The Ford 7.3L Powerstroke Diesel

7.3L Powerstroke Diesel:

The Power Stroke engine first made its debut in 1994. The engine was built in a partnership between Navistar, Inc. and Ford Motor Company. The heavily-revised 7.3L short block was now capped off with more efficient two-valve cylinder heads with direct electro-hydraulic injection in to each cylinder. This increased efficiency and cleaned up the combustion process due to a more accurate burn within the chamber. Dropping the compression to 17.5:1 and adding computer-controlled engine management was a major step forward in diesel engine technology. Power was now up to 215 hp and a staggering 425 lb-ft of torque. Electronic transmission management also debuted as nearly every aspect of control was administered by the PCM.

In 1999, Ford introduced an all-new Super Duty F-series truck with an aggressive options list and handsome good looks. This opened up huge opportunities for both Ford and International, who could start adding more power by installing a huge air-to-air intercooler in the new truck's larger snout. Output was now upped to 235 hp and an incredible 500 lb-ft right out of the box. By the 2002 model year, International had upped the horsepower to 275 and torque to 525 lb-ft. It quickly became known that by adding a few easy bolt-on aftermarket parts, power would shoot up to 300-plus and torque went over 600 lb-ft at the wheels. The last of the 7.3L Powerstrokes came off the assembly line in 2002, taking with them the end of the Two-Valve era. The 6.0L Powerstroke would replace it for 2003.