Is DPF delete necessary for reliability

rack · Oct 21, 2013

Sorry I tried search and had no luck most of my question are about the emissions.
I just bought an 08 job one 6.4l with a 100k and 6000 hours, I dont plan on beating this truck and if i get a tunner will not run it over 75 horse unless you guys say it can be absolutely run over that safely
1) Is a dpf delete and egr block off needed for reliability and to avoid problems?
2) I have been told the best bet is a mini max h and s tunner but there 1700? is there a cheaper/ reliable way to get ride of the emissions junk.... im not gonna pay 1400 for a hand held when a mini max is a few 100 more
3) I have read tons of horror stories and watched alot of powerstrokehelp videos on youtube, are these odd ball cases of are headgasket jobs and cavitation the norm for most 6.4s?

I have done the fuel filters and when i bought the truck the oil had been changed at the dealer so ill wait on that, but plain on 5k oil changes and will use the motorcraft filters
Thanks for the help

Jesse_01 · Oct 21, 2013

Yes too all 3. Some people had better luck with head gaskets than others. You can get just your stock ecu reprogrammed to delete the egr and dpf. But you might as well spend the extra $$ and get a tuner. Added power and fuel economy.

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RedRice589 · Oct 23, 2013

6k hrs??? Damn I had 5k with 164k IIRC I would get rid of DPF personally it's worth it!!

Jesse_01 · Oct 23, 2013

RedRoce589 said:
6k hrs??? Damn I had 5k with 164k IIRC I would get rid of DPF personally it's worth it!!

The previous owner probably lived in cold climate and idled his truck lots. In the winter (6 months/yr) mine idles pretty much 10hrs straight.

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Jesse_01 · Oct 23, 2013

92,900 miles, 4384 engine hrs, 2507 idle hrs

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jwbeav · Oct 23, 2013

I have a 2010 that I bought with 45k and tuned right away because of the horrible gas mileage. Like you, I couldn't stomach the $1500 for the price of the tuner so I went with the Gearbox Z DPF-R 4 plus tuner, 4" turbo back flopro exhaust, EGR block off plates and a pyrometer to monitor my exhaust temps when towing. The Gearbox Z was around $500 and has only one tune, a 70 hp economy tune. The installer said this tune feels more like the 120 hp tunes available on both the H&S and Spartan. The truck runs fantastic and my exhaust temps when towing haven't gotten above 1250 in the hot summer air. I would advise not going too big on your hp as you stand a good chance of damaging something and these 6.4 engines are not cheap to fix.

griz700rocket · Oct 23, 2013

Delete. Between fuel and lower maintenance costs it will save you money in the long run.

sootie · Oct 23, 2013

jwbeav said:
I have a 2010 that I bought with 45k and tuned right away because of the horrible gas mileage. Like you, I couldn't stomach the $1500 for the price of the tuner so I went with the Gearbox Z DPF-R 4 plus tuner, 4" turbo back flopro exhaust, EGR block off plates and a pyrometer to monitor my exhaust temps when towing. The Gearbox Z was around $500 and has only one tune, a 70 hp economy tune. The installer said this tune feels more like the 120 hp tunes available on both the H&S and Spartan. The truck runs fantastic and my exhaust temps when towing haven't gotten above 1250 in the hot summer air. I would advise not going too big on your hp as you stand a good chance of damaging something and these 6.4 engines are not cheap to fix.

ummm. pay for a good tuner. the reliability after delete is largely dependent on the quality of tunes and how you drive.

dpf-r doesnt have the best track record.

rack · Oct 23, 2013

Thanks for all the replies,
the truck was form Arizona, and my buddies and I believe it was a border patrol truck lol.
At the time i liked the idea of a southern truck bc of the lack of rust but after talking a a local diesel performance shop they said that they haven't seen the cavitation problem in the 6.4l localy and believe it is more of a southern thing.

Right now im trying to call around to local parts stores and maybe find an old dpf delete tunner hanging on the wall for cheap or pick up a used one. But if that dosnt work I have planed on 1 of 2 route sct handheld or h and s mini max I plan on running a tune under a 100 horse and don't really plan on ever changing it.

SO would the sct handheld be the best choice? Also it says that you need and aftermarket intake bc the stock wont flow enough, would that be needed for the mild tunes?

And as for the hours my dads v10 has 225k miles and like 5000 hours and my buddies 6.4 has 100k miles and 5400 hours

jwbeav · Oct 23, 2013

My mechanic has installed over 50 of these tuners in trucks here in Central Oregon with no problems. The 4.0 plus is a great tuner for the money and if u check the reviews or google the tuner people are very happy with the results. If I had the money at the time I would have gone with Spartan or H&S but I am very happy with how my truck performs.

Jesse_01 · Oct 24, 2013

Your best bet is to keep an eye on all the forum classifieds.

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JrStroker · Oct 24, 2013

Tune it and delete it. Get a mini max, a quality intake, and a straight pipe exhaust. There are several on the classifieds right now. And I've got an exhaust for sale.
I'm getting 13mpg right now with big wide 37s on a 6 inch lift. If you're stock, I'm taking a guess, but you may see 16-18 mpg. Or more. I don't know. Currently I'm running a spartan on the 310 tune.

You're wanting to run the 100 and below tunes. Honestly, the 275 and up tunes are the best gas milage, granted you can keep off the skinny pedal. Ha. They are smokey tho. The 210 is a tow performance tune and yields decent gas milage. (I picked up 1-2 mpg going to the bigger tunes) and best of all, nearly no smoke. It you stomp it from a dead stop, it may puff a little, but not the thick black could the big tunes do.

Jesse_01 · Oct 24, 2013

Do a egr delete and crankcase vent mod also.

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JrStroker · Oct 25, 2013

Jesse_01 said:
Do a egr delete and crankcase vent mod also.

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Agreed. But I'm not sure he wants to get that into it. Plus if he ever wants to go back stock, it will be hard to without the coolers.

Jesse_01 · Oct 25, 2013

Well atleast do the ccv mod. Aren't you able to block the coolers off while still keeping them on the truck?

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AirFishAutomotive · Oct 25, 2013

Jesse_01 said:
Well atleast do the ccv mod. Aren't you able to block the coolers off while still keeping them on the truck?

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your blocking off flow to the coolers. so the coolers are no longer there. "block off plate"

I would also run a good tuner as well. they all work a little different. each has there own downfall

Spartan - good for gauges no custom tunes or changing tunes on the fly. newer trans tuning is pretty good imo. always ran a 210 tune with it towing around 15-17k and no issues (did that for around 50k)

mini maxx- horrible for gauges, nice to change tunes on the fly

sct- some can accept custom tunes. plug it in and load up your tune. only gauges on livewire and.....the ts?

Ive had all 3. if changing tunes on the fly is a must then obvious choice is a MM. Personally I like the Spartan tunes and trans tuning (some people previous had harsh shifts.) The sct is nice because it can accept custom tunes (only certain part # units)

Currently I have a Spartan on one truck with the normal bolt on stuff & one truck I have a sct with custom tunes on it and am using an edge cts to moniter gauges. The Spartan 210 I get around 16-17 and around 14 towing. The sct w/ erics tunes I never did milage because idc but the truck pulls pretty hard LOL

They are all good units just depends what you want to spend. As far as the dpf r deal I have no experience and am not interested in something that offers a 70hp tune.

Jesse_01 · Oct 25, 2013

I thought there was a way to block coolant to coolers also while still having them install.

I had mine deleted all together then just reinstalled them when I went back to stock to trade it in.
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rack · Oct 25, 2013

well i bought a mini max, dpf/cat delete and egr delete. I had to do it, it would regen at least once every tank of fuel, and everyone and a while while in regen it would smoke like crazy. I almost think im loosing a little coolant but am not sure, i checked the oil and the level has stayed the same since i bought the truck so im wondering if the egr is cracked.
thanks for all the help
also is there a link to a writeup on the ccv mod?
Also dose the fuel cooler ever need to be serviced and i always thought that green coolant was bad for aluminum and that orange was the stuff to use in motors with aluminume

Jesse_01 · Oct 25, 2013

Nice mod purchase.

Yeah you should have orange in there. If you are losing coolant its most likely your egr cooler leaking.

Do you have a cold air intake or stock?

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