The Diesel That Saved Ford?!?!

robsmth41 · December 9, 2011

i just finished this article and i'm not sure how to respond! I know there are some that are die hard 6.4 fans, but i am not one of that crowd. They said it was strong and dependable. I most certainly can not agree with that. While i'm not one to bash Ford Trucks, the 6.4 ranks on my list somewhere just below the DirtyMax. The engine is unreliable mostly due to all the lightening and some poor lubrication system engineering. I mean, if they would just redesign the rocker arm to pushrod oiling and delete the passage on the rocker i'm sure it would go a long way to help. then theres the issue of the entire EGR system.

Sorry, just had to rant a bit. There is no love loss between me and the 6.4

mrbudge · December 9, 2011

Thanks for reminding me why I don't read that trash. I guess the only good thing is at 500 hp it won't live long enough to see the roller lifters blow up.

Bruce Amacker · December 9, 2011

With FMC publicizing today that they will pay stock dividends in March for the first time in 5 years, I think it's safe to say that if there is a "diesel that saved Ford", it's not the 6.4, it's the 6.7.

I breezed that article and all I can say is OMG.

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rlchv70 · December 9, 2011

I've said this before, but I'll say it again. The warranty numbers on 6.4L are on par with the 7.3L. You guys see all the problems. For every broken 6.4 that you see, there are hundreds without problems.

Matt Saunoras · December 10, 2011

I read public diesel message boards a lot and there are enough guys that like their 6.4s to make me really wonder. I'm sure I share the same views as everyone else on here but we're defintitely all biased too. We see the worst of the worst

Keith Browning · December 10, 2011

I will admit that I am definitely biased. I HATE the 6.4L. They SUCK to work on and when things go wrong, they really go wrong and the labor times suck too. EVERY time I work on one I take it up the ass. The only upside here is the PCM programming Ford has put in place to detect small problems before a catastrophic failure occurs.

As for comparing the 6.4L with the 7.3L I don't know how you can do that as the the 7.3L was in production more than twice as long as the 6.4L was AND I personally recall replacing only one 7.3L due to catastrophic failure compared to over half a dozen or so 6.4L engines that either melted down or grenaded.

But since we don't have access to the numbers, "we" can only go by what "we" see and experience.

As much reverence as I hold for the 7.3L the Ford 6.7L for me has proven even less troublesome OUT OF THE BOX. Not only am I impressed but I am shocked as it is a totally new engine from a manufacturer with no experience building diesel engines in North America.

Brad Clayton · December 10, 2011

The other diesel guy in the shop showed me that article a while back and we both got a kick out of it. We wasted about 45 minutes just picking it apart. But we laughed the whole time. It was worth the 1.3 hours it took me to do the oil change I was working on. Posted Image

fabfoes87 · December 11, 2011

I have a subscription to Diesel Power magazine and enjoy the material. But when I came across that article I nearly shit. My only saving grace was that I was already on the porcelian thorne. I dont hold much stock for the 6.4 either and if I ran into for 500 bucks, I'd pass.

cbriggs · December 13, 2011

Keith, Ford may not have much experience building Diesel engines, but they have lots and lots of experience fixing them. Maybe that was thier inspiration to do it right.

Keith Browning · December 13, 2011

Chris I definitely believe you are correct on that point. Over the last decade we have learned a lot about what works in the light duty diesel segment and what does not work. I would definitely say a lot has been learned and applied to the Ford diesel. I am sure that the 6.7L can still develop it's own problems and time will tell.

lmorris · December 14, 2011

When I was in the 6.7L course they had an engineer in with us. He told us they took all the problems that occured with the 6L and 6.4L and made sure they didn't happen with the 6.7L. They also told us this engine has been in the making since 2006. It's also uses alot of the technology used in Ford's European diesels.