I had a 7.3 for 10 years and 200k miles before I got t-boned a few weeks ago and totaled it. Sad to see it go. It served me well for a long time. This weekend I purchased an '08 F250 with the 6.4 and 70k miles and I know next to nothing about them. I'm diligently doing my research and learning as quick as I can but I wanted to check with you guys about necessary mods, maintenance, etc... that I need to perform asap. I've ready some about EGR deletes and emissions mods. I know nothing about this stuff since I had a 7.3. I've heard horror stories from 6.0 owners but don't know anybody with a 6.4. Is there anything I need to do asap or can I just drive it as is? I don't even know how to tell if any of the emissions mods have been done to this truck. Sorry for the ignorance. I appreciate any advice you guys can give.

 

You'll hear lots of different opinions on that, and mine is to leave it stock if reliability is your concern. Lots of people advocate removing or disabling the EGR and DPF, but I haven't seen a common failure that's eliminated by doing these things. There are lots of folks who have put high miles on their bone stock 6.4L trucks without issue.

 

I would always remove the DPF on a 6.4. The DPF system causes raw fuel to get into your oil which causes decreased engine life and reliability. It also causes increased EGT's which decreases engine life and reliability. It can also put you in limp mode simply from a sensor not reading right.

The EGR system is fairly reliable on these trucks. Most of the tuners shut the valve off so you aren't recirculating the garbage in your engine too. So that is mostly opinion and up to the owner. I didn't delete it on mine, but I have done it for many other people.

The main thing is oil changes every 5k, I recommend synthetic oil. Fuel filters at least every 10k. I do 5k. At 70k I'd check all the fluids and change what needs it. Coolant change is a good idea if you don't know when it was last done. Take the time to drain the lower filter bowl once a month. The fuel system is reliable, but a small amount of water can cost you thousands.

If anything has been done to the DPF or EGR the truck will be tuned too. Has to be tuned to eliminate those.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. Dlibson, do you recommend a good synthetic oil? I always used Delo in my 7.3 and it never had a problem but I want to use what's best for the 6.4. What is the most cost effective way to remove the DPF?

 

Myself, I use Rotella T 5w40. But any good synthetic is just fine. We use Valvoline Blue extreme at the shop.

You can buy a delete pipe and a DPF-R to delete it from the computer. DPF-R also has a version with a little tune to it. That's a decent way and fairly reasonable. If you want more tunes, I'd go H&S mini maxx or Spartan.

 

I bought an extended warranty when I bought the truck. Would doing the DPF delete affect the warranty?

 

It could depending on the warranty and the dealer. Is it a Ford ESP?

 

No it isn't a Ford warranty

 

Then what I would do is work with a shop you would like too, and see if they will work it with you. I do that here for some customers.

Not to guarantee you couldn't have an issue, but I never have.

 

my personal take on it is this....... Did Ford add the DPF, the EGR, and create the regen process because they thought it would result in a stronger more durable truck? Or did Ford do all this because of government mandated emissions? What was the reputation of your 7.3 diesel? Pretty good right. Did Ford do away with the 7.3 because it was a bad engine or was it because of emissions? My money says if you told a Ford engineer to build the best diesel they can with no emissions requirements, they wouldnt add a DPF and an EGR to make it more durable, more powerful, or more fuel efficient. There is an argument to leave it all stock, but 90% of that argument is because of warranty concerns. Just my 2 cents.