Am i gonna regret buying my 08 KR. After reading alot of this forum i am scared to death. I just bought it a month ago. Tell me what i should be looking for to keep it top shape.

 

do your maintenance, on time and with Ford filters.....you should be good.

 

make sure the degas bottle stays full. perhaps you should do research before spending money too.

 

you gotta remember, people come to forums to post problems not post happy times......I have had zero issues with my 2010, but I only have 26k on her......I run stanadyne every tank of fuel, mobil 1 syn oil, and run UOA's for every oil change.

 

Dpf delete goes a long way!

 

I have a 2008 King Ranch 4x4 with pretty close to 78k on the clock right now. I love this truck. Especially modded. Absolutely no regrets on my end.

 

Over 165,000km's on mine and not a single issue, best truck I've ever owned. Ditch the DPF if you can afford it, keep up on your maintenance and I'm sure it'll treat you good.

 

Mine runs like a champ, 74K most of it heavy towing. Read the manual and supplements.

Register at the ford owner website and then you should have access to alot of the letters and manuals.

Follow the severe maintance schedule period. Use OEM filters only.

I think you will be fine doing those.

Also weekly fluid checks and when traveling, pop the hood and check that coolant should ensure safe travels.

I do lots of cross country runs with mine and I like it better than my car.

 

84k on this 08 and runs like a top. Have had a few minor things happen, nothing that put me on the side of the road. Its just like any other engine, watch the fluids. I pull heavy every other weekend so it gets to work as it was built. As it has been said on here before, you will always hear those squeaking wheels, but you will never hear a wheel not squeaking, so the ones that have issues tend to stand out more than then ones that do not. But with that said, that is what we are here for is to help each other and also learn what we can and need to do in the event of issues.

 

Thanks folks! I guess it's true that you only hear the the bad stuff on forums. I checked the degas bottle and it is really low. i am on my way now to pick up coolant and refill. I think I'll pick up an extra jug or two to keep handy.

 

If you have not owned one of the newer emissions controlled diesels previously (any brand), be aware that they are far more dependent on proper maintenance than earlier diesels.

Key 6.4 maintenance items:

* Oil changes every 5,000 miles, with quality oil (synthetic recommended), used oil analysis (Blackstone) for every change. Use only Motorcraft oil filters or the Racor (OEM) equivalent.

* Fuel filter changes every 10,000 miles. Use only Motorcraft FD4617 or the Racor (OEM) equivalent filters.

* Coolant nitrite testing at least every 15,000 miles. I recommend every 5,000 miles at the same time you do the oil change for simplicity, the test strips are inexpensive. Do not be confused by the test directions warning not to sample from an overflow tank, the 6.4 does not have an overflow tank it has a degas bottle. The degas bottle is part of the coolant loop with constant circulation so it is a valid testing point. I do not bother "taking a sample", I simply clip the test strip on the end of a long hemostat and dunk it in the degas bottle to test. If the test is below 800ppm and above 300ppm add two bottles of VC-8 additive. If below 300ppm the entire coolant system must be flushed with VC-9 cleaner, rinsed well and refilled with new coolant.

* Cooling system flush with VC-9 and refill with Ford Gold coolant every 60,000 miles, sooner if you have neglected testing and the nitrite is under 300ppm.

* Use a quality fuel conditioner such as the Ford PM-22a/23a conditioners at every fueling. They add lubricity to the fuel, something that ULSD is lacking in which helps protect the high pressure (up to 26,000 PSI) fuel pump. They also help to reduce soot production which results in less frequent DPF regens and less fuel dilution in the engine oil.

* Drain the HFCM water separator monthly. The fuel drained can be poured back into the tank carefully leaving behind any water at the bottom of the collection jar (normally very little). If the water separator drain does not flow well or at all, it may be clogged with either parafin blobs or with bacterial growth. In either case at a minimum the drain valve cover needs to be removed and the clog cleared. If the clog is significant the HFCM cover needs to be removed for full cleaning. If the clog is white and waxy it's parafin and not a significant issue. If the clog is brown or similar and more slimy it is bacterial growth and the fuel tank should be "shocked" with a biocide such as Power Service Bio-Kleen which should not be confused with their Diesel-Kleen.

* The truck should not be used for all short trips and stop and go traffic. The 6.4 and other emissions controlled diesels need regular longer periods at highway speeds to allow proper DPF regeneration and to get to proper operating temperature to help reduce fuel contamination in the engine oil.

* The latest PCM flash (11B23) does not provide continuous indication of when a DPF regen is taking place, it does however add much improved engine monitoring for developing issues. Over time you will get to recognize the subtle changes, but I recommend adding something like the ScanGauge II which will allow you to monitor the DPF temperature which is a clear indication that a regen is in progress when over ~600F.

* Avoid shutting the truck down with a regen in progress. If you have to, run the engine at high idle for a few minutes in park before shutting down to allow the turbos to cool down to normal temperatures before shutdown. If you are interrupting the regens you will see it in your Blackstone report, otherwise you should see very little fuel dilution, <1%.

You should also absolutely get the Ford ESP extended warranty, any repairs to the 6.4 are expensive and a single big repair can easily cover the cost of the ESP warranty. The coolant nitrite testing that many people overlook *is* in the owner's manual diesel supplement, so if you neglect it Ford can deny warranty coverage for resulting damage.

Other Super Duty maintenance items:

* Change transfer case fluid every 60,000 miles.

* Change rear differential fluid every 50,000 miles on DANA axles (F350 DRW and up).

* Change transmission fluid and filter every 60,000 miles on Torqshift transmissions (100k on manual transmissions). If you have the early Torqshift with the external filter the interval is much shorter.

Resources:

Coolant test strips - Buy the 4pk, not the bottle of 50, the strips have expiration dates and you'll only need <10 per year. Most dealer parts counters should have the test strips, NAPA has them, or order direct from Acustrip.
http://acustrip.com/CTS-3_Retail_Order_Form.pdf

Used oil testing - Blackstone Labs, get the pre-paid 6pk of test kits to save a few bucks. You don't need the TBN option:
Order Now

Ford ESP extended warrantys - You can buy them online from real dealers, or use the online price from a real dealer to negotiate a better price from your local dealer. You absolutely want the ESP, while the 6.4 is not problematic as some claim as long as you maintain it properly, nearly any repair is big $ and one good one will cover the ESP cost:
Ford Extended Warranty - Genuine Ford ESP

DPF, oil, coolant temp monitoring - ScangaugeII, you will need to program the X-gauge commands for the 6.4:
ScanGauge - Trip Computer + Digitial Gauges + ScanTools
Ford Specific XGauges : Linear Logic : Home of the ScanGauge

 

Thanks wp! Very informative and helpful.

 

When your checking the coolant nitrite levels, any reading from 0-300ppm would require adding 2 pints of Motorcraft vc-9 any reading around 500ppm would require only about 12 oz. of vc-9 finally a reading of around 800ppm would only require 6 oz of vc-9. The ideal nitrite condition is 1200ppm and all the above data is taken from Wix filtration corp. and the additive amounts are based on the 6.4 coolant capacity.

 

Very informative thread, I am going to steal all this info.
Thanks!!

 

the ford owner website:
Official Ford Owner Site | Schedule Vehicle Maintenance, Get Tips, Advice & Coupons

You can get all the manuals there, also you can see those letters and track your maintance.