OT: Real Life Experience With 6.4L Ford Powerstroke

[SuiteSuccess]

I've had my F450 going on 8 years now and it has performed flawlessly and looks new. Now the kicker, I've only got 24,000 miles on the truck so not a daily driver obviously. I've read the negative reviews on this engine but internet reviews are usually mostly negative. Anyone have real life experiences with this engine and should I get rid of it while it still has value and starts acting up? Reason I ask is I am considering trading for a new F250 with the 6.7L . Don't need as big a truck with the Volvo for my trailer. Also I bought the 450 in a killer, once in a lifetime deal in 2009 from a very wealthy individual who had five of these with less than 5000 miles and wanted rid of all but one. Trade in with the dealer is only few thousand less than I paid after 8 years.

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

Do a google search on "Ford 6.4 diesel engine problems" and you will gain more insight into the history of this engine. These are "real life" stories of people who were disappointed, after spending $50K plus for a truck. Do a search on lawsuits pertaining to these engines.

 

I owned a 2008 6.4 F550 Lariat 4x4. It was a beautiful truck and I thought (incorrectly) that it would be my tow vehicle, forever. It was in the shop for repairs (under warranty) too many times. I hired a lawyer and Ford did a "good will" buy back.

 

After the Ford was gone, I discovered this forum and moved to the "dark side." And, so happy that I did!.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

If you really want the new truck smell, then sure, the 6.4 is gonna crap out at 50k....

Will the 250 pull the other trailer you have for the kids?

I'd look at it from a financial view- Would the 250 be bought out right ? Insurance more on the new?

The 6.4 is a decent motor. Most of the ones I know of that have crapped out had tuners on them or were not maintained.

[SuiteSuccess]

If you really want the new truck smell, then sure, the 6.4 is gonna crap out at 50k....

Will the 250 pull the other trailer you have for the kids?

I'd look at it from a financial view- Would the 250 be bought out right ? Insurance more on the new?

The 6.4 is a decent motor. Most of the ones I know of that have crapped out had tuners on them or were not maintained.

Kids finally gonna have their own tow vehicle that is capable of safely pulling their trailer. Not really a need to trade or necessarily a want to trade. I've just had reservations about this engine since I've read so many negative reviews on some of the diesel forums, but know you can't believe everything on the Internet. Like I said above have a pretty good opportunity to get good value before things go wrong, which I know is not highly predictable. 6.7 has been having pretty good reviews. Thanks for the comments.

[SuiteSuccess]

Do a google search on "Ford 6.4 diesel engine problems" and you will gain more insight into the history of this engine. These are "real life" stories of people who were disappointed, after spending $50K plus for a truck. Do a search on lawsuits pertaining to these engines.

 

I owned a 2008 6.4 F550 Lariat 4x4. It was a beautiful truck and I thought (incorrectly) that it would be my tow vehicle, forever. It was in the shop for repairs (under warranty) too many times. I hired a lawyer and Ford did a "good will" buy back.

 

After the Ford was gone, I discovered this forum and moved to the "dark side." And, so happy that I did!.

Thanks for the reply. What kind of repairs if I can ask?

[MrSeas]

So if you are concerned about your current Ford truck having issues why would want to buy another Ford?

[adept99]

The 6.7 is a Ford engine, the rest weren't. I had a 6.4 and 6.0, and never had issues with either one. Both had tuners and whatnot on them. Lost a Turbo on the F-250. Issues tend to center around pulling head bolts out of the block.

 

If you have the possibility of a good deal on a new Lariat F-250 with a 6.7 engine, I'd be all over that. It will be the last one you buy and it will cut way down on the "See, told ya so" BS.

 

Just my 2 cents

 

Paul.

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

Thanks for the reply. What kind of repairs if I can ask?

 

The problem that I had was that the engine worked flawlessly . . . until I loaded up my 5'er and pulled a hill. At that point, the engine would start to overheat, the fan would come on (sounded like a 747 taking off) and the computer would put the engine into a "limp" mode. When it went into limp, we had to pull off of the freeway and were stuck, on the side of the freeway, with the hood up, waiting for the engine to cool down.

 

Since, I was under warranty, my cost was zero. So, I did not keep track of all Ford's "fixes." BTW, none of Ford's "fixes" worked and eventually, Ford bought the truck back from me. It has been a while, but, as I recall, the REAL solution was to dissipate the heat, generated by towing (which is why I bought the big 550). People, out of warranty, were adding large oil coolers and egr coolers. If I had done that, Ford would have voided my warranty.

 

I do not recall how many days the 550 was out of service and how many times the 550 was in for repair. But, I do recall that it was WAY past the number of days and the number of times to lemon law the vehicle. And, I mean way past. I loved that truck and I just wanted the engine to pull the 5'er.

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

So if you are concerned about your current Ford truck having issues why would want to buy another Ford?

Few words, but a powerful message!

[Big5er]

Carl, my county ride is an F-250 with a 6.4 in it. I have over 140,000 miles on it. The truck runs 10 hours a day...always, whether idling or driving. They did the engine hours to miles conversion (a formula some egg head conceived) a while back and told me I have the equivalent of about 450,000 miles.

 

Of course it gets regular maintenance and has had its' share of minor issues but nothing major for a truck that gets "rode hard and put up wet".

[GlennWest]

The 6.4 had some problems but not all of them. The 6.0 was the problem child. I really though can't see logic in an F450 and a hdt. I use my Freightliner as a pickup when need arrives.

[rickeieio]

Carl,

 

Ask yourself why you even need a F-250? When we bought our Volvo, I downsized to a 150 and have been very happy. In fact, I'm on my second one.

 

The new half ton trucks may not be rated to carry much, but the towing capacity is pretty impressive. I regularly pull a tandem trailer grossing around 10k with the Eco-Boost and it handles it well. The Eco-Boost has nearly the same hp and torque as your current truck, and the 150 rides like a car. Plus, it gets about 20 mpg in daily driving.

[RickW]

Carl if you are happy with the truck for what you are using it for then I would keep the truck.

 

From what you are saying it looks like you are only averaging 2000~2500 miles a year on the truck or less since it is no longer your tow vehicle. Assuming you do eventually start having problems with the truck the average mileage that those problems tend to surface is around the 50k mark. At the rate you are going it will take you another 10 to 15 years to get to that mark. Personally I think you are going to have more issues from the truck from lack of use than anything else.

 

I know that the current value of the truck seems to be a driving force in considering a change. Assuming you do get another 10 to 15 years out of this truck, how much difference in value do you expect this truck to worth in 10 to 15 years vs the capital you lay out now plus the value of the new truck in 10 to 15 years?

 

Now, keep in mind if you really want that new truck smell and all the new bells and whistles that were not options when your current truck was new then don't deny yourself. If you are comfortable spending the money to get a new truck, do it, you can't take the money with you. This spring my folks finally bought a new vehicle after driving their last one for 20 years. They are in their 70s but you would think they are in their teens again when it comes to them and their new vehicle.

 

The reality is you don't know how long or even if this motor will grenade itself. If it keeps you up at night then trade it. If not and this is the only real reason for considering getting rid of it, then keep it and just be prepared in the event does eventually self implode on itself. Financially I think it makes more sense to keep it but what makes more sense for you mentally?

[RickW]

Carl,

 

Ask yourself why you even need a F-250? When we bought our Volvo, I downsized to a 150 and have been very happy. In fact, I'm on my second one.

 

The new half ton trucks may not be rated to carry much, but the towing capacity is pretty impressive. I regularly pull a tandem trailer grossing around 10k with the Eco-Boost and it handles it well. The Eco-Boost has nearly the same hp and torque as your current truck, and the 150 rides like a car. Plus, it gets about 20 mpg in daily driving.

 

Could not agree more. I kept my Superduty for 2 years after buying the HDT. Loved the truck and at times miss it and it was 11 years old with 200k miles when I sold it. But .... going to a 1/2 ton pickup was so nice for my day to day use. The ride alone and I went from a 4x2 in my Superduty to a 4x4 in my 1/2 ton.

 

If your insurance will let you use your HDT for personal hauling other than your RV trailer, you will find it very versatile. I find it easier to unload plywood from the HDT for example when I am by myself vs the P/U. With the HDT weight is not a issue. With the HDT buy a pallet of something, load it and go. With the P/U break it down and make multiple trips.

[SuiteSuccess]

Thanks again for the replies. As to the question of "why another Ford?" I have owned all three brands in the past starting with Chevy, then Dodge, then Ford and all 250/2500. It is personal preference for the Ford and the comparison of the deal between the three brand's dealers with the Ford coming in several thousand dollars cheaper than the other offers. I have heard good things about the 6.7L so don't have the same reservations as the 6.4 although you guys are leading me to believe the 6.4 isn't really that bad. We have four vehicles now and are downsizing to three, smart, pickup, Volvo and the pickup and smart will become the daily driver. In comparing the three brands, again I liked the Ford's ride best. Glenn, I don't have the luxury of using the Volvo as a pickup. I haul a bass boat, a utility trailer, and have a hunting lease accessible by only a narrow rutted mountain road. One other incentive is that certain select Ford dealers (mine) are offering a lifetime warranty (original owner) on the engine and drive train.

[SuiteSuccess]

Could not agree more. I kept my Superduty for 2 years after buying the HDT. Loved the truck and at times miss it and it was 11 years old with 200k miles when I sold it. But .... going to a 1/2 ton pickup was so nice for my day to day use. The ride alone and I went from a 4x2 in my Superduty to a 4x4 in my 1/2 ton.

 

If your insurance will let you use your HDT for personal hauling other than your RV trailer, you will find it very versatile. I find it easier to unload plywood from the HDT for example when I am by myself vs the P/U. With the HDT weight is not a issue. With the HDT buy a pallet of something, load it and go. With the P/U break it down and make multiple trips.

Thanks Rick and rest assured I have thought of all you mentioned especially the occasional use thing. As I mentioned to Glen, the Volvo for me is not a substitute. I should add, we also live on top of a hill that is 150 ft. elevation above the road below with a serpentine driveway. Couldn't get the Volvo up it. I tried forwards and backwards.

[Jack Mayer]

Personally, I'd look at it from a residual value perspective. If you can get out of an aging 450 into a new model year you will, in the end, be better off from a value perspective. No, it is not an investment, but you may as well retain as much value as possible while using the truck.

 

I'm with Rick, though. Why an F250? Do you really need the extra GVWR that the 250 has over the 150? The 150's are pretty capable, and WAY nicer as a primary vehicle.

[SuiteSuccess]

Personally, I'd look at it from a residual value perspective. If you can get out of an aging 450 into a new model year you will, in the end, be better off from a value perspective. No, it is not an investment, but you may as well retain as much value as possible while using the truck.

 

I'm with Rick, though. Why an F250? Do you really need the extra GVWR that the 250 has over the 150? The 150's are pretty capable, and WAY nicer as a primary vehicle.

Thanks Jack. I'm partial to the diesels, need the increased towing capacity (twice the torque), and the increased payload of 250. Drive in Superduty acceptable to both Donna and I.

[Nuke-E]

The 6.7 is a Ford engine, the rest weren't. I had a 6.4 and 6.0, and never had issues with either one. Both had tuners and whatnot on them. Lost a Turbo on the F-250. Issues tend to center around pulling head bolts out of the block.

 

If you have the possibility of a good deal on a new Lariat F-250 with a 6.7 engine, I'd be all over that. It will be the last one you buy and it will cut way down on the "See, told ya so" BS.

 

Just my 2 cents

 

Paul.

 

Paul, you're right on the money. Neither was particularly bad in the grand scheme of things. My parents have a 6.0 that's been trouble free for 5 or 6 years, but it's in an E-series where it was derated a little bit, and sees mostly highway mileage. The head bolts remind me of GM's plastic intake manifold gaskets 10-20 years ago--when they go bad, it's a catastrophic failure. But fear of the failure means there are lots of deals to be had, and the aftermarket has provided reasonable fixes that can prevent the problem.

 

 

People, out of warranty, were adding large oil coolers and egr coolers. If I had done that, Ford would have voided my warranty.

 

I do not recall how many days the 550 was out of service and how many times the 550 was in for repair. But, I do recall that it was WAY past the number of days and the number of times to lemon law the vehicle. And, I mean way past. I loved that truck and I just wanted the engine to pull the 5'er.

 

While you certainly shouldn't have had to modify it to do what it was supposed to do from the factory, I doubt that adding a cooler could have had any negative warranty impact (unless said cooler resulted in a loss of fluid). This video is interesting on that subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-uvgqSvTcU

[JRP]

I've got a 2008 F250 Lariat 4x4 superduty 6.4L and I'm happy with it. No major problems, just a few minor issues. I bought it when it was 2 yr old from a rancher neighbor who gets a new one every 2 yrs. I think it had 20K miles when I bought it and now after my 5 yrs its got 40K. I only use it part time to pull my small toy hauler when I go boondocking with the toys and for hauling light loads at my winter ranch. Right after I bought it the EGR valve started sticking open and they replaced that under warranty. A few years later a radiator hose started leaking and when I took it in to the dealer they said there was a recall on those hoses and replaced both for free. Mine runs great, pulls great, never overheats and is a very comfortable truck. My only ongoing issue is when I'm pulling the toy hauler, it seems to go into "cleaning the exhaust filter" mode every 120 miles or so. When its not pulling a load it rarely ever goes into that mode. I plan on keeping it until I get rid of the toy hauler, if ever.

[Refuzn-To-Grow-Up]

While you certainly shouldn't have had to modify it to do what it was supposed to do from the factory, I doubt that adding a cooler could have had any negative warranty impact (unless said cooler resulted in a loss of fluid). This video is interesting on that subject: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-uvgqSvTcU

 

After ten minutes, I got exhausted watching his head bob back and forth.

 

I disagree, Ford WOULD have voided the warranty and let the consumer litigate the issue. Nothing personal, just business. Do you want to litigate, dollar for dollar, against Ford Motor Company? If so, you will lose that battle because you will be underfunded, unless you found a lawyer who would take the case on a contingency fee or is not concerned about making money (pro bono lawyer).

 

It has been a while, but the following is my best recollection and is in response to Suite Success' inquiry. When I was dealing with my 550 issues, my research indicated that Ford was being "hammered" by lawsuits (lemon law, "lemon laundering") and class action lawsuits regarding the 6.0 and 6.4, all over the country. There was a lawsuit between Ford and the engine manufacturer (Navistar?). Ford lost a HUGE "(big punitive damages) lemon laundering" case in California (where I live) and it was upheld by the Supreme Court. I used this case, to "leverage" Ford to buy back my 550. I was hoping that they would force me to trial (punitive damage award would have been substantial), but Ford's lawyers wisely opted to give me my money and make me "go away." And, I did, to the "Dark Side." LOL.

 

The term "lemon laundering" means that an automobile manufacturer does a "good will" buy back from an "unhappy" customer. By doing, so, the vehicle's title will not be "earmarked" as a lemon. The manufacturer then sells the car at an auction and, the car will eventually be resold to someone else.

 

To be fair, I met many people who were experiencing problems with both the 6.0 and 6.4 engines. And, I met many people who had NOT experienced any engine problems. I always wondered if these people actually towed something with their trucks or just used them as a passenger car.

 

When I bought my F550, with a 6.4 engine, I owned a 2006 F350 with a 6.0 engine. I could not give the F350 away. At the time, I did not know why. But the engine problems were all over the internet. "Buyers" kept low balling me.

[Nuke-E]

After ten minutes, I got exhausted watching his head bob back and forth.

He's definitely a Michigander, head-bobbing, accent, and all.

 

I disagree, Ford WOULD have voided the warranty and let the consumer litigate the issue. Nothing personal, just business. Do you want to litigate, dollar for dollar, against Ford Motor Company? If so, you will lose that battle because you will be underfunded, unless you found a lawyer who would take the case on a contingency fee or is not concerned about making money (pro bono lawyer).

Ford doesn't get to void the warranty. They can deny a claim, but enforcement of the terms of the warranty is exactly what you'd be arguing over. And that guy does take many cases on contingency. Of course, there are plenty of dealer/manufacturer attempts to explain away something as normal too--often directly trying to frustrate a lemon law claim. Saying that the "problem couldn't be duplicated" or that it "worked as intended" makes it more difficult to show the necessary number of repair attempts. Often that conveniently happens just shy of the magic number of repairs.

 

The term "lemon laundering" means that an automobile manufacturer does a "good will" buy back from an "unhappy" customer. By doing, so, the vehicle's title will not be "earmarked" as a lemon. The manufacturer then sells the car at an auction and, the car will eventually be resold to someone else.

It doesn't get tagged as a lemon, but does show that the manufacturer sold it at auction. There's more head-bobbing, I'm sure, but I remember a video that talked about that, and more generally what you do and don't get with a vehicle history report (mostly that you don't get nearly as much as you might think). I believe I can run a history report or two for free still--if you have the VIN for that truck it would be interesting to see if it holds true.

[sushidog]

My 08 F-250 died at 150k miles. It dropped a lifter. Sounds like a simple repair (new lifters and a cvam on one side) right? They quoted me $15k for the repair - about 50% more than the truck would be worth after the repair. I sold it for salvage. I bought it for pulling a big TT after I retire, but the most I ever towed with it was my 1,700lb Aliner pop-up camper. If it had rto break I'm glad it broke whgen it did rather than later after I am retired with limited income. I now plan to FT in a gas powered Class A and pull my current tow vehicle - a 2.4l Chevy Cobalt with 345k miles on the original engine (I did have to replace the automatic transmission on my car at 300k miles. So far like a clock and doesn't burn a drop of oil. When the engine finally dies I can get a good used one installed for under $1,500 and I'm good for another 200-300k miles.

 

Chip

[Yarome]

The 6.4 was a much improved 6.0.. which I 'do' have personal experience with. I actually own 2 - 6.0's that were purchased new. One is a ranch truck that doesn't really do any towing but has.. as of this past Dec.. over 253k on it. The other one is a full time tow rig of the same year, but only has 52k on it. Shortly after purchase they both went through the "bulletproofing" by Ford under warranty. There were 5 main areas addressed including the head bolts, turbo, ecg.. the others I don't recall. My mechanic recommended a delete.. which I had them do.. but if I understand correctly.. that was one of the issues corrected standard on the 6.4. Later on there was found to be an issue with the oil pressure cap (not for me, but just something I had read about and was recommended by my mechanic that some of the OEM caps weren't holding adequate pressure).. which I replaced myself with the newer OEM cap ($5 each). I'm sure your 6.4 had the newer cap factory installed.

 

My experience.. I still own both and outside of regularly scheduled maintenance/replacements have only had one issue.. which was the one with 52k involving a W.I.F. sensor. I WAS quite worried early on with all the hubbub on the internet and tried to keep abreast. As one other poster mentioned.. it seems to me that the ones having the most issues were folks with tuners and such or where poorly maintained. As you already mentioned... you have to take a lot of the "problems" reported with a grain of salt. Folks with no issues aren't likely to make posts.

 

Around that time.. talking to people I considered to be "in the know" all told me, "It's a good engine. Keep it stock, use OEM parts, do your regular maintenance and it'll be fine." For me anyway.. that has proven to be true.

[SuiteSuccess]

Again thank you for all the replies.