Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Ford 6.4 Diesel

Yes or no?

Daily runner - no.

Hauling, towing, ranching, construction, knowing a decent inexpensive diesel mechanic (applies to all the auto manufacturers, not just Ford)? - yes.

A YUGE no..

no. Never again......

Why? What is your use?

Don't forget owning a lOT of Exxon stock..

Thirsty bastids - those...

Nope, 6.4 has been bad for everyone I know with one. The 6.7L on 2012 and newer seems to be doing much better. (I hope)!

I wouldn't own anything newer than a 7.3L Ford, 5.9L Dodge, or pre-07 duramax if I had to drive it every day.

I had an '06 6.0L Ford that I had to replace the FICM and an exhaust pressure sensor @ ~90K.

Current '11 6.7L Ford got a new radiator @ ~80K under warrantee. Also got a new EGR valve under warrantee a few weeks ago @ ~98K. The EGR threw a code that quickly cleared on it's own, they couldn't replicate it but the local shop's service dept. is tip-top IMO and pushed through the EGR replacement.

Neither of my diesels have been daily drivers. I use them to pull my boat in the spring/summer and for hunting/ice fishing fall/winter. Occasionally we use the truck as the "family truckster" on long trips because of the extra room. They don't get short trips or stop/go driving of in town. Short trips that don't get things up to proper operating temps are the real achilles heel of all the new diesel's from every manufacturer. 6.7 or 3.0L Ram, 6.7L Ford, 6.6L GM, or 5.0L Nissan all have that same issue of needing to get up to temp or the very complex exhaust systems fail one piece/part at a time.

I don't think the low sulphur enviro friendly diesel gas at the pump has been helping matters any either.

I'm in the market for a used truck too. Living in an emission testing area pretty much eliminated the 6.4 from consideration due to the inability to remove the DPF and EGR system. These systems choke the 6.4 in many ways, including that DPF regen that causes horrible fuel mileage and absurd levels of fuel dilution of the oil.

Call me crazy, but I'm looking at some 2006-2007 6.0 trucks. Once the trifecta of the coolant/EGR cooler/oil cooler is taken care of, these are pretty solid but that's a $3000 bill right there. The Cummins common rail engines are supposed to be good, but not the Dodge auto transmissions they are hooked too. 06-07 Duramax might be the best engine/transmission combo, but with a sticker price 10k more than a used 6.0. Seems with any of the big three diesels, you pay your money and take your chances.

At an old employer, we had a chance to quote on making the 6.4's engine oil cooler, but our engineering group looked at it and wanted nothing to do with it; they felt it was a marginal situation. They didn't have enough room for the cooler, to sufficiently cool the oil.

I think Ford was pushing International to increase power while still meeting the emissions, with a smaller engine than the 7.3's. International being a somewhat quirky, conservative company, I think Ford probably pushed them out of their envelope. Probably why Ford now makes their own Powerstroke motor.

fixing to have a 5 inch strait pipe but on my 97 12 valve, no more muffler.

Not crazy at all. The 6.0 isn't a terrible engine and can be a darned good one with a few mods. I'd definitely skip the '03 and early '04 models though, as they have a crappy HPOP pump and other issues. The '05-'07 gets most of the factory upgrades on the engine, as well as the Dana 60 front axle with coil springs. The '06 and '07 are the most desireable.

It depends on the owner, too. If you have access to a shop that can do the upgrades for a good price and you figure it into the cost of the truck you will be in good shape. If you can do your own work they are even better/cheaper. The key is monitoring the 6.0 and knowing what to look for. Their achilles heel is the oil cooler that plugs up, overheating the EGR cooler which then ruptures and pumps coolant into the engine which blows head gaskets. If you watch your engine coolant temp. to engine oil temp. differential you can prevent that from happening. Flushing the cooling system, changing to ELC coolant, and deleting the EGR cooler can save a lot of trouble. At some point one should consider replacing the TTY head bolts with ARP studs, but it isn't necessary unless there is an issue or you're going to add big power.

The 6.0 gave a lot of folks heartburn when they came out, and for good reason. But they have been out long enough that the issues (and root issues) are known. There are plenty of folks making parts and fixes for them and the parts prices have come down quite a bit. They are a bit unusual so understanding how the HPOP and injectors work, as well as the FICM, can make ownership easier. Monitoring is really the key on the 6.0.

None of the trucks from that era are perfect. The Dodge has a great motor (but not perfect, just check into the folks who have washed out the #6 cylinder), but you have to deal with a small cab on the 4 doors and their crappy auto transmission. That's before you even start throwing money at the front end. The GM might be the best of the 3, but you have to be OK with the IFS on the front and the less-than-great clearance. They also have their own set of things to watch for and injectors cost as much or more than the Powerstroke.

The biggest consideration may be the price. That generation of Cummins and Duramax have kind of a 'holy grail' status so they demand a premium price. Last I looked the GM and Dodge were around $8K more than a comparable Ford. That's a lot of cash to put toward upgrades/repairs that may or may not be needed. And that's assuming the Dodge and GM won't need anything...which is a pipe dream.

Just like anything, condition/maintenance/ownership history is key to all of those trucks.

Roger, I ran two 5.9 Cummins 12 valves in my 31 Bertram that we converted to marine use - raw water cooled heat exchangers, turbo housings and exhaust elbows being the big changes. I ran 4" exhausts with no mufflers, and they were very pleasant. I've heard those engines run in a driveway with no muffler, and they aren't overly noisey there, either.

Just traded my 2010 dually 4wd with the 6.7 Cummins in on a 2016 1500 Eco-Diesel 4wd. I didn't need the 1 ton, and this new one rides great, is easier to drive and park, and gets 20 mpg in "town" driving, 30 on the open road. Right now I am very happy with it.

Mike

No,
Mine was a real PITA. First noticed something wrong when ascending a slow uphill mountain road and the truck overheated. Was not towing.
Ford dealer said thermostat problem so replaced it. Did it again when doing a different mountain road and Ford said the fan clutch no worky. Fixed that too. Towed a 29 foot 5th wheel after that and it survived and had plenty of power.
But all that time I noticed it was trying to burn the soot in the filter more frequently than I thought it should.
Until....I took the 5th wheel on a much longer drive, up into the mountains a few hundred miles away, pretty tough drive with major several passes. When I got there I noticed she was making a squealing sound. Turns out I blew a head gasket. In talking with a private mechanic, not from Ford (who offered to do the job for $7K or $19k for new motor), sounded like the DPM wasn't cleaning out properly, which backed up everything else, causing the overheating on the front end. Replaced that and sold the truck to a dealer. Had it maybe a year, downsized to a 5.0L Ford F150 and am happy. Dumped the trailer too.

Had a 1988 7.3-finally it died.

Switched to gas powered 2003

Gas is soooooo much easier.

Buy an 06 or 07 duramax! Not only are they a great truck, where I live they are holding their value better than the rest! Best engine and transmission package going! Mine has 113 k and I had to replace a power steering hose. Change oil and fuel filter regularly and your good to go! I changed all fluids at 100 k. Sent all for sample test, all was good! I tow a 4k boat and a 10k camp trailer. Input use as desired!

I'd rather walk than put money towards a ford 6.4.

yes if you do heaver stuff , finally put a chip in mine 18 liters per 100 km in town 13 liters per 100km on highway and i am ALWAYS heavy loaded, 8" box 4x4most of the options , i have put 90,000 miles on it since 2011 1 set of breaks just 1000 miles ago at120000 miles , did blow a tourk convertor at 100000 miles a few other small issues but nothing out of the ordinary , rad hose, belt tightner,diff seal wheel seal . 40000 miles on gravel roads hauling tool box and 125 gallon fuel tank.

norm

Its a hell of a pickle.

Ford diesel pickups were pretty top notch until the 6.0 came along. I guess the 6.7 is okay, but gawd, they are expensive.

Trouble is that the last 7.3's with low mileage are getting hard to find.

Quite a few years of Fords with a desirable body style but undesirable engine.

I think if it were me I would stay away from the 6.0 and 6.4.