The 7.3-liter Powerstroke is often confused with the 7.3-liter IDI which was used in Ford pickup trucks from 1988 to 1994. While it was never known to be a racehorse, its reputation was that of being one of the most reliable and overbuilt engines to hit the road in a production truck, but as always, you’ve got to wonder, what breaks when? Well today, we’re gonna find out. To this day, it remains the largest displacement diesel engine ever installed from the factory into a pickup, but the question remains: was bigger truly better? Why hasn’t anyone come close to matching its displacement? The two runners up are the 6.7-liter Cummins and Powerstroke, but those are still 36 cubic inches smaller than the 7.3-liter behemoth.
In the early 90’s when Dodge and Chevy were putting mere 5.9- and 6.5-liter diesels into their trucks, Ford raised the bar with its juggernaut powerplant, the 7.3-liter Powerstroke. You’ve heard the phrase “bigger is better” many times in your life, especially when talking about engines. Written By: Lawrence “LT” Tolman 7.3 Powerstroke 1994 To 2003: The Big Block of Diesels