I’ve seen so much hate for the 6.4 Powerstroke. Some people say it’s the worst diesel Ford ever made. Is it really that bad, or are people exaggerating?
Worse than this one?
Oh, 100%. The 6.4 was so bad it almost destroyed Ford’s diesel reputation entirely. That other one just killed diesel passenger cars in the U.S. for decades.
@Wei
Yeah, over 45 years and diesel cars still haven’t fully recovered in the U.S. market.
Nori said:
@Wei
Yeah, over 45 years and diesel cars still haven’t fully recovered in the U.S. market.
They were starting to come back before VW’s Dieselgate blew everything up again. Automakers cheating emissions tests just made everyone lose trust.
@Ben
The VW engineers basically hacked their own ECMs to cheat emissions tests by using ABS sensors to detect if the car was on a dyno. It was genius, but also really shady. Real-world testing exposed everything.
@Marlowe
I’ve always thought the engineers at BOSCH had to be in on that scheme.
@Marlowe
The testing method itself was a joke. Why not just use a four-wheel dyno or test it on an actual track? That would’ve been way harder to cheat.
Nori said:
@Wei
Yeah, over 45 years and diesel cars still haven’t fully recovered in the U.S. market.
VW’s TDIs were doing fine for a while until Dieselgate gave them an excuse to pivot entirely to EVs.
A lot of the hate for these engines comes from GM marketing them as ‘just like gas, but diesel!’ My grandfather, who actually understood diesel engines, had one that ran great for 300,000 miles. He loved it.
@Merrick
By the mid-'80s, GM fixed a ton of the issues with those engines: better head bolts, improved timing chains, and proper lubrication standards. If you added a water separator and ARP head studs, you could make them reasonably reliable.
@Lyle
My grandpa’s was an early '80s model, I think. He always used the right oil and added Power Service to every tank. That stuff is amazing for diesel engines.
@Lyle
Don’t forget the 1.8L diesel they put in the Chevette. It was an Isuzu design and way more reliable. Makes you wonder why they didn’t just let Detroit Diesel handle the larger engines.
The truck in the picture isn’t even a 2nd-gen F-250. It’s like the 13th generation! At least get the details right. That said, the 6.4 diesel is terrible, but it’s not worse than GM’s '80s diesels or the Chinese diesels Chrysler used.
@Shay
To be fair, it’s the 2nd generation of the Super Duty line.
Wil said:
@Shay
To be fair, it’s the 2nd generation of the Super Duty line.
Not exactly. The ‘OBS’ (Old Body Style) trucks had a Super Duty package. The 2008-2010 models are actually the 3rd gen Super Duty.
@Shay
Wait, Chrysler used Chinese diesels? Since when?
Nori said:
@Shay
Wait, Chrysler used Chinese diesels? Since when?
Probably started around the Fiat merger. Stellantis handles a lot of their sourcing now, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they added Chinese engines to the mix.
What blows my mind is that the 6.4 came with factory compound turbos but still barely got better fuel economy than the gas-powered 6.2. At least GM’s old Detroit diesels could hit 20 mpg if you were lucky.
@Maxwell
That’s true, but the 6.4 was such a joy to drive when it worked. Insane throttle response and tons of power. If you deleted and tuned it, you could get decent mileage and reliability, though you’d have to resist pushing the 700+ hp it could make.