6.4 super duty 8 month nightmare

stuff happens.

8 months ago I bought a 2008 F-550 flatbed with 89000 miles. It has a 6.4 Diesel and it was still just under the drivetrain waranty. A properly designed small automotive diesel should run 250K with no major repairs. This one has served light duty for 3 years, having a 1-ton hydraulic crane for picking up small brush along the right of way under those huge electrical towers. The previous owner had contract to mow the path, and this truck had a light trailer behind it for the brush.

It's not like it was abused and by the hour meter -vs- odometer was not idled excessively like some trucks are.

At the time I did not realize what an ill-conceived piece of junk the Ford incarnation of the 6.4 powerstroke is. Not the Navistar long block, but all the junk around it including the truck.

In the last 8 months it has been towed, dead, 5 times, and of these, to the Ford dealer from which it was purchased 4 times. Two other times I had to drive it in for other repairs. 8 repairs needed in 8 months. Each time it has had to be there for 4-5 days. The truck has been a real piece of poo despite religious adherence to maintenance schedules and no hard work.

5 towings @ $150 each: $750
6 1-week truck rentals @ $400 each: $2400

1.) 4x4 engagement vacuum pump blowing fuses the day after I got it. It was replaced. Dealer fixed no charge but I had to rent a truck.

2.) no start. towed in. air in fuel system, tech found nothing else. $280.

3.) no start. towed in. fuel pickup tube broke off inside fuel tank. Both tanks had to be removed. low pressure pump has bad due to sucking air. I was also told not to park it on an incline. (a 2-ton 4x4 that does not operate on an incline) $900

4.) a/c squealed and threw belt. Both tensioners were broke and both belts were replaced. There is much plastic in the tensioners. $460

5.) died while parked in front of supermarket with load of groceries and a passenger. no start. On sunday, had it towed to house. Monday it was towed to dealer. had to pay for cab for passenger to get groceries home. A wire in the engine, that does not move or anything, simply "shorted out". To reach it they had to remove the cab, then the turbo, and the high pressure pump cover. From that point on there was an intermittent exhaust gas odor in the cab because they didn't put the exhaust pipe back on right. They could not "reproduce the odor problem". $2400

6.) died on highway. towed in. computer throttled engine to nothing, "stop vehicle safely" light. Died when speed dropped to about 5MPH. no crank. A sensor in the tailpipe broke, and told the computer the exhaust temp was too high so the computer shut the fuel off. $200

paid cost for 8 months: $7390

7.) things that broke last week and I didn't fix: a/c stopped blowing cold. almost no pressure in system. I put a can of 143a in and it started working again. The CD player quit working. The exhaust odor has been there, off and on, for a month.
additional to fix these things:
a/c $2000 typical, was quoted that.
plus a week rental truck $400.
radio $750 (replace only)
$3150

total cost for 8 months:
$7390
$3150
-----
$11540

Yes, the Ford F-550 Super Duty flatbed with 6.4 Diesel's cost of repairs over 8 months is $11,540.

None of this includes the two half-days of time (lost money) required for each truck-drop and rental-arrangement, and rental-return and truck-pickup. 6 days at $150 per hour billed=$750 loss of business. But let's not quibble over such a pittance. It's clear I have money to burn or I would never have bought the thing. No doubt others will say they love their Ford 6.4 Diesel. I'm just reporting what happened with mine.

After #6, which was right after #7 (other stuff that broke the same week) I immediately traded it. I am sure they will park it and sell it again to the next guy trying to make a living.

I was at the dealer and I was waiting outside smoking, and Behold! Here comes a huge cloud of white and gray smoke up the road with the front of a 6.4 Powerstroke Super duty F-450 sticking out of it, and it turns in the drive and almost makes it to the service lane before choking to a stop. Once it stopped, a bunch of smoke started coming from the hood. Then the smoke cleared and I could see the lawn service trailer it was pulling. The smoke was so thick the trailer had been invisible. An older Ford diesel, maybe a 7.2, quite old, pulled in with the same markings. I think it was the boss. He told me it was the turbo again. "again??" yikes. How many turbos can you blow on a diesel before the engine has enough? At least it didn't run away. Lucky.

Another one bites the dust!

Be careful, this could be you, hot-shoting with a gooseneck.. and here comes that wrench light or 'stop vehicle soon' light. No these can't be fixed by the side of the road. And, be sure not to buy the 6.4 Powerstroke lemon I just traded in, unless you can clear $1000 a week extra profit by running it, to pay for the upkeep. No amount of sugar will ever make lemonade out of that thing.

 

I was concerned that getting rid of all the emissions crap would cause me law trouble on the road because it being a flatbed the stuff is visible from the passenger side, and if the exhaust coolers, EGR, and the rest of the idiocy were removed, it would be visible if the hood were opened. All the cost was not due to emission junk, some was real stupid things like having to remove the cab to get at an engine part. Well it's done with and that's the end of my trouble with it. Live and learn.