6.0L vs 6.4L Powerstroke: Which One is Better? 

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I worked for Ford at both a dealer and then corporate level. Here’s my .02$ Take the 6.0 all day long. Most of the quirks that led to horror stories are now easy to diagnose and fix or avoid all together. Anything 2005 or later that has Not been tuned, and has had the recommended maintenance done is a great starting point. Look at the engine hours versus mileage. These engines don’t like to idle for long periods of time. do an EGR delete and you’re good. Monitor your temp deltas and FICM and it will last you a long time and be pretty economical. The 6.4 runs like a raped ape but they are a ticking timebomb. And by that I mean you will need a new engine. Not just a head, or a long block, the whole thing which is 12-15k because every runner is spoken for. The mechanics in the comments can get into more detail but usually it’s the #7 or #8 piston that begins the cascade of failure. They usually last 150k. There is no bulletproofing them. Do all the deletes you want and studs it will still blow up. Now add onto that the mileage sucks and it’s a loser. Unless you are building a race truck stay away. All those advocating a 7.3. Have you driven a newer diesel? Its loud, down on power and sucks to start in the cold. Granted it is more reliable, but the truck that it attaches to has a worse transmission, suspension, etc. Plus you’re going to have to rebuild the 4r100 anyway.

Pushing 300k miles on my '09 6.4 F350 work truck. EGR and DPF deleted with a mild tune years ago is all I have done to the thing besides regular maintenance. Gets 21+mpg hits 40lbs of boost and still runs great.

To each his or her own, that being said I am a 6.0 guy all-day long

I'd go with a bulletproofed 6.0L since it has a strong bottom end and less emissions BS

Who in the HELL puts low profile tires on a Superduty!!!!

I had a 2005 6.0 and despite all the problems I worked through I loved that truck. I still feel a 6.0 at full throttle with a 5" MBRP exhaust is one of the best sounding engines out there. I regret selling it a lot. I recently considered buying a 6.4 that was available locally but passed. Instead I'll be waiting till I find the right 6.7 that fits my budget.

That’s like asking do you want to be mauled by a grizzly or attacked by a pack of wolves.

08 6.4 F250: I was terrified by all the reviews of the 6.4 but couldnt pass on the deal i was getting. I got it at 46k, still have it and want to keep if for as long as possible. In the 1st 2 months I had to replace the egr valve, both thermostats and was noticing I was burning through a lot of coolant due to the dpf. At 50k I did a full EGR/DPF delete ( 90% of the truck critical failures come as result of either the EGR or the DPF Messing things up internally) and ordered aH&S Mini Maxx tuner for it. I stay up-to-date with my maintenance currently have 88,000 miles. I deleted everything and installed the tuner over a weekend and have had zero problems since deleting. The truck performs better, sound better and operates without a flaw. There are definitely easier engines to work on, but it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to believe.

I'd take a bulletproofed 6.0 all day long you can't beat the sound those baby's make, and I had a 06 for my first truck and it never left me stranded

Superdutys in Australia never saw the 6.0, they kept the 7.3 with coil spring suspension

The 6.4 is the same engine as the international maxxforce 7 that has plagued the commercial truck business with problems, there is currently a class action lawsuit against navistar over this engine.

I have a 2009 f250 6.4 4x4 with 248,000. Straight piped, egr delete. Just bought it a few weeks ago. Seems to run great! Man all these stories bother me tho! Runs very smooth and tons of power!

230K on my 2009 6.4. I have had small issues, but most are due to upgrading/fixing factory short comings. I have experience with the 6.0 and the 6.4. The 6.4 for me is more responsive and handles heavy loads better than the 6.0. I will have to replace the pistons soon (fear of blowing the engine.) But as of now the true 40psi boost is great!

434k on my 01 7.3 and still going strong.

Have both. 05 Excursion & 08 F250. They seem to fit on the larger international tow trucks the best. 😂 I love them both. Piles of money in the 08’. Hard to beat the sound of a 6oh, and the 6fo is a straight animal. Life is too short to stay stock.

I love my 6.0 fudge the haters lol it has 475,000km on it and still going strong if you do the delete and do proper maintenance on it it's fine

You should have asked “ which one is worse?”

I've got an '06 F350 Lariat FX4 with a 6.0L and once your done with all the regular upgrades it a reliable and great runner. Mine has over 450k kms/277k miles on it, is a daily driver, is all "stock" including emissions, which seriously compared to the new trucks is really almost nothing. Love the sound of the motor, love driving the truck and it pulls an 8000lb camper with absolute ease. Never been in the shop and have done all the work on it in my driveway.

I didn’t know there were actually that many awful looking trucks out there.

I have the 2006 6.0. I did a lot of upper engine work; ARP Studs, milled and o-ringed the heads, new oil cooler, HP radiator, KC Turbo, upgraded 12mm dummy plugs and stand pipes, upgraded STC, blue spring upgrade, and external oil and coolant filter set up. Plus I purchased a SCT X4 Tuner/Monitor to keep track of engine parameters. It is a solid runner now. I think all that was easier than replacing bottom end items in the 6.4, so I would have to say the 6.0 is a better choice for fixing the issues. The secret is to keep it clean and cool; don't skimp on regular maintenance.

Deleted 6.4 with 311,000 miles always towing. Tuner up to 40 psi when empty and very fast/fun. 278K on auto trans before rebuild.

I have a 2000 7.3 & a 2018 6.7. I skipped over the 6.0 & 6.4 years. Very informative video! Shame is that the trucks themselves are very nice. Nice interiors, etc.

6.4 usually has less problems if deleted. I own a 6.0 and would probably buy a 6.4 before I bought another 6.0

Talking about 6.0 having weak head bolts and that being a big problem yet its said you need to bullet proof which doesnt pertain to headstuds but rather the oil cooler and egr cooler? To my knowledge the tty bolts are ok for stock and slightly turned up applications but when the EGR ruptures from lack of coolant caused by a clogged oil cooler and sends coolant into the combustion chamber is when the bolts are usually compromised. The 6.0 isnt a bad motor, which the video state that its a decent motor but you have yo understand the issues on it and which steps to take for your 6.0

We just took the DPF of of our 6.4, we used it for 6 years as a every day driver, the 2 years well we just hauled horses 6 hours away to horse shows every 3 weeks,the 6.4 is much better to be honest butttttttttt the 6.0 still can be reliable if you do the right things ,and all Allways no matter what truck ,keep up with normal maintenance , we still use our 6.4 Powerstroke to this day and we love it and we’ll never get rid of it ,road to 300k miles 94k to go ,road to 9 years 8 years in.

I've never seen so many hideous useless trucks in my life! Those offset wheels scream dork.

I have 352,000 on my 6.4, not a single problem yet. Delete fixed 99% of the issues, 600 hp tuner. Stock pistons are fine after it’s deleted, the extra heat from egr is hard on them. If you want big power all you need is a set of maxxforce 7 pistons (international counterpart to 6.4 powerstroke) and the stock bottom end is capable of 1300 hp.

After working at a Ford dealer which had two shops, one for cars and one for trucks where I was a tech in the truck shop I can easily say the 6.0 is better. When I first started working there I asked all the other techs what they would own. Most said if they could afford a 6.7 they would buy one, others said a 7.3 if they could find one cheap and rust free whether or not it ran. When it came down to the 6.0 and 6.4 not a single person ever said they would own a 6.4! In fact two guys I worked with actually had 6.0s lol. As far as work that I have done on them usually the 6.0s had oiling issues or needed fuel injectors. The 6.4s always came in needing an engine after the owner neglected to change the oil in time and the truck "made oil" which was thinned out by fuel and either made the truck run away or wore out bearing material prematurely. All in all I tell all my friends and customers, a 6.0 Will be a decent truck with some time and money but stay FAR FAR away from 6.4s

6.0 for the simple reason. It doesnt have near the catastrophic failures where you need the one part number (complete drop in engine) to fix it.

Have a bulletproofed 6.4. Getting 20 highway on my +150 tune and enjoying it so far.

Love my 6.4 deleted at 36k miles, have 174k on it now and all I’ve done is oil changes brakes and tires! Fortunately! Hope to go another 174k!!

6.0! Easier to work on and are power houses.

You left out that the 6.0 is fully rebuild able the 6.4 was designed as a throw away motor. We went thru 5-6.4 motors before we found one that was capable of being rebuilt. Every one of them had cracked heads. But after a year of research and custom ground cam with more oil ports, roller rockers and lifters and stronger push rods, way better custom better built pistons, and bunch of other upgrades and $24,000 later we have a good motor now. If I had to do it again, I would junk the POS and buy a 6.7L

My 2006 F250 2wd 6.0l is running strong (completely stock accept for Coolant Filter and SCT Tuner). It has almost 90,000 miles and gets 15 quarts of Rotella T-6 every 5000 miles. It averages 18-19 mpg EVERY tank full..on long trips it gets as high as 24 mpg. Pulling my 5th wheel it gets 11.5-13 mpg. Temp delta's run 8-10 degrees @ 65 mph unloaded. I know that "Bullet Proofing" is in my future, right now I am just loving the 6.0L!!!

I race a 6.0 and every shop or racer I talk to says the same thing “almost every 6.4 we get needs a whole new motor” but the only thing 6.0s are coming in for are head studs and deletes. Not new motors.

I’ve got a 09 6.4. Driving it going on 6 years with no problems. It’s my work truck and it was priced low because of its reputation, $15,000 with 47k miles. A Duramax or Cummins was twice the price. Current mileage is 140k. Truck can grenade tomorrow and I’m ok with it. I’ve got my money’s worth.

Very helpful and knowledgeable videos! Thx

Seing this is an older video, the 6.7 has it's own problems that are just as expensive to repair . The 6.0 and 6.4 have to be deleted to be reliable and both need certain areas that if addressed make both of them good . The 6.4 is a beast of power that can run fine tuned between 5 to 6 hundred HP making as much or more than the 23 6.7 high output. My 08 6.4 has 240,000 miles and gets 19 MPG as a daily driver on the highway empty gets close to 30 MPG. Pulling my 4 horse with living quarters trailer around 15K I get around 17 MPG so I will stick with the 6.4 as being the better of the two!

6.0, because I own one

0:15 😂 son you never heard of the oldsmobile 5.7 but I understand it’s probably before tour time

Had an 08 work truck with a 6.4. Others in the fleet had the same and none were able to make 100k with out destruction. I had the regen delete done and they took my truck away from me at 240K. It was still running good and I wanted to keep. The 6.7 I got was not nearly as responsive or fuel efficient. That regen strategy is bad. puts fuel in the basement and that is never good

Do a video on the the Ford 460 big block pros and cons vs the 6.9l idi and 7.3 idi pros and cons

Any chance you could do a video showing the pros and cons of the 3.5 eco boost and Ls3

I’m gonna be honest here from experience. My family owns all types of diesel trucks, I personally have a 6.0 power stroke which is deleted bulletproofed tuned and basically everything done to the motor, I have only had one problem with the motor which was a bad alternator. Now my brothers 5.9 Cummins has had a shit ton of issues even though his truck has about 80,000 less miles he has put about $10000 into it even though he has only had it for a couple months. I use my 6.0 as a work truck but it is also built up and I love the thing

I think you forgot to mention how the re gen melts down the Pistons on the 6.4. 6.0 is definitely way less problematic by far.

06 f250 with 288k and climbing. My dad bought it new off the lot in 06, it blew head gaskets at 50k and that's when we did head studs, ever since then it was a daily driver and it was stock. I got it a couple years ago at 234k and I did intake, 5" exhaust, blue spring kit, other suspension stuff. I just put a tow tune on it about 2 days ago so we'll see how that goes. Maintenance is done early or on the dot. Never late. Oil change every 3k since I do a lot of towing and fuel filters every 10k and full addtives then too, Trans and coolant flushes done on time too. She runs like a dream.

Agreed. I’ve upgraded both motors and they’re both great.

Gotta say the 6.4 l body style is definitely my favorite, wish I could buy a 2009 and swap a 7.3 l in to it

I'm willing to bet if you put good pistons, deleted it, head stud it, and changed around some of the coolers. The 6.4 would be a reliable engine.... granted that's some next level dedication sinking that much money into it

are head bolts and head studs the same thing?

I found a 6.0 with all the Bulletproofing completed. It also has a lot of other mods done as well. It's got 199k miles on it with a rebuilt engine...should I touch it? It's has been tuned and deleted. It's an 06 F350.

I love my 6.4 550HP 1275 torque built and fully delete

My 7.3 just keeps running and running and other than changing to 1.5 injectors and installing a +140hp tune (which at max makes the transmission shift very hard) it gets 20mpg and will pull anything, including your truck via chain if you park it in my way.. i can go through any mudhole that anyone else can, and winch you out if you don't make it. Still getting 20mpg.. and I have less than 10K in my truck, new tires and all. Only downside is starting cold..

So both are good, just don't go crazy on mods unless I want to build everything else up, got it.

I have the 2004 6.0l in a F250 4x4. All my research says the 6.0l is better if its issues are corrected. If you have the 6.0 and have all the upgrades Ford has done and Bullet proof Diesel this can be one strong engine. No tuning done just leave in stock form and do required maintenance. I'm very happy with my 6.0l and it tows my travel trailer just fine. I run a Scan Gauge ll and constantly monitor all my engine functions. I recommend the Scan Gauge ll. Bullet Proof Diesel has the Scan Gauge ll and it's already preset for out out the box use.

Have you ever did magum 5.9?

I have worked both for 2 plus years at the same time. We had a 2004 6.0 f550 and a 2008 6.4 f350. The 6.0 pulled harder had better throttle response and it did require about 15-17k in repairs within the first 100k miles of its life. The 6.4 was fine for a half ton truck but for the 1 ton it was supposed to be that thing was a dogturd

Parts are hard to come by for the 6.4. And a lot of parts are not rebuildable. They are fast.....when they run. Personally I’d do a 5.9 swap.

You should do a video on the nissan SR20 engine

I Love my 6.0 Yes i dumped some Money into it but it was well worth it. Making just under 600 HP And can be driven daily.

6.4L is my pick. Why? It's a beautiful truck compared to the 6.0. The interior and the exterior look so much better. I am not going to drive an f-ugly truck. But If 6.4L owners did the following, they wouldn't be whining about the 6.4L: 1) use it...don't abuse it. 2) you MUST stay up on fluid and filter changes by the book, don't go over! 3) delete the EGR/DPF as soon as the warranty expires, and 4) don't buy a used truck without seeing a detailed summary of its maintenance history. The truth is: the 6.4 haters abused it, changed oil every 10-15K miles, diluted the hell out of the oil with fuel, tuned it to some crazy psycho tune, never cleaned their DPF, ignored the regen process for far to long...then want to complain the truck blew up on them. Its like a plane...you neglect the maintenance you're going down...and by that I mean financially you're going down in the 6.4L.

Clearly the winner is the 7.3

The two most work on trucks I've ever had come on my performance shop bullet proofed or not

Was that a uti student doing that assembly? Sure looked like it was his first time!

My local truck dealer, Pacific Auto, does not sell the 6.4's at all, but they have 6.0's all day.

I know a lot of guys that damn near went bankrupt w 6 and 6.4 l bowing up. I'd never buy either ever

I had a Ford 06 model 6.0 the only reason why I got rid of it was because the frame was rusted the only thing I ever had to do to it was replace injectors it was all stock

I have a deleted 6.4. Semi-synthetic oil every 5K, new filters regularly, EGR block off, and coolant filter. It pulls a 16K gooseneck all summer like a kitten on a string. Saving up for a 5.9 Cummins when it blows up.

6.0 powerstroke has a lot of horsepower and torque 2003-2007 but with emissions standards it's a lot easier to find a 6.7 powerstroke from 2011-2022 and do an engine swap to 6.0 powerstroke to 6.7 powerstroke to F250 - F350 dually from 2003-2010 and F250 - F350 dually from 2011-2022 any 6.0 f250 F350 it's a good candidate for 6.7 powerstroke and any 2008-2010 F250- F450 6.4 power stroke the prices for these trucks on the used market are pretty reasonable it might be a little bit more expensive if the truck is in mint condition and with low mileage

It’s funny I wonder if the early duramaxes had the same turbo problems since they used basically the same Garrett turbo

I would go for the 6.0L powerstroke and bullet proof it, the 6.4L has these emissions to deal with!

6.4's also have turbo seal problems mostly due to the regen process building up so much heat.

Between the 2 the 6.0 is the better of the two. Once you bullet proof a 6.0 they’re actually a pretty reliable engine. The 6.4 just has worse issues, especially with the cylinder heads not having valve guides in them. But one thing is for sure. If you drive a 6.4 with just a tune it’ll blow you away lol. They make a ton of power in stock form. I’ll just stick to my shitty dodge with the best engine they ever put in a truck though. Lol.

I drive over 5,000 miles on my '07 6.0 monthly (driving from Western NC to Washington DC every week - and then around town driving). Yes I had the engine dealerproofed using Powerstroke Specialty in Buford, GA., yes is was a bit expensive, but its been worth EVERY penny (and with low purchase pricing on 6.0s - dealerproofing was nearly a wash). I plan to put over 600k on the truck in the next 10 years - the truck had 150k on it when I got it - and it just went over 200k this week - 50k in 10 months). After having the truck worked on by Powerstroke Specialty; it's been a dream to own. With no EGR, no DPF and no DEF. ...I idle the engine with nearly no worries on cold DC days - and I also get to drive lefty DC people crazy :-)). I 100% change the oil every 5k (so once a month), I always use Rotella T6, Ford filters, Archoil Friction Modifier, Fuel Treatment and Fuel System Cleaner (you can get a kit on Amazon for $95 - good for 5k miles). Change the fuel filters...BOTH on a 6.0...always at 10k. ...as US diesel is nasty. Drain and fill your coolant every 60k (never more than 60k miles and never flush - just drain and fill - use ONLY Ford VC-7-B Gold and ALWAYS a new Ford radiator cap). Change the transmission fluid & filter at 60k also (no need to get fancy - again - just drain and fill - Ford filters, Ford Mercon SP fluid). I also installed a Sinister Diesel oil and coolant bypass system (works ok good) and their Blue Spring kit. With a Loony toon (and all the other sh*t :-))...I get right at 19mpg driving 80mph. F the EPA, drive one of the last real diesel trucks and smoke all the a**holes on the road.

I've got an 03 6.0 which is the best 6.0 ever made due to it still being an international and it is a lot like the 7.3 in that way the newer 6.0 went to the navistar then became not so good with the stand pipe the dummy pins the plastic really being added all over the engine is not good so I'm a 1st gen 6.0 guy till I die

The 6.0 is a fan favorite. The 6.4 is the underdog

Man the way pronounce Navistar is funny I use to work there and actually talk to one of the engineers that designed the 7.3 he was a cool guy Literally out of all the big wigs he was the only one that engaged in a conversation with me

Stop with the Navi -Star BS. It's pronounced Navastar. Oh, and yes... 6.0L everyday over the boat anchor 6.4L.

I love my 6.4, never had an issue *knocks on wood* but the 5r110w is the worst trans I've come across. I've had my truck since january and I dont beat on it, I rarely tow with it but it's my daily driver. And I've put 30k on it and I'm going into my 3rd 5r110w.

As i watch this video I'm reminded Of another. Shall we say less than stellar diesel. G.M.'s 5.7 liter V8. From late 70s.

I just bought a f350 with the 6.4. Im pretty sure it's in stock form. No programming and such. Bought it for the farm and has a flatbed on it so, less weight. It will be towing a 5000lbs horse trailer and, a 24ft gooseneck. I've always had gassers so dont know much of diesel mechanics. Where should I start first in making it more reliable?

You can build a bulletproof 6.0 that will run with a heavy tuned/deleted 6.4 an have reliability of the 7.3 truck. 6.0 for the win. Cant replace the 6.0 sound. That's a bonus

How do you get 4 values per cylinder with a single cam? I'm assuming it's a pushrod engine with the single cam being in the valley of the "V".

I have a 6.4 with almost 200,000 on it and she’s a damn BEAST any truck that gets near me is not near me long lol I’ll see you in my rear view mirror.

Or instead of getting one of those just get a 5.9 12 valve or the 7.3 obs

You're wrong about Ford and Navistar designing the 6.4, Navistar had Renault design the engine and Ford was just bound under contract to buy the motor.

7.3!, 7.3!!, 7.3!!! Yeah it lacks a LITTLE HP until you install a Hydra Tuner. But, You can't beat the reliability!!!

Do a egr delete on 6.0 and straight pipe it and keep it stock and it’ll last a long time

Now like what if I’m not modifying it and just need it for work or just daily driver

It’s called keep up on your maintenance and it is reliable , 6.0 is reliable just keep up the maintence oil changes anti freeze changes on time no issues . Bullet proofing is cool but if the truck is stock just keep the maintenance schedule on time.

I bought those wheels on that bagged 6.4 from Salina’s lol

If you just delete your 6.0 you will have no problem with egr and if you bullet proof it, it will be a lot stronger and is one of the more reliable Diesel engines. I have 2 6.4’s and I’ve blown one of them two times and I put 1200 dollar pistons on it and it runs like a dream and I haven’t had any problems. Both of them are an amazing engine and the 6.4 is an extremely tunable engine and makes very good for a race truck because of the turbos and just raw power they have

I love my 6.4! I put a ton of work into it but still love it ha

Naveestar?

6.4L is a absolute powerhouse, but it wont last. 6.0L are kinda slow. They sound really good and can last a long time if done up right. If I had to choose one, I'd probably pick the 6.4L but I wouldn't plan on keeping it long 😂

I appreciate all the information, but I think it would be better relayed if you were to show the guts and designs you were talking about. Makes it a little easier for the visual learners, as well as fully addressing all the aspects of your subject.

6 leaker. Miss mine

Does any one remember the Gmc 350 engine that was made in to a diesel?

My 6.0 is my baby. 24/7 My money maker.