Two more valves per cylinder have been added to this all-new cast iron Power Stroke diesel for improved breathing and a new efficient digitally controlled hydraulic injector cranks out 26,000 psi of pressure to atomize the fuel for a cleaner more powerful combustion that is quieter do to pilot injection and more powerful than the 7.3L Power Stroke it replaces. The engine's new hydraulically actuated G2.8SV injectors will be sourced from a new U.S. joint venture with Siemens AG. The digital actuators, were developed by Navistar in a joint venture with the Colorado-based Sturman Engine Systems. The digital valve actuator, without the spring that a conventional solenoid actuator has, is faster using residual magnetism. This new digital valve accounts for some of the improvement in NOx emissions, and quieter pilot fuel injection timing. The whole Sturman digital valve story can be seen in the news section of MrTruck.net.

Ford increased cooling with a larger fan, higher radiator capacity and expanded size of the intercooler that feeds the larger variable airflow turbocharger. This new Electronic Variable Response Turbocharger offers a tremendous advantage here in Colorado pulling trailers in the mountains where the air is thin. The new EVRT turbo can give the engine increased air volume or shut down the air and increase backpressure when you need to slow down and doesn’t need a waste gate or the cold start butterfly in the exhaust.

Here it is the all-new Power Stroke 6.0L V-8 diesel, notice the new oil and fuel filters in the middle.

While the new Ford diesel puts out 325 Horse Power at 3,300 rpm and 560 foot-pounds of torque at 2000 rpm it also has 500 foot-pounds of torque at 1500 rpm, which I was glad to see. The low end torque is what Power Stroke diesels were famous for and they still have it.

The second half the new 2003 Ford Super Duty appeal is the all-new TorqShift 5-speed automatic transmission. Automatics are becoming the #1 choice of pickup truck drivers. Ford Super Duty owners are buying 90% automatic transmissions verses closer to 50% of the Dodge diesel owners. Back in the Ford ‘99” model year and first year of the Super Duties, Ford introduced the much improved 4R100 automatic transmission to replace the E4OD behind the Power Stroke diesel. That 4R100 tranny was the first automatic transmission in a pickup truck that I could recommend for pulling trailers at the trucks capacity. Then in 2001 GM introduced the Allison Automatic 1000 transmission to be matched to their new Duramax diesel and we had two automatics that could handle the power of a diesel.

Usually I like a manual transmission for slowing a truck down on long downhill grades. But now with the new Ford TorqShift, as with GM’s Allison transmission, you can down shift one gear at a time and hold each gear similar to a manual transmission. And inexperienced driver can get into trouble with a manual transmission coming down the mountain if they miss a gear. With Ford’s new auto tranny you only make one decision, in or out of “Tow-Mode” and the transmission will do the rest. With the Allison automatic, you have to decide if you want to be in or out of Overdrive and in or out of Tow-Mode. 

The new Ford transmission with Tow-Mode similarly to the GM Allison Automatic will allow you to downshift by tapping the brake pedal. This will lockup the transmission torque converter for holding power in each gear going down hill. The all-new 6.0L Ford Power Stroke works well with the new TorqShift for both sides of the hill. Giving you more power to climb uphill, shifting when needed to maintain speed and rpm while the all-new Electronic Variable Response Turbocharger, gives you the extra air your diesel needs for power and high altitude thin air. This same incredible variable turbocharger will also create some backpressure going down the hill to assist the Torque-Shift transmission and the 4-wheel disc brakes to safely slow you down according to Charles Freese, chief engineer of diesel engines for Ford. With the variable vanes in the new turbo, you can slow down the volume of air the turbo forces into the intake manifold, almost like what a throttle plate does in a gas engine to give you engine braking.

The new Ford Torque-Shift 5-speed automatic transmission has electronic solenoids to activate the clutch packs, replacing the bands. A bigger torque converter, doubling the capacity of the pump, larger oil lines has all lowered the running temperature 50 to 70 degrees of the new TorqShift transmission. And finally a external transmission filter that can be accessed under front of the engine attached to the frame. The transmission pan now also has a drain plug.