looking at a used/tuned 6.4

[NCSU dirt man]

The truck is a one-owner 2010 F250 Lariat with only 48k miles on it and appears to be in almost perfect condition. A local dealership bought it but found out the last owner had a tuner on it and claims supposedly the EGR & *** were ******d so they won't sell it to me directly. When I went to look at the truck myself the other night the *** system appears to be on the truck underneath it (maybe the dealer had reinstalled it at this point, I don't know) but I didn't see any programmer inside the truck. I spoke with the sales manager and he said he would be sending it to auction in the next couple weeks to let a wholesaler purchase it but that he would inform the buyer of the truck that I was interested. My question at this point is should I even continue to look into the truck or just leave it alone and start looking elsewhere? I was also wondering if the PCM or any of the computer stuff might be locked or if I was even able to put another tuner on it? I was wondering if the truck might be able to be had for a bargain potentially? Thanks for any input

 

[sootie]

an H&S would allow you to overwrite anything that is currently on the truck. I would check out for any dried coolant around the degas bottle and all the regular precautions.

Try and drive the truck if you can. Hopefully the the filter has been gutted and you will be good to go. if they just slapped one on, it will harm the truck. If is does have the egr missing and no tuner, there will be a CEL

 

[ckrueg]

I bought a 2010 with a ****** and unknown tune on it and if you use an h&s you can just overwrite the existing tune on it. It's always a risk buying one that was tuned in case the previous owner beat on it, but if you can see the service records and it drives fine I would consider it. I got mine from a dealer and it was in great shape with 278k on it and drove fine. I got an h&s around 300k and I'm currently at 335k with the only problems being a brake switch and starter solenoid.

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[NCSU dirt man]

an H&S would allow you to overwrite anything that is currently on the truck. I would check out for any dried coolant around the degas bottle and all the regular precautions.

Try and drive the truck if you can. Hopefully the the filter has been gutted and you will be good to go. if they just slapped one on, it will harm the truck. If is does have the egr missing and no tuner, there will be a CEL

ok cool thanks man I appreciate it. i can't really do anything currently as the dealing isn't wanting to sell it to me & the sales manager acted like he just wanted the truck gone. so i'm hoping i'll hear something from the next owner/wholesaler. i'd go to the auction myself but it's limited to dealers only from what i can tell

I bought a 2010 with a ****** and unknown tune on it and if you use an h&s you can just overwrite the existing tune on it. It's always a risk buying one that was tuned in case the previous owner beat on it, but if you can see the service records and it drives fine I would consider it. I got mine from a dealer and it was in great shape with 278k on it and drove fine. I got an h&s around 300k and I'm currently at 335k with the only problems being a brake switch and starter solenoid.

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alright thanks man. i'd like to find either a 6.4 or 6.7 that's used but not been abused if possible haha

 

[JMart]

I would find a different truck, like one that hasn't been tuned or doesn't have a 6.4 in it.

 

[NCSU dirt man]

let me ask this... i've found a local, low mileage '08 FX4 6.4 job 1 powerstroke. just one owner who drove it 63k miles. the carfax report shows no problems at all with the truck and frequent maintenance (almost every 5k consistently which is reassuring). the truck is also listed at about $3-4k or so below KBB value, however it is missing a few options that I have seen on most FX4's such as leather, power seats, tow mirrors, trailer brake & factory toggle switches etc. but I know I can purchase those things at a later date. The only thing listed as far as repairs go that even seems to be above the norm is the repair stated as "Engine/powertrain computer/module reprogrammed" which was done in late september of 2011. i'm going to look at it tomorrow night hopefully. my question is with a job 1 truck like this one that has run just fine over 8 years (at least according to the carfax report) is there anything particularly that I should look for on it as a problem? it appears stock as well from what i can tell by the pics

 

[drunk on diesel]

Job 1's are fine. I've owned two of them with zero issues.

 

[NCSU dirt man]

Issues that I can think of just from some quick reading about the early '08 job 1 trucks

-wires chaffing (can I check this with the truck on the ground?)
-earlier 08 radiators
-TCM recalibration (only allowed under warranty?)
-oil dilution (other than checking the dipstick can I tell much?)
-soot marks under the hood near the turbo?

 

[NCSU dirt man]

Job 1's are fine. I've owned two of them with zero issues.

Thanks for the reassurance. This truck seems to be a deal. Hopefully it truly is and there's not a hidden reason as to why that might be...

 

[drunk on diesel]

If the truck has made it this far with no problems, I bet it's trouble-free as far as the "Job 1 concerns" go. All general 6.4 concerns are still valid!

 

[NCSU dirt man]

Let me ask this then... How long will a 6.4L engine or the automatic tranny live if I choose to ****** the *** & EGR and choose to go with just a cold air intake, Flo Pro exhaust and a mild to moderate custom ****** tune? Which I would be driving it conservatively and also be doing some decent towing with a trailer and mini excavator occasionally. I also realize this is contingent upon me finding a 6.4L that has been "pampered" more or less by some old man (most of the 6.4's I'm looking at have very low mileage and seem to have been well taken care of. At this point I don't really care to purchase something that I feel someone may have abused. But I also know to do ARP head studs and other supporting mods for any amount of power above 550rwhp would easily cost me $3k or better I assume (a cost I'd rather not immediately incur after the first couple months of purchasing the truck haha)

 

[drunk on diesel]

lots of folks will say they're done for at 150k miles, but I see them get up into the 300k range with regular maint and non-abusive driving style

 

[DiehardFordguy]

While I agree, it seems like 6.4 failures are somewhat fluke with the cracked pistons what not.. If it wasn't ******d till 100k, and the people were ignorant with 5-7k OCI, the oil had a lot of diesel.. I think that and bad fuel quality wrecks most of them.. On your question, the trans will handle a tune providing you don't beat on it. The engine is the same IMO.

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[drunk on diesel]

5-7k OCI isn't bad if the truck is running down the highway...

if that 5-7k includes weeks of idle time, then yeah, you're gonna have a bad time

I've owned multiple 100k+ 6.4's that were 35mph avg trucks with 5-7k OCI that were absolutely flawless for another 100k miles.

The biggest thing I see every winter (just saw the second one this season the other day) are H&S tuned trucks cracking the pistons and torching the cylinder walls. I BELIEVE (but can't say for certain) it's guys getting on it when the engine is cold and/or more timing advance with colder ambient temps?

YMMV

 

[drunk on diesel]

two winters ago we had two hard cold snaps over the course of five weeks... had six 6.4's come in with cracked pistons. All H&S tuned. The entire rest of that year we had one.

Make no mistake, I'm not blaming H&S tuning. I've run it with zero issues as do many people. It's by far the most popular/common 6.4 tuning out there, so law of averages says you're going to see more trucks with it. I've seen them cracked on other tunes as well.

 

[Big Bad 6.4]

My job 1 6.4 has just about 129,000 on it, with H&S tunes and the basic 6.4 mods with no major issues... Knock on wood. It's been in the low teens to mid 30's here and I just drive it carefully. 5k OCI and 10k fuel filter intervals.

 

[NCSU dirt man]

so basically you're good in a 6.4L so long as you don't run a hot tune or drive it like a 16 year old it sounds haha

 

[DiehardFordguy]

5-7k OCI isn't bad if the truck is running down the highway...

if that 5-7k includes weeks of idle time, then yeah, you're gonna have a bad time

I've owned multiple 100k+ 6.4's that were 35mph avg trucks with 5-7k OCI that were absolutely flawless for another 100k miles.

The biggest thing I see every winter (just saw the second one this season the other day) are H&S tuned trucks cracking the pistons and torching the cylinder walls. I BELIEVE (but can't say for certain) it's guys getting on it when the engine is cold and/or more timing advance with colder ambient temps?

YMMV

You make me feel good about our 6.4s.. Maybe I won't give them away just yet. They're work beasts when running. OP it all depends if you want a 6.4 or not!

 

[Big Bad 6.4]

so basically you're good in a 6.4L so long as you don't run a hot tune or drive it like a 16 year old it sounds haha

Ha ha! I'd say so. I run mine on the H&S Hot Damn 300 tune which is their hottest but then again I don't abuse the truck either. I guess it's like anything else. Use it the way it's intended or built for and you should be good. Beat on it like a rented mule and set the timer for when it gives up the ghost. I know I can get on it and it will get me to what I like to call "warp speed" and will pull all day but I also treat her good and gently so she gives me what I want. Lol

 

[Powerstroke Man 6.4]

lots of folks will say they're done for at 150k miles, but I see them get up into the 300k range with regular maint and non-abusive driving style

This is true I currently have a job 3, 28x,000 miles no problems GH tuned it does have a single turbo on it though. :thumbsup:

(Maintenance maintenance and more maintenance is key LOL.)

I usually do maintenance on both my 6.4's every 5K oil/filter and fuel filters.