
  • todouble's avatar
    todouble
    Explorer
    Jan 25, 2014
    All you ever hear about in the forums is negative opinions or problems with there trucks. But thats what these forums do is give people advice and steer them in the right direction. Most of the time you will never hear about all the trucks that are out there problem free and there owners love em. Me being one of them! Yes my only gripe is the poor fuel mileage but i knew this before buying and i dont drive it enough to care. It was bought to pull the fiver and thats what it does. Plain and simple. Not to mention the amount of ford diesels on the road compared to the other two major brands is not even a comparison. Superduty sales blow the rest out of the water so that adds to the number of problems out there.
  • Winged_One's avatar
    Winged_One
    Explorer
    Jan 21, 2014
    I had an 08 6.4 that I bought used at about 60k miles. Pulled the Brookstone with it and it was fine. I did add Hypertech Econ that helped with additional power.

    I went to a dually and decided to go new, so the switch to the 6.7.

    I wonder how many people think they have a regen problem when it's really a bad injector. Mine would blow big smoke and have no power. With the Hypertech I pulled a code (no "check engine" light came on) and found a bad injector. 100% covered by Ford. And no other problems after that.
  • Cummins12V98's avatar
    Cummins12V98
    Explorer III
    Jan 19, 2014
    Jarlaxle wrote:
    Cummins12V98 wrote:
    Ask your self why did ford part ways with International?

    If you are a Blue Oval guy stick with a gasser.


    The 6.doh!


    AND the 6.4
  • Jarlaxle's avatar
    Jarlaxle
    Explorer II
    Jan 19, 2014
    6.7 tow rig wrote:
    Here was my experience in 35,000 miles with my 08 6.4. Several injectors needed to be replaced, one of which leaked and overfilled the crankcase with diesel fuel. Two radiators replaced in under 10k miles. A rear main seal at 20k miles and a rear bed plate at 35k miles which required the cab of the truck to come off. That was the end of that. I traded it for a Cummins.

    The fuel mileage towing our 10k lbs TT was about 7.5-8.5 no better. That coupled with the warranty about to expire and the cost of cab off repairs in the future I just couldn't see keeping it.

    Anyone looking at a used 6.4 out of warranty must truly consider how much those things cost to fix out of warranty.


    Anyone looking at ANY post-2003 Ford diesel out of warranty probably should have his head examined!
  • Jarlaxle's avatar
    Jarlaxle
    Explorer II
    Jan 19, 2014
    Cummins12V98 wrote:
    Ask your self why did ford part ways with International?

    If you are a Blue Oval guy stick with a gasser.


    The 6.doh!
  • kw_00's avatar
    kw_00
    Explorer
    Jan 18, 2014
    Can't speak much about fuel issues, but at work we use fords both the 6.0 and 6.4. The 6.4 have given us regen issues, radiator issues, and the front engine cover tends to leak or crack and coolant and oil mix. Along that note these trucks are ambulances so they see much heavy use.

About Travel Trailer Group

44,029 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 21, 2025