looking at a 09 superduty 6.4L powerstroke

[alaskakubota]

I have one of these gear vendors in my 07 dodge dually 4x4 with 5.9 cummins and six speed manual. Bought it new and has been on the truck for 4 years. Mileage goes up almost 5 mpg in 6th gear and splitting 3&4th gears is great when towing the dozer in the mtns up here. It cost me 2700 dollars with driveline cut and balance and I installed myself. I couldn't imagine not having it. Best of both worlds.

 

[Builder]

There are some things that I would be concerned about with buying a 6.4L Ford. The complexity of replacing injectors (cab removal is necessary for this procedure) and apparently a failry common failure. Every time I take my company truck in for service, there are atleast two 6.4L with the cabs removed for injector issues.
Another issue would be since Ford has their new baby (the 6.7L) out on the market, they will be hard pressed to make any sort of revisions or updates to the 6.4L platform.. remember, Ford and Navistar got divorced and aren't talking or sharing Christmas photos anymore.. Even getting warranty consideration may be an issue, dealers will be more inclined to just deny warranty coverage rather than deal with Ford about getting reimbursed.

Well put. A 2 yr run on an engine is not a good indicator of company support in the future.

 

[Builder]

yep.. I have an aux transfer technologies tank in my bed.. can hold 70g og juice. that for sure hurts to fill! unless at a truck stop where you can get more than 20-30 gallons on a fill up befor ethe pump cuts off.. otherwise I have had to runt he card 3x to get full.. some stations limit you to two runs..

yep.. on mine it has a 4.88 rear and I turn 2750-2800 to make 75.. if I ease off to about 2500 i can make 67-70 and near DOUBLE my economy. weird.. also makes the turbo run 100'f cooler too!

It's not weird, it's just a bad design by Ford to put 4.88's in a truck and make it run that RPM range. It causes over consumption of fuel and the 7.3 to run past its' optimal power curve.
I disliked my 4.88's in my 450 so much, I had them swapped for 4.30's. I hated towing a trailer over 65. The tach was way up and the engine screaming. The 7.3 was way out of its' power band. I added everything Hypermax made to the engine for power, so the drop to 4.30's helped get it closer to the sweet spot, but still too much RPM for my liking. At 400 RWHP, I could have run 3.55's in mine and it would have been better. 4.88's are such a waste on a small truck like that unless you only travel back roads under 50 MPH.

 

[westcliffe01]

Verdict on my trip from near Houston to SE Michigan over the last 3 days with the 2008 F250 with 6.4PS and 58.5k mileage was an average of 16mpg driving at 65-73mph (depending on location). There was minimal elevation change and the only place with hills was the very southern corner of IL. 2 people on board. I have a supercab with short bed and no cap or tonneau.

One can tell the DPF's impact on fuel consumption. It would go up to a high of 16.4mpg (after a regen) and drop progressively to a low of close to 15mpg (with a loaded filter and burning fuel to do the regen). These are not instantaneous values, this is averaged from one fillup to the next (typically 15 gal).

 

[jas67]

3.73 gears. All the F-250's and SRW F-350 with the 6L Powerstroke had that gear only..

If you 04 F-250 has 16" wheels like mine does you are right on track. With the mods mine does 22-23mpg at best. 19mpg is honest for a stock truck.

Chris

What mods did you go to get 22-23mpg? I have an SCT-tuner, and the best I've been able to get is about 17mpg highway, and 10 mpg towing a 8200lb 35' travel trailer (8.5' wide, 10' 4" high). I've tried economy, and towing tunes. I have an '06 F-350 Crew cab, long bed, with stock 17" wheels.

 

[Soundguy]

What mods did you go to get 22-23mpg? I have an SCT-tuner, and the best I've been able to get is about 17mpg highway, and 10 mpg towing a 8200lb 35' travel trailer (8.5' wide, 10' 4" high). I've tried economy, and towing tunes. I have an '06 F-350 Crew cab, long bed, with stock 17" wheels.

does it have a 6.0 in it? that's what my 04 f250 does...

soundguy

 

[Diamondpilot]

What mods did you go to get 22-23mpg? I have an SCT-tuner, and the best I've been able to get is about 17mpg highway, and 10 mpg towing a 8200lb 35' travel trailer (8.5' wide, 10' 4" high). I've tried economy, and towing tunes. I have an '06 F-350 Crew cab, long bed, with stock 17" wheels.

My truck has bigger wheels for one thing. Its a F-350 SRW 4x4 Extended Cab Short Bed. I have a Quadzilla Chip, MAC intake and Filter, and 4" exhaust.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

does it have a 6.0 in it? that's what my 04 f250 does...

soundguy

You have the Torque Shift tranny 5R110. Its listed as a 5 speed but its really a 6 speed with a hidden gear. It uses that gear instead of another when its cold or in tow haul mode. Either way its only uses 5 speeds at a time. The new Torque Shift is a true 6 speed.

Taken from Wikpida.

The TorqShift is advertised as being a 5 speed automatic, when actually it has six forward speeds. On cold engine operation (below 0 degrees) the overdrive clutch is engaged in third gear for a ratio of 1.09 : 1. The transmission will shift directly to sixth from fourth and fifth is skipped. On a warm engine the shift pattern would be 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th (direct drive), 6th.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

Verdict on my trip from near Houston to SE Michigan over the last 3 days with the 2008 F250 with 6.4PS and 58.5k mileage was an average of 16mpg driving at 65-73mph (depending on location). There was minimal elevation change and the only place with hills was the very southern corner of IL. 2 people on board. I have a supercab with short bed and no cap or tonneau.

One can tell the DPF's impact on fuel consumption. It would go up to a high of 16.4mpg (after a regen) and drop progressively to a low of close to 15mpg (with a loaded filter and burning fuel to do the regen). These are not instantaneous values, this is averaged from one fillup to the next (typically 15 gal).

That sounds about right from what I have heard about the 6.4L. It does not get the MPG's the 7.3 and 6.0 did but makes really good power.

How do you like it so far?

Chris

 

[Soundguy]

interesting.. neat info. whish I had something like that in the 450.. it seems to have a prety basic ( though good working tranny ).

on another note. this is about the 3rd time in 8 years that I have actually got a forum reply notification..

soundguy

You have the Torque Shift tranny 5R110. Its listed as a 5 speed but its really a 6 speed with a hidden gear. It uses that gear instead of another when its cold or in tow haul mode. Either way its only uses 5 speeds at a time. The new Torque Shift is a true 6 speed.

Taken from Wikpida.

The TorqShift is advertised as being a 5 speed automatic, when actually it has six forward speeds. On cold engine operation (below 0 degrees) the overdrive clutch is engaged in third gear for a ratio of 1.09 : 1. The transmission will shift directly to sixth from fourth and fifth is skipped. On a warm engine the shift pattern would be 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th (direct drive), 6th.

Chris

 

[Builder]

That sounds about right from what I have heard about the 6.4L. It does not get the MPG's the 7.3 and 6.0 did but makes really good power.

How do you like it so far?

Chris

Based on his claims it gets a lot better fuel economy than the 3 7.3L's I owned.
After ~400K miles of ownership, I never averaged more than ~14MPG.

 

[Builder]

Taken from Wikpida.
The TorqShift is advertised as being a 5 speed automatic, when actually it has six forward speeds. On cold engine operation (below 0 degrees) the overdrive clutch is engaged in third gear for a ratio of 1.09 : 1. The transmission will shift directly to sixth from fourth and fifth is skipped. On a warm engine the shift pattern would be 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th (direct drive), 6th.Chris

So very few people would ever get to use that 6th gear. How many actually see regular drops below 0*?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Based on his claims it gets a lot better fuel economy than the 3 7.3L's I owned.
After ~400K miles of ownership, I never averaged more than ~14MPG.

Check my posts. My 7.3L would do no better than 17 mpg on pure highway. It averaged 14 mpg around town and about 10 towing.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

So very few people would ever get to use that 6th gear. How many actually see regular drops below 0*?

Has nothing to do with needing it. Its part of the heating process, getting things up to temp. It is used when in tow haul mode.

Mute point now that they use a different tranny in the current production trucks.

Chris.

 

[Builder]

Has nothing to do with needing it. Its part of the heating process, getting things up to temp. It is used when in tow haul mode.

Mute point now that they use a different tranny in the current production trucks.

Chris.

Chris,

Good job seeing my point rather than attacking me personally. I concur it has nothing to do with needing it. What my point was mainly to say that the other or 6th gear will rarely be seen by anyone except those stationed in the far north and even then, it's just a switch of gears. It doesn't become a 6 speed transmission below zero.

Let me tell you, the 6th gear will do more for the Ford trucks' performance than extra HP. I believe the 6th gear is what kept the 6,6L HD faster than the 6.4L SD.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Chris,

Good job seeing my point rather than attacking me personally. I concur it has nothing to do with needing it. What my point was mainly to say that the other or 6th gear will rarely be seen by anyone except those stationed in the far north and even then, it's just a switch of gears. It doesn't become a 6 speed transmission below zero.

Let me tell you, the 6th gear will do more for the Ford trucks' performance than extra HP. I believe the 6th gear is what kept the 6,6L HD faster than the 6.4L SD.

It will be seen though. It is used any time tow haul mode is selected so it serves two functions.

As for being faster you and I know there are more factors than just gears. I see cars with Power Glides run great speeds at the strip. The GM trucks prior to the 2011's were on average 600 to 800# lighter than a comparable Ford. That has all changed now with the new stronger frame.

Chris

 

[westcliffe01]

Chris, I am finding it more comfortable than I expected (no load) although it is obviously stiffer than a light truck. The ergonomics work out pretty good. I did get a TPMS error after heading about 30 miles down the road from the dealership. Checked and inflated all the tires and still get the error, so there is a problem with some system component.

One other ***** is that the fuse for the cigarette lighter outlet was blown and the ford engineers installed some device above the fusebox which means that to change a fuse in the engine compartment one now needs a toolbox to remove the valve/actuator whatever it is so that the top of the fusebox can be removed... Very very bad for any customer who didn't bring a socket set in his cabin luggage on his plane ride.

I find it pretty easy to stay above 15mpg in any out of town scenario. Not having a truck cap or tonneau can't be helping. The cab is very quiet considering that the navistar engine is not the quietest beast. Wind noise is well muted given the aerodynamics. I do find that it takes a loooong time for the coolant gauge to rise after a start at 17F. I probably need to look at masking off 3/4 of the radiator, I was thinking of slipping a sheet of cardboard in between the intercooler and the radiator. I will take a look at it this weekend.

Other than that, when I bought it the windshield washer fluid tank was full and as it turns out, it is "southern" fluid, like we use in summer, so once I got north of Ft Wayne it froze in the lines leading to the nozzles....

This morning was my first commute to work with it, on account of unplowed roads and my average there and back on the computer was over 16mpg, so if it stays that way I will be beating the economy of my 1500 Ram with its puny 3.7 V6...

One thing I have found on our outings to Colorado is that the aerodynamic drag at altitude must be substantially reduced since the Ram got over 22mpg towing in the rockies compared to 14-16mpg east of them in the plains. Of course, the power is probably reduced by 30% between 8-10k ft of altitude and that may help too...

That sounds about right from what I have heard about the 6.4L. It does not get the MPG's the 7.3 and 6.0 did but makes really good power.

How do you like it so far?

Chris

 

[Builder]

It will be seen though. It is used any time tow haul mode is selected so it serves two functions.

As for being faster you and I know there are more factors than just gears. I see cars with Power Glides run great speeds at the strip. The GM trucks prior to the 2011's were on average 600 to 800# lighter than a comparable Ford. That has all changed now with the new stronger frame.

Chris

It's not in the frame.

You forgot a fully dressed dmax weighs less at 835lbs than a 6.4L Powerstroke which is 1130 lbs. That's 300 lbs less weight right there.
6.6L Duramax LBZ Specs
6.4 L Power Stroke Specs

I bet the front axle differential on the HD being made of aluminum and IFS weighs considerably less than the SFA axle on the Ford, probably hundreds less pounds.

That's where the weight difference comes in, not the frame and the reason the HD doesn't need as high of a GAWR than a comparable SD, it just doesn't need as heavy as a front suspension because engine & front clip weigh less.

Gotta love the low end torque comparison on the 6.6L v. the 6.4L, too.

The more you know, the more you know!

 

[Diamondpilot]

It's not in the frame.

You forgot a fully dressed dmax weighs less at 835lbs than a 6.4L Powerstroke which is 1130 lbs. That's 300 lbs less weight right there.
6.6L Duramax LBZ Specs
6.4 L Power Stroke Specs

I bet the front axle differential on the HD being made of aluminum and IFS weighs considerably less than the SFA axle on the Ford, probably hundreds less pounds.

That's where the weight difference comes in, not the frame and the reason the HD doesn't need as high of a GAWR than a comparable SD, it just doesn't need as heavy as a front suspension because engine & front clip weigh less.

Gotta love the low end torque comparison on the 6.6L v. the 6.4L, too.

The more you know, the more you know!

That may be true but I have had both my 04 F-250 Power Stroke and my 05 3500 Dmax at the same time and parked them side by side and slid back and forth between the two on my creeper and there was no comparison on the frame. I agree it was not the only reason there was a weight difference but that frame on the Ford was considerably heavier. We can argue if that makes it tougher or not but either way it was heavier built.

Chris

 

[jas67]

does it have a 6.0 in it? that's what my 04 f250 does...

soundguy

Yes, it is a 6.0.