Ford Diesel 6.4 Facts

Ford Diesel 6.4 Information

Popular Questions

Ford 6.4 diesel maintenance ? I am aware of specific maintenance requirements & I am also required to inform new owners about these requirements. But I am not a technician & neither are the new owners that I need to talk to. What I need to explain (in simple terminology, no tech talk ) is this : "Fuel-water separator should be drained monthly to avoid possible water in the fuel injectectors" (quote copied from:2008 Ford dealer esource book, maintenance, 6.4 liter diesel) Can/would you tell me (or describe to me) how to show or explain this maintenance to a novice or new owner ?

Andrew replied: "The fuel / water separator is actually the fuel filter. It is located on top of the engine in between the 2 valve covers. There is a easy to remove cover on top of it. Remove the cover and you are looking at the fuel filter.. It's the round thingy. On the bottom of that filter somewhere is a valve with a hose attached to it. The hose goes to the bottom of the engine to let the water/fuel out. Just turn the valve and let it drain..it will be only a little bit of water/fuel. If you are environmentally conscious place a drain pan under the motor to catch the drippings. Make sure the valve is tightened back up and replace the cover."

toive67 replied: "there is a light on the dash that will tell you if you get the smallest ammount of water in the filter housing so the only time i do this is at regular filter changes or if the light comes i have over 300,000 miles on my 99. okay open the hood in the center of the engine under a black flip up cover is your filter housing, there is a little yellow lever on the side of it that will drain the fuel/water out,there is atube that drops down by the center of the front axel so that you can catch any fluid drained out with a small pan usually about a quart will come out when drained just make sure to close the yellow valve or fuel will continue to drain and the fuel pnmp will pump enough fuel to keep it running and make a big mess at the same time. good luck"

rjm replied: "The fuel filter / drain for the 2008 superduty is on the frame rail underneath the truck. Not too far from the driver door. Just forward of it on the trucks frame. It was moved from the engine area in 2003. There is a yellow tab that the customer can turn, which will drain the water out of the trap. There is a warning light on the dash if the trap fills up. Think of oil and water.They don't mix. Diesel fuel is basically oil. It cannot absorb water very well. It separates out in this device. It is actually called the HFCM. It contains the low pressure fuel pump, and filter assemblly, and water trap. It is a aluminum cylinder shape, with a black cap to unscrew for the filter. The water trap is on the bottom, where water would naturally settle. If you use bio diesel, which is prone to water and acids, I'd increase the drain interval. Ford engineer Superduty team."

lightningfastfords replied: "Hi, Ethol Steve here ! Diesel Fuel #1 & # 2 type fule,one is cheaper and only used for heavey equipment and burns very dirty and you can be find $$$$$$ for useing the wrong fule in your diesel,Diesel and air Create water and since water will settle at the bottom of a separator and or filter, it is not a filter its only job is to remove water, and heavy sediment, there is a filter is in the tank and after the separator, 2 total OK , just like a air compressor has a drain at the bottom to let out the water, all air compressors tanks have this, paint spraying good painters have more that on to be sure no water gets into the paint , since diesels don't use spark plugs, diesel is fired by compression only when compressed it exploded, water and diesel fuel go hand in hand, the compression PSI on a diesel is 350 to 400 PSI, not like a car 125 150 psi it creates water particle's, so and on the diesels its a clear container and you will see water and sediment in the container, where ever its mounted all vehicles is different location, but can be easily found its just before the fuel enters the engine , and diesels are cold engins by nature,this is why Glow Plugs are needed for cold starts and thats all they do is heat the fuel , watch the Ice road trucker and see what they go thru trying to get rid of water in comppressed air lines on the history chanel, I did not think you were asking the location of the unit only the why and whats about it, I hope I helped you, have a great day I will Call You E.D. OK, stands for Ethol Diesel now that sounds cool some of the anserws I saw were pretty good"

Ford Girl replied: "While I'm not aware of the recommended interval for draining the water separator, to err on the side of caution, I would personally recommend draining the water separator on these trucks once a month, as well as during every oil change. Like RJM already says, the drain is located on the inner side of the driver side framerail, about the area where the driver door is situated, is where the HFCM (Horizontal Fuel Conditioning Module) is mounted. This module houses the primary fuel filter, the "water in fuel" sensor, the fuel pump, and the water separator drain you inquire about. To drain it, simply move the yellow lever to the other side momentarily until all the fuel and water mixture drains out. Ford did something right for 2008 by changing it from a 6mm allen head type plug (which always tended to seize up due to corrosion, resulting in replacement of the HFCM manifold) type plug, to a simple yellow plastic lever, making it easier for the average owner to perform this very simple, but very important routine maintenance. For 6.0L equipped F-series truck owners, I strongly recommend replacing the existing 6mm allen head plug to bronze knob style ones used on the LCF trucks. It makes this task much easier, and less messy. This drain plug can be ordered from any Ford dealer parts department for a small amount. The part number is 6E7Z-9C082-A. If you're interested in having a glance at what it looks like, click on the link below: "

gearbox1 replied: "RJM and Ford girl are correct (and thanks for the idea Ford Girl.. usually all I do is drain it when I pull that nightmare 6.0 fuel filter (you know the one.... the one that's either got the PTO or 4x4 driveshaft in the way and need a 36mm 3/8 drive socket and lots of dexterity LOL :-) But anyhow, Ethel I'd expect you to know about this though from all of those test you have to take to stay certified for Ford (I find they do ask weird questions that apparently isn't in the sourcebook huh?!?)... Most services on the Diesel (like air filter and fuel/water separator drainage) is described in plain english in the Diesel engine guide suppliment that is supplied with each vehicle... BTW, here is the one for the 2008 trucks: Fuel/water separator drainage is described in detail starting on page 34 for the E-series (F-series is after that)"

Does anyone know where the IAT sensor is on a 2008 Ford F450 6.4 Diesel? I am looking for the location of my IAT sensor on my 2008 Ford F-450 it has the 6.4 Twin Turbo Diesel. Can any one help me locate this sensor please?? Thank you NEREPOS

Jordan C replied: "It is usually somewhere in the intake track before the turbo if I remember correctly. Look for an electrical wire that runs somewhere into your intake tube (not the MAF if equipped) and it should be stuck in the intake tube somewhere."

Brian replied: "I am not familiar with your truck but most intake air sensors are located on the air intake between the engine (or in your case turbo) and the air filter. The sensors are usually small with two wires and on newer vehicles they tend to be on the underside of the air intake hose or the side of the air filter case. Hope that helps if not you may ask at a parts house to see if it shows on their diagrams."

how do you change the oil in a 6.4 Ford diesel truck? I would like step by step instructions please. :) Thanks!

Core replied: "The same way you change any other car. Take the bolt off, let it drain, install the new filter, put the bolt back on, and fill the reservoir back up."

keithhernadez replied: "to begin with, I pull the dip stick, open the oil fill cap and break open the oil filter cap. This will release most of the oil out of the oil filter housing. I then use a 19MM or 3/4" socket to remove the drain plug and always replace the copper gasket otherwise you WILL drip oil. While the oil is draining (it will take a while) I move up top to the motor and replace the oil filter, its pretty straight forward it just un-snaps and snaps in the top of the plastic cap. Remember to replace the gasket with a new one and then I put it back together being careful not to over tighten the plastic cap By this time most of the oil should be drained and then I pour 1 to 1.5QRTs of fresh oil in the motor and let it drain out to get the rest of the dirty oil in the bottom of the pan. Install the plug with a new cooper gasket. While I'm under there I go ahead and drain the water seperator for 30 seconds too"

havaseat replied: "DO WHAT NO 2 ADVISED ON A WARM MOTOR THE LAST FLUSH CAN BE REUSED IF CAUGHT IN CLEAN CATCH PAN THEN ITS TIME TO START GREASING MANY POINTS DONT FORGET"

when is ford going to issue recall on the 6.4 diesel? when is ford going to issue a recall on the 6.4 diesel,there seems to be a problem with them staying in one piece. how many out there have blown motors?

boogie_4wheel replied: "A recall for what? There is about 30 of them on site where I've been working at for the last year. None of them have had any issues with the DPF or anything else. They have been exposed to extended periods of idling and slow speeds at full GVW."

Does anyone has MPG on a 2008 Ford F 350 Diesel 6.4? I will be towing 14,000 lbs with a 2008 F350 with the new diesel 6.4. Can anyone tell me my expected MPG?.

Jeff replied: "It depends on what gear you have(3.73,4.10,or 4.30) and the speed you are driving. Your mileage could be between 8~13 mpg."

Will you be able to put exhaust on the new 6.4 diesel ford has, or will it mess with the electronics??? what upgrades will you be able to do to them with out really messing them up

P-field,IN replied: "yes but air exhaust changes may warrant some tweeking of your dianostics. but usually nothing needs done at all"

eaglefox200 replied: "It won't mess with the electronics per se, but it will cause your Super Duty to fail any emissions test and trigger a "Check Engine Light." The 6.4L Powerstroke exhause is very sensitive because of the new EPA rules."

Rakel replied: "The 6.4L is still too new to comment on. However, those who choose to "modify" their new trucks with chips & programmers etc. WILL void their warranty!!! Considering 90% of any work on these engines requires the body to be removed from the frame, I doubt those same people condsidering modifying, will be very happy about having to pay the high labour costs to repair these engines. Also bear in mind, there were issues of the paint baking off the hoods of the pre-production models, due to the high heat generation from the twin turbos, so anyone who's even thinking of messing around with the boost pressures should know this."

rjm replied: "Listen to rakel. I work for Ford in diesel. Do not mess with this engine. It is loaded up with emissions devices, and has a particulate filter in the exhaust system that is programmed be be cleaned or "regenerated" by the engine management system about every 300 miles. You goof up that system it's bye bye warranty and hello check engine lights."

gearbox1 replied: "It won't mess up the electronics but will mess up a lot of stuff for emissions.... Dealers are being told to tell customers (It is so strict even the sales people are being told to tell their customers) that basically you can do no modifications to the exhaust as it will mess up the exhausts ability to burn off the particulates caught in that filter that was talked about... Basically as Rakel and the other gentleman said... Hello check engine lights and bye bye warranty as the 6.0 engines had a lot of warranty denials due to modifications (and the 6.4 is even worse) It was estimated by Ford that the particulate filter may have to be cleaned every 120k miles physically... With any modifications (or running high sulfer or off road diesel) bringing down that maintaince possibly as low as 15k miles Plus I wonder how many of the power programmers like Banks is gonna sell a exhaust system wastegate and such where access is best done by actually lifting the cab off the truck (as most people don't have a $4000 rack and the proper tie downs to lift a cab)?"

ETHOL replied: "why would you want to 'put exhaust' or 'upgrades' on a brand new truck like that at all? I don't know, call me 'old fashioned' or something, but i can't see modifying, or pimping out a truck like that at all. It is an expensive & complicated piece of equipment that is designed to WORK. It is meant to do a job. It isn't made as a toy to pimp out. Screw with it & you void your warranty. Why would anybody want to do that.? Wouldn't it be better to buy a used 7.3 powerstroke that is already out of warranty & 'pimp & modify' that to your hearts content....... I mean really....it doesn't make sense to buy a sophisticated piece of equipment for $40-50,000...and then screw with it's ability to do what it is designed to do.......WORK. Ive been selling these phenominal machines for over 20 years. I have a lot of respect for a machine that can do the job that they were intended for. I have a lot of respect for the owners of these trucks that buy them. They are not toys"

scooter65 replied: "Ford has also paid too much in the past for repairs done under warranty to vehicles that had been chipped (modified electronically) so they have come up with some pretty good ideas and implemented them to deter their warrany abuse claims. Ford now has installed in the PCM a "TATTLETALE", if a chip or any electrical performance modification has been done , the PCM will store the data( will not set a check engine lite) but the next time that the truck is at a Ford dealer and a scan tool is attached, info will reveal that modifications have been done, and guess what...bye bye warranty. Its gone!! Kind of a spendy risk, around 40-50K$ mistake. My advise , if you buy a 6.4L don't modify it."

Ford diesel help!!!! please? My dads 2008 ford f-250 diesel (6.4 l powerstroke) seems to have a small problem. When i go to school i leave my truck in the hot sun for about 8 hours and when i get back the first time i turn the key the truck doesnt start and when i let go the motor squeaks. But the second time i turn the key it starts with no problem. It has about 19000+ miles and we give it regular maintenance. I have been a little bit of a lead foot on the truck because it sooo fun to drive. I hit 90, peel out, drop the pedal to the floor from a dead stop. Am i being a deuce bag to the truck? But the real question is whats wrong with the truck.

eaglefox200 replied: "Sounds bizarre, I would recommend taking it in to your dealer."