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Input on 2025 3500 6.4L

Cal Young said:
Thank you all for chiming in regarding your experiences with the 6.4. I’m in the market for a 3500 SRW for carrying my camper. I don’t need the power of the diesel,(but I have enjoyed the last 20 years with this one), just the payload for a 3500lb load.

Waiting on silver, so it might be a 2026. Early reports on the 2025 diesel emissions are encouraging so I could still be swayed.
Thanks again.
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Don’t believe the internet hype about diesel emissions fizzling out.
 
enem178 said:
Just got back from a 11 hour trip (1 way) with 1200lbs of cement block loaded in the bed along with all the other equipment I had to drag along. I averaged around 16mpg and that was through the mountains of New England. I chose the 6.4 over the Cummins just because it's simple and reliable....unfortunately thats something you can't say for modern diesels anymore. The new Cummins have as many lifter failures as the gassers and everything about them cost triple to fix....add fuel prices that are almost a dollar more and I had a hard time justifying a diesel for personal use. If I was towing heavy on a regular basis or drove commercially I would go diesel because you can write off most of your expenses. Just my .02

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Mountains in New England? Hills more likely.
Based on what others have said, I find the mpg with that load optimistic at best.
 
New shoes on today. What psi are yall running? I’d like to run 55-60 when not towing but the damn tpms dings at me
 

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Airtim said:
Sounds right, 20ish % MPG more efficient than gas. Depending on where you live the fuel costs more per gallon than the efficiency of a diesel saves you. Buy a diesel if you want the diesel experience. Feeling the boost of a diesel push you in the seat is pretty cool.
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I travel a lot of high (8-10,000ft) mountain passes so diesel is a necessity for me. Can’t stand listening to a screaming gas engine (plus being slow). Been there, done that.
 
Ritchie_Rich said:
I travel a lot of high (8-10,000ft) mountain passes so diesel is a necessity for me. Can’t stand listening to a screaming gas engine (plus being slow). Been there, done that.
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Drive what makes you happy. At the end of the day that is what matters. The diesel experience seems to do that for you.
 
Ritchie_Rich said:
Mountains in New England? Hills more likely.
Based on what others have said, I find the mpg with that load optimistic at best.
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I agree. But, before I drove through the Rocky Mountains, I thought hills 2000-4000 feet high were big mountains. Some passes in Colorado are so high and steep, you just feel things puckering on the way down.
 
Rowdy Dalton said:
I agree. But, before I drove through the Rocky Mountains, I thought hills 2000-4000 feet high were big mountains. Some passes in Colorado are so high and steep, you just feel things puckering on the way down.
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No pucker factor here.
Those grades are no problem with my CTD, going up or down.
 
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What grade is considered a problem for a new truck? Gas or Diesel, RAM, Chevy or Ford they are all in excess of 400 HP with 8 or 10 speed transmissions.

Honestly if there is a "problem" how did we ever move more than a 18' Bayliner in Florida with 160 HP first gen Cummins?
 
Airtim said:
What grade is considered a problem for a new truck? Gas or Diesel, RAM, Chevy or Ford they are all in excess of 400 HP with 8 or 10 speed transmissions.

Honestly if there is a "problem" how did we ever move more than a 18' Bayliner in Florida with 160 HP first gen Cummins?
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For that matter back in the day Semi trucks had Cummins 220 hp engines and pulled 80k pounds then came 290, 300, 335, 350 and 400 hp 855ci engines.
 
CB118 said:
Appreciate all the input guys. I think I’m gunna bite the bullet. I test drove the 7.3 Godzilla today. Sure liked the power, but hated the interior and I’ve heard so many questionable things about the 10 speed. Like you said the 6.4 has been around long enough with a decent track record. Anything I can do to help prevent lifter issues aside from low idle time?
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good choice, we love ours
 
CB118 said:
Appreciate all the input guys. I think I’m gunna bite the bullet. I test drove the 7.3 Godzilla today. Sure liked the power, but hated the interior and I’ve heard so many questionable things about the 10 speed. Like you said the 6.4 has been around long enough with a decent track record. Anything I can do to help prevent lifter issues aside from low idle time?
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More frequent oil changes using the recommended 0W-40 PUP (Penzoil Ultra Platinum). If you do your own oil changes you can get kits on Amazon with a factory oil filter for about 60 bucks.

I personally change mine 3-4000. Over kill? Maybe. The opinion on here, You Tube and one of the techs at the dealer I go to suggest NEVER go to the limit of the oil service indicator on the instrument cluster.

It is such a well known problem that at least two companies make products to address it.

Melling make a high volume oil pump and Johnson makes lifters that have roller axle oiling.
 
I never let the MDS come on with my 6.4 and I change my oil at 4500-5000, use redline 0w40

FWIW i watch the oil pressure and with the redline on an 80+ degree day at full operating temp my truck idles at 29 pounds of pressure
 
Airtim said:
What grade is considered a problem for a new truck? Gas or Diesel, RAM, Chevy or Ford they are all in excess of 400 HP with 8 or 10 speed transmissions.

Honestly if there is a "problem" how did we ever move more than a 18' Bayliner in Florida with 160 HP first gen Cummins?
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Didn’t say it couldn’t be done. As long as you like going 25-30mph up any type of hill or mountain. I noticed you said Cummins. I think the experience would have been much slower with an equivalent gas truck.
 
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