Iam thinking about getting a new truck and have had really good luck with my superduty but its getting a little older and Im thinking I might want to upgrade. My father in law has a '08 powerstroke and he loves it he had it in to the dealer to have something done on the radiator but thats the only problem he has had, does anyone else have any experience with this motor and how is the reliability Im kinda scared after the 6.0 problems.
6.4 powerstroke?
- Thread starter oxbronco
- Start date
- Location
- Smithfield Utah
My brother has one and logs quite a bit of miles daily. Other than being on its 4th radiator it seems to be quite reliable. I don't think that they use the same head stud design as the 6.0's nor have I heard anything bad about the egr's. His is an F450 with the 5 speed auto it carries a lot of weight and it is still very powerfull with almost zero turbo lag. It does not get better than 8mpg though :-\
Other than that all I've heard is a bunch of rumors...
Other than that all I've heard is a bunch of rumors...
Jesser04
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Kaysville Utah
Much better than the 6.0 IMO. I've had the radiator replaced as well as a couple recalls. The biggest problem I've had to date is an exhaust sensor going bad and it shut down and wouldn't restart. If you have the money and the time I'd wait for the new 6.7 with the 6 speed auto they redesigned the front end too. There due out next spring check out fords website if your interested. Oh yeah don't plan on more than 13 mpg empty at best and about 9 towing. I get 9 in a F-450 around town and 8 towing.
Maverick
old-school
- Location
- Anywhere, thanks to my geeky droid
- Location
- Smithfield Utah
They are the best looking trucks out there imo. My brothers has the work truck interior (rubber floor instead of carpet) and the knobs/switches on the dash are big enough to adjust with a pair of gloves on
There is a lot about them that I really like but I would rather have a 7.3 in the long run.
ChestonScout
opinions are like Jeeps..
- Location
- Clinton, Ut
If I could afford one....I would have one
LT.
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Los Alamos, New Mexico
I just test drove a brand new F-450 King Ranch with the FX4 package on it. I was kind of on the fence about purchasing it. Interior is top notch. Years ahead of the Dodge and on par with the Chevy. There was a few things that killed it for me.
First was the lack of power. The truck had the 6.4 liter Powerstroke with the twin turbo set up and although it was very smooth power it never really set me in the seat. Gutless motor. I figured that it has .5 liters more and one more turbo that it should out do my Cummins stock. To make sure I was not comparing apples to oranges I took my truck back to stock. I even took the dealer out for a ride in my truck showing him what I was talking about.
Second was after the test second test drive with my wife, we were pulling up and I saw two 6.4 Diesels in the shop. I stopped and asked the mechanics what was wrong with them. Both had the cabs off and both had the heads off of the motor. The truck on my left had two dead cylinders. The second truck the mechanic did not know what was wrong as he was not assigned to work on it. Right then I turned to my wife and said, "We are done looking at this." We talked to the dealer about he dead 6.4's that were in the shop. The dealer then told me that they may have a lot of miles on them. But, the trucks only had the 6.4 in them for three model years! How many miles could you put on any of these trucks in two years?!
Third was the floating steering feeling. I really don't know how to describe the feeling but, when you shake the steering wheel back and forth at some speed the truck feels like it is floating. A disconnect between the steering wheel and the action of the front end.
The truck was beautiful! I liked quite a few things about it. But, for a truck thats purpose is to haul my toys to and from and get me to and from work, I will keep my old Dodge Cummins.
LT.
First was the lack of power. The truck had the 6.4 liter Powerstroke with the twin turbo set up and although it was very smooth power it never really set me in the seat. Gutless motor. I figured that it has .5 liters more and one more turbo that it should out do my Cummins stock. To make sure I was not comparing apples to oranges I took my truck back to stock. I even took the dealer out for a ride in my truck showing him what I was talking about.
Second was after the test second test drive with my wife, we were pulling up and I saw two 6.4 Diesels in the shop. I stopped and asked the mechanics what was wrong with them. Both had the cabs off and both had the heads off of the motor. The truck on my left had two dead cylinders. The second truck the mechanic did not know what was wrong as he was not assigned to work on it. Right then I turned to my wife and said, "We are done looking at this." We talked to the dealer about he dead 6.4's that were in the shop. The dealer then told me that they may have a lot of miles on them. But, the trucks only had the 6.4 in them for three model years! How many miles could you put on any of these trucks in two years?!
Third was the floating steering feeling. I really don't know how to describe the feeling but, when you shake the steering wheel back and forth at some speed the truck feels like it is floating. A disconnect between the steering wheel and the action of the front end.
The truck was beautiful! I liked quite a few things about it. But, for a truck thats purpose is to haul my toys to and from and get me to and from work, I will keep my old Dodge Cummins.
LT.
- Location
- Bountiful, land of rocks
Maverick
old-school
- Location
- Anywhere, thanks to my geeky droid
LT.
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Los Alamos, New Mexico
Jesser04
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Kaysville Utah
Imo you are comparing apples to oranges its a Ford F-450 vs dodge 3500. The 450 is made to haul a ton of weight around and that's it. Ford did not design this truck to be driven to the movies or to the mall they made to work and it does that as good as any truck out there. I can't relate with your concern with two trucks in the shop I think that would be the same at any dealership. Who knows what caused the problems with these trucks. it could have been a number of factors out of fords hands such as neglect, programmer turned up to 5 etc who knows. As for the wandering feeling this is only something the 450's do it is the tires they put on them once you put a load on it this goes away. If you are looking at a new truck just to pull toys around and that is it I don't think this truck can be beat.
We have several of these in our company fleet, two with new motors and two that aren't far from. The highest mile one has just under 60k miles. I wouldn't buy one, I am die hard Cummins fan and was not real impressed with my last two '05 and '06. I am going to buy Duramax this time!
LT.
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Los Alamos, New Mexico
What I was trying to comment on was the power from a take off. Ford did not have the same seat of the pants feel the Cummins does. The Ford was a great truck, no question about that. It just seemed to be lacking power on the take off. I.E. getting a load moving from a stop. Maybe that is because I have driven my Cummins for so long but, just my opinion. I do think Dodge Cummins trucks are better for towing than the 6.4 liter Powerstroke. Just my opinion, everyone is entitled to theirs as well. These were just my observations on the trucks. As far as the trucks in the garage, you are right. We will never know what caused the damage or what the cause will be. Just pointing out the fact that there was two of them in the shop and they could not have been more than a few years old.
LT.
Thanks for everyones opinions, I have seen alot of these out on the road, but like I said I only know one person that has one, He loves his but it sounds like they might still be having a few problems guess I will have to think about it some more. I cant bring my self to buy a duramax because of the independent front end, i have a hang up about it. I like the cummins but I have heard that the new 6.7 has its problems as well. Anyway thanks for the input.
Barnburner
New Member
That is not due to a lack of power. It is the PCM strategy and Drive by wire throttle programming. You can soft pedal it or flat foot it to the floor, it is going to react basically the same until about 17 mph. Ford did that to reduce torque converter problems (anyone ever see a cummins eat a torque converter?), and reduce any additional stresses on the drivetrain.
I used to be a parts manager at a Ford Dealer and my neighbor is a FSE (Field Service Engineer) for Ford.
When I complained to him about my new 6.4, he showed me the strategy in the processor.
A little re-flash wakes it up a ton. Mine will now boil the tires at will from a stop.
- Location
- Bountiful, land of rocks
I'm not a fan. You can have a $30 cable or a $400ish drive by wire system. What happened to the KISS method? (I do realize it doesn't exist in modern vehicles but it should)
Corban_White
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Payson, AZ
So, rather than make the drivetrain strong enough for the engine, they simply strangled the engine. Nice.