ive heard alot about the bad gas mileage on the 6.4s. and the problems with the new twin turbo mtr. thats why i bought an 06 f350 6.0 ive got as many as 21mpg and as low as 3.3mpg plowing while holding a fully loaded sander weighing 4000lbs

 

Like I stated.....Just having fun. Don't care what you drive or how it looks as long as you are happy. Stroke before cummin....LOL

 

Hey there, I have the same truck with 29,000 kms and use the truck for work and for pulling a 31' travel trailer with a quad in the back and three dirt bikes on racks mounted on the trailer. I am dealing with the exact same fuel issues and mentioned it to the dealer and was told thats the way it is. But I also find that sometimes and this is when i'm not loaded the power is weak but then the next day its not too bad. I am suspecting though this may be due to break in, as previously I owned an 07 f150 supercrew with the 5.4 and at about 40,000 kms it was like a switch went off and the fuel mileage went up as well as power went up noticeably on the highway with a k&n filter I might add. I guess that's the price you pay for owning a nice truck. However I am thinking of a k&n filter and a muffler tail pipe combo just to see if that helps if it doesn't I will add a cold air and a programmer. Cheers and good luck!

 

LMAO, you avoided problems with the 6.4L by purchasing the most unreliable diesel engine ever made. The 6.0L nearly put Ford out of buisness and is the reason Ford and International don't have a contract now. I don't understand your reasoning.

The DPF is what kills the mileage on the 6.4L. Get used to it. This filter is NEVER going away. All the manufacturers are required to use it on new diesel trucks and they are all experiencing low MPG. The biggest reason for the reduced mileage is the "regen" cycle the truck has to make to clean the DPF. This cycle injects more fuel to essentially raise the EGTs to burn off any blockages in the DPF.

 

This entire post is not factual by any means. The 6.4L may get worse mileage but is by far more reliable than the 6.0L.

 

The post by moneymaker is 100% correct, about the diesel particulate filter (DPF) on the 08 and newer diesel trucks, and the problems with the 6.0 L. The dealers who told people, not to babby the engine, are also correct. This is also due to the requirement of a DPF filter on ALL new diesel engines. The DPF filter requires heat to burn off the particulate. The harder you work the engine, the more heat you produce and less you will regenerate. When your exhaust back pressure increases, due to the DPF plugging up, the engine dumps fuel into the DPF to burn out the particulate. More power requires more fuel and all new diesel engines require more fuel to burn cleaner, again more heat. If you don"t need the power and don't want to buy the fuel, don"t buy a diesel, any diesel. I have two F series trucks, one diesel and one gas. My 2008 F550, with a normal operating weight of 16000 lbs (19000 gvw), at 50000 mi, gets 9 mpg average. My new 09 F250 with the 5.4 L gas engine, I use for normal driving and plowing, averages 13-15 mpg., less when plowing. I can't wait to read all the comments after the tier 4 regulations come into effect in 2012, if i am correct. Blame the federal govt, not the engine manufacturers

 

One more bit of information, if your dealer didn't mention it. When you change the engine oil in your 2008 or newer truck, w/ the 6.4, or any diesel truck with a DPF filter, make sure you use a engine oil with a CJ 4 rating. The CJ 4 rating is for low sulfated ash. Ultra low sulfer fuel, at 15 ppm sulfer, produces less acid than the older 500 ppm low sulfer fuel, which requires less sulfated ash to neutralize the acid produced. Regular 15w 40 diesel engine oil contains more sulfated ash which helps plug up the DPF faster and may not burn out durring a regen. You realy need to read the engine manual with your new truck

 

Every one cheer for me i just bought my first Ford! '09 F 250 LWB SC 5.4L.
Nice truck, drives great! Bad mileage! my first 200mi's i got 8mpg. By the way...should i trust the mileage calculator in the dash? Now i am up to 10 mpg. i have been very easy on the throttle. I hope what i am seeing in this thread is only bad news for diesel engines and not on the gas engines! I hope i made a good choice in the Ford. i shopped Chevy and Dodge also but could not get anyone, dealer or expert to tell me what to expect out of my gas engine on the mileage. If youre out there please write back if you think i can do better than 10 or 11 mpg no load!

freon

 

freon,

I too am new to forums and just got a 09 f-250, 4x4, SC, XLT, w/ 5.4 litre. Wish I could say I was getting better mileage. But with 1100 mi. the best I have seen is 11.8 mpg. Also it seems extremely under powered. I have a 31 ft. Airstream camping trailer I plan to tow. I can't wait to see mileage then!!!
Mine is a company truck and I don't pay for fuel but the power thing is bothering me. I originally joined this forum to see what performance programmer is recomended for the 5.4 litre. But haven't gotten around to asking that question. I am going to search forum first.
Hope the mileage improves after the so called "break in". Even though it's not coming out of my pocket, my boss will wonder about $130.00 to $150.00 per week for fuel.

 

Swiley,

I have been enjoying my truck now for about a month and the mileage has improved some. I get 12.8 mpg now about 2 weeks ago i decided to take my boat for a service check and was dumfounded by the lack of power pulling the boat! My company vehicle a 2006 F150 did much better, and it had a 4.3 liter. I dont get it. I bought the bigger truck and engine so i would not have this problem. I had pushed the button on the shifter that says tow / haul and the engine lost more than 50% of its power. The mpg went to hell. It got about 5 or 6 mpg. I believe something is wrong with the electronic transmission control or the transmission it self.
I will have to look into it when i get a chance soon. Good Luck!