Experience/Opinion of 6.4L Powerstroke

[rowekmr]

It's about time that I move into a truck for 5th wheel/GN capabilities so since I am a Ford man who is familiar and used to Ford engines (and their issues) I am looking at the 6.4L and wanted to hear from those who have owned/driven them.

I do read that they had issues with radiators, and either EGR or oil coolers but hadn't heard much else engine wise. I also heard they get poor fuel economy due to regeneration but that is something that can be addressed through deletes and tunes right?

I tried a search for 6.4L but it had no results and a search of "powerstroke" produced 16 pages of results I browsed the first 8 but it was all about either the 7.3L, 6.0L or 6.7L.

Thanks

[W4RLR]

I have a 2008 F-250, it now has 208,000 miles. One previous owner who commuted between his business in Indiana and his fishing boat in Florida. Didn't know that the truck had a DPF delete until three months after I bought it, but I'm not complaining. I get upwards of 17 mpg when not towing and 12 mpg when towing my fiver. Rock solid, no squeaks or rattles. I'm happy with mine, it replaced a 2005 F-250 with a 6.0 that got totaled in a wreck on a mountain road.

[rowekmr]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their posts. I'm still looking and trying to keep an open mind. This truck will do a lot of work so the reliability will be an important factor. I had driven a new 6.7L and was impressed with its power but the sticker price disappointed me. The 6.0L's that I am coming from had known weaknesses and issues that I addressed but I wanted a newer chassis (08+).

[StClairDean]

I have a 2009 6.4 that I bought new. Three years ago I did the dpf delete with a tune and my mileage went up almost 25%. The diesel tech at my Ford dealer actually recommended I do the delete/tune to improve fuel mileage and towing performance. The cost of the work was recovered in less than two years in fuel savings. I have no regrets doing the work, but I would add it's not for everybody as there are downsides. There are more and more jurisdictions that are strictly enforcing EPA laws which will make these modifications prohibitive. Unless you know you are keeping the truck a long time, hold off on the mods until you do (selling a "tuned" truck can be very difficult). Do some research on the tuning sites, Spartan, Bullydog, H&S etc and learn from users.
I baby my truck. Never abuse it and regularly maintain it. The 6.4 has never given me any issues and has performed flawlessly for me.
Best of luck.

[jerem0621]

6.4 Radiator Mystery Solved

[2014screw]

I had both. Liked the 6.4 LOVED the 6.7

Bigger, stronger,faster 🙂

Better mileage by far. If you have a choice, go with the 6.7

[CampingN_C_]

They designed the cabs to come off easier if that tells you anything.

[Bamaman11]

The 6.4 engine was the first to have the diesel particulate filter (DPF) that would inject diesel from time to time into the catalytic converter to burn out the exhaust. You just need to be careful not to be in a hay field when it regenerates at 1000 degrees.

The 6.4 was a strong and somewhat quiet engine. The only real problem with it was the fuel mileage. The newer generation 6.7 liter Ford built engine gets better fuel mileage, and is even stronger.

[Winged_One]

We had a 2008 6.4. I had an issue with the number 8 injector failure. The truck had 58k miles on it and was 4 years old at the time. Ford fixed it for free. Normal warranty work.

It pulled well enough. The 6.7 is stronger, but the 6.4 was still very good.

Replaced it only because the trailer was too heavy for a SRW.

[dahkota]

We had a 2008. Sold it at 100K miles but only because we bought a class A. Towed a 9K lb. tt with ease. We did the DPF delete at about 60K miles and our mileage went from 10-12 mgp towing to 12-15 mpg towing. Early on we did have a problem with it 'making' oil (diesel in the oil due to regen) but the DPF delete fixed that. We never had a radiator problem or any other problem except the 'making' oil problem. The current owner has put 12K miles on it and loves it.

[jrp]

My '08 6.4L has 60,000 miles and very few issues. I've been happy with it as a tow vehicle. when towing it does go into regen cycle 3 times as much as when not towing. I get about 10 mpg towing, 15 mpg when not. I had a sticking EGR valve replaced under the 5 yr warranty, and a leaking old style rad hose replaced.

[Softballdad]

I've got 109k on mine. The only problems I've experianced is two radiators and the fuel mileage isn't the best empty. Towing 14.9k I get around 9.5-10.5 mpg depending on terrain.

[FishOnOne]

Experience: 0

Opinion: Pass on the 6.4 PowerStroke. My cousin a Ford diesel tech (Now wrenches on cummins/RAMs) shared enough stories.

Recommendation: Go with a 6.7 PowerStroke

[Colo_Native]

I had a Ford salesmen tell me get a 2011 and newer much better engine.

[Targa]

Work truck is a 09' 6.4. 89,000 on it, pages and pages of service orders has my Ford service tech declaring what a piece of junk it is.