Who Makes The DT466 Diesel Engine & How Much Horsepower Does It Produce?

While some major car manufacturers have stopped offering diesel engines as an option, that doesn't mean they're going the way of the dodo. In fact, because diesel engines are more efficient than gas engines, they'll probably be around for quite a few more years. From commercial trucks traversing the interstate to agricultural tractors, diesel engines are useful in a wide variety of industries. Navistar's DT466 diesel engine, specifically, is an engine that has some notable name recognition among short-haul truckers.

The DT466 diesel engine has been an option since 1975, starting with the International Fleetstar. International is the same company that created the Scout SR-2, a classic car enthusiasts should know about. After being used in several other commercial trucks for a decade, the DT466 became a premium option for International's Loadstar due to its reliability.

Production of the DT466 lasted for 45 years, and its design barely changed in all that time. From the beginning, it was an engine made from cast iron and weighed at least 150 pounds. Later, however, the diesel engine did go through a number of upgrades.

All the notable upgrades that the DT466 diesel engine underwent produced a variety of horsepower. The original DT466 produced between 1973 and 1992 had a horsepower range between 145 and 260. This engine had a turbocharged variation, which produced the higher rating. From '93 to '96, Navistar manufactured the DT466P iteration of the engine, which produced between 175 and 230 horsepower and between 520 and 620 pound-feet of torque.

The last year Navistar built a mechanical fuel-injected DT466 was 1993. By the time 1994 strolled around, all iterations of the DT466 were built with an electronic fuel injector. Navistar improved the DT466P version and created the DT466E, giving it better injectors, a higher-pressure fuel system, and an electronic control system. These features allowed the engine to produce as little as 175 horsepower and as much as 300 horsepower with between 460 and 860 pound-feet of torque.