Selecting the right injectors for a 7.3L.

Thanks to Matt Robinson from Gearhead Automotive Performance for his assistance in
providing information used in this guide for selecting the proper injector for a 7.3L Power
Stroke Diesel.
One of the most common questions asked by people looking to increase the performance
of their 7.3L Power Stroke is, "What size injectors should I go with?"
A pretty reliable rule of thumb is that a 7.3L HEUI injector will produce approximately
2.25 to 2.30 RWHP for every CC of fuel that you can use effectively. This does not takes
into consideration different power adders such as Nitrous or Water/Meth, but does
assume that you have enough airflow (ie. turbocharger) to provide the oxygen necessary
to properly consume the fuel. This also goes on the assumption that there is enough oil
volume in the High Pressure Oil Pump (HPOP) to generate at least 2800 PSI in the peak
HP RPM range (usually 2600-3000 RPMs). All numbers are also based on single shot
injectors unless otherwise indicated.
Common street nozzles are 30% Extrude Honed (EH), while 80% and 100% Electric
Discharge Machining (EDM) nozzles are more common on racing applications. The
larger nozzles allow you to push the power peak up into the higher rpms and make more
HP.
Again, there are so many variables (compression, HPOP stability, injection pressure,
airflow, fuel quality, timing, and many others) that these are merely general guidelines for
power output... not hard, fast rules.
The general Rule-of-Thumb for peak power without nitrous, but a properly matched turbo
is as follows:
Stock Injectors:

Flow Nozzle Size HP Range Description

AA Code / Single Shot ('94 to '97, Non-
90 cc Stock Nozzle 225 to 230
California)
130 cc Stock Nozzle 260 to 295 AB Code / Split Shot ('96 to '97, California)
AD, AE & AF Code / Split Shot (99 and later -
135 cc Stock Nozzle 275 to 315 AE and AF are "Long Lead" Injectors used to
help eliminate "Cackle")
160 cc Stock Nozzle 325 to 345 AC Code / Single Shot (T444E HT engines only)
Unkn BA, BB & BC Code / Single Shot (DT466 -
Stock Nozzle Unknown
own Roughly the same as AC Code Injectors)
Unkn
Stock Nozzle Unknown BD Code / Single Shot (I530, 7.1mm Plunger)
own
Unkn BE Code / Split Shot ('97 to '99 DT466 -
Stock Nozzle Unknown
own Roughly the same as AD Code Injectors)
Unkn BF, BG, BI, BJ, BN and BP Code / Split Shot
Stock Nozzle Unknown
own (99 and later DT466 and I530)
Modified Injectors:

Flow Nozzle Size HP Range Description

160 cc Stock Nozzle 325 to 345 Commonly referred to as Stage 1
160 cc 30% Over 350 to 365
160 cc 80% Over 370 to 390 Commonly referred to as Stage 2
175 cc Stock Nozzle 350 to 370 Commonly referred to as Stage 1.5
175 cc 30% Over 370 to 390
175 cc 80% Over 400 to 425 Commonly referred to as Stage 2.5
200 cc 30% Over 385 to 410
200 cc 80% Over 400 to 440
200 cc 100% Over 430 to 460
238 cc 30% Over 440 to 475 Hybrids
238 cc 80% Over 450 to 520 Hybrids
238 cc 100% Over 475 to 550 Hybrids - Commonly referred to as Stage 3
250 cc 30% Over 450 to 490
250 cc 80% Over 470 to 530
250 cc 100% Over 480 to 550

The next question we are often asked is, "What is the difference between "Stage 1",
"Stage 2", "A Codes", "B Codes", and "Hybrid" injectors?"
To start with, different stage injectors are merely variations in chamber volume and
nozzle size. In order to change the maximum volume characteristics of the injector, a
replacement plunger and barrel is used to increase the size of the injection chamber that
holds the fuel. Let's take a closer look...
A Code Injectors:
All Power Stroke and International T44E engines use "A Code" injectors (AA to AF)
which uses a 6.0mm plunger and a 16mm intensifier piston to produce a 7.111:1
multiplication in pressure. This means that for every 1 PSI of Injection Control Pressure
(ICP) from the HPOP, the injected fuel pressure will be 7.111 psi. So, on a system
running 3,000 PSI of ICP, the pressure of the injected fuel will be 21,330 PSI (not taking
into account base cylinder pressure).
B Code Injectors:
International DT466 and I530 engines use "B Code" injectors (BA to BN) and are
relatively identical to many of the "A Code" injectors except for the "BD Code" injector
which uses a 7.1mm plunger and a 17.5mm intensifier piston to produce a 6.075:1
multiplication in pressure. For "BD Code" injectors, on a system running 3,000 PSI of
ICP, the pressure of the injected fuel will be 18,225 PSI (not taking into account base
cylinder pressure). This is quite a bit less than the Power Stroke and requires about 15%
higher ICP pressure to achieve the same injected fuel pressure. Also, because of the large
intensifier piston, the HPOP will also need to be able to supply roughly 20% more oil
volume in order to adequately fire the injector without loss of pressure.
Hybrid Injectors:
Hybrid injectors use a combination of components from both "A/B Code" and "BD Code"
injectors. Utilizing the 7.1mm plunger and barrel of the "BD Code" injectors with the
intensifier piston of the "A/B Code" injectors produces a 5.078:1 multiplication in
pressure. On a system running 3,000 PSI of ICP, the pressure of the injected fuel will be
extremely low at only 15,234 PSI (not taking into account base cylinder pressure). This is
almost 30% lower than a stock Power Stroke and requires significantly higher ICP
pressure to achieve the same injected fuel pressure. However, because the intensifier
piston hasn't changed, the HPOP should be able to supply the oil volume necessary in
order to adequately fire the injector.
The problem with Hybrid injectors is that while the injectors are generally capable of
injecting more fuel, they do so at the cost of fuel injection pressure which ultimately leads
to poor fuel atomization and decreased combustion efficiency. On the surface, increasing
ICP 40% to get the fuel injection pressure back to normal seems like a relatively simple
solution, but there is another problem. The firing oil control mechanisms in the injector
(the poppet valve) has a seat pressure of usually around 3300 to 3500 PSI. Raising the
pressure of the high pressure oil system can result in the poppet valve floating and
causing the injector to not fire properly. For reasons outside the scope of this document,
increasing the seat pressure is not a feasible solution and can ultimately will cause the
injector to not fire at all.

Because of the issues with injection pressure when running hybrid injectors, we do not
recommend these injectors for most "daily driver" street applications, opting instead to go
with one of the more popular "A Code" or "B Code" single shot injectors.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at http://www.phptune.com or
you can contact any of the following companies that deal with modified injectors:
• Jim Rose - Rosewood Diesel
• Lenny Reed - Dynomite Diesel - (360) 794-7974
• Ryan Casserly - Full Force Diesel - (615) 962-8291
• Jonathan Ryan - Swamps Diesel Performance - (615) 793-5573

Submitted 08/20/2009

Bill Cohron
Power Hungry Performance