Car engine number: where it is located, what it means, how to find out (by VIN, through the traffic police, vehicle inspection)

1. What does the label indicate?
2. Expertise in MREO or specialized car service
3. Checking by VIN code via the Internet

When purchasing used cars, few people check the engine model. And this is important to do, since in the future there may be problems with repairs - the spare parts that you will buy for the factory engine simply will not be suitable for the engine replaced during operation. Another possible problem is that the vehicle was stolen and the engine numbers were altered. In this case, there may be discrepancies with the documents. Therefore, before purchasing a used vehicle, you must find out the engine model by VIN code.

Methods for determining the engine model installed on a machine

You can find out which engine is in your car in several ways:

• Independently when inspecting the vehicle.
• Expertise in MREO or specialized car service.
• Online using VIN code.

The marking is indicated by the manufacturer directly on the power unit. The number can be located anywhere on the engine, but in most cases it is located on the left side or on the top close to the windshield.

But not everything is so simple - in most cases, it is almost impossible to read the number due to severe contamination or rust damage. And sometimes it’s even worse - unscrupulous owners deliberately erase the letter designation in order to hide the fact that the factory unit has been replaced. When viewing, pay attention to the legibility of the numbers. If it is very difficult to see the letters and numbers, this may indicate that the number has been interrupted. This is done by scammers using stolen cars for the purpose of selling them using available documents. That is, the car’s engine number is changed, and if necessary, the car is repainted. It is required to achieve identical characteristics to those indicated in the PTS (this may also be counterfeit). Buying such a car will not turn out well - the vehicle will be confiscated, and it is almost impossible to get the money back.

Therefore, before making the final purchase decision, find out the car engine number using the VIN code. This will help reduce the risk of buying a stolen car and vehicles with a non-original engine, which can cause a number of troubles with repairs.

Decoding

It contains almost all the information about the car, including the engine number. The VIN code can be read both on the car itself and in the technical passport or registration certificate. It can be applied anywhere on a car, but most automakers place it between the windshield and the engine compartment.

It is usually applied by laser or by embossing. It is divided into three (WMI), six (VDS) and eight-digit (VIS) parts where numbers and English letters are used, excluding I, O, Q so that there is no confusion with numbers.

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• WMI (WorldManufacturers >Extracting engine information from VIN code

As can be seen from the above, the VIN code itself does not indicate the model and engine number. How can you recognize them, for example, in order to check the “cleanliness” of a car purchased second-hand?

Let's look at several manufacturers and what you can find out about the engine using the VIN code.

• AUDI - the car has a European standard VIN. Using the code, you can find out the manufacturer, for which markets the modification was made, model, assembly plant, serial number, etc. Knowing the exact model of the car, you can find out the type of installed power unit.
• FORD - the VIN code indicates the manufacturer, body type, location of production, model, month and year of production. Just as in the case of AUDI, you can find out the engine brand by the car model.
• Volkswagen - also, by looking at the VIN you can find out the year of manufacture and model, and using this information you can determine what model of engine is installed in this car.
• Mitsubishi - these cars have more information hidden in the VIN. It indicates the manufacturer's code, what type of body, what gearbox, model, engine code, type of car, year of production, production plant, serial number. By the engine code you can determine the type and displacement. To understand, if a Lancer has the number 5 in its engine code, this means that it has a 4G93 engine with a volume of 1834 cm 3 installed.
• BMW - the code indicates the car model, year of manufacture, and, based on this data, you can find out the engine type.
• Toyota - in the VIN code of these cars, the sixth digit indicates the series of installed engines. The rest of the data is the same as that of other automakers - place of production, body, model, serial number.
• Opel - on these cars both the car model code and the engine code are indicated.
• Skoda - in Skoda, the engine type is indicated by the fifth letter in the VIN code.

Thus, we can conclude that finding out the number of the installed engine using the VIN code is very problematic. From it you can only find out the modification and type of engine. If you really need to find out the engine number, you can turn to sites that offer services to provide information based on the data specified in the VIN code, but obtaining the information will cost a certain amount.

You can contact the dealer, and he, by contacting the manufacturer, can provide information on the car’s configuration with license plate units, but this will take some time and it is not a fact that the dealer will be ready to provide such information for free.

By the way, for many foreign manufacturers, the engine is not a numbered part, but the number printed on it is actually a technological number and is only needed during assembly of the car.

What does the label indicate?

As a rule, the marking consists of 14 characters (but there are exceptions). It is based on 2 blocks – descriptive (6 characters) and indicative (8 characters).

Descriptive:

• The base model index is the first three characters.
• Modification index – if absent, set to “0”.
• Climatic performance.
• The last symbol is P (recirculation valve) or A (diaphragm clutch).

Pointing block:

• Year of manufacture (number or letter). 1-9 indicates the year of manufacture 2001-2009, respectively, A - 2011, B - 2012, C - 2013, etc.
• The next 2 digits are the month of issue.
• The last 5 are the serial number.

Information that will help you decipher can be found in the vehicle’s operating instructions or on specialized websites.

How to find out engine type by VIN code

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) contains a lot of information about the vehicle it is assigned to. The industry began standardizing VINs in 1981 to make the sequence more uniform. While differences still exist between manufacturers, a 17-digit code has emerged that is uniquely assigned to each vehicle. Each character in the code has a different meaning and can be deciphered in a few simple steps. You can find out the engine model by VIN in the following way.

Step 1

To find out the engine model by VIN, find your VIN. Check your documents. Most vehicle identification numbers can be easily found either in your vehicle's manual/registration documents or on the vehicle itself:

• on the dashboard of your car near the window;
• on the inner front door jambs;
• on the steering column;
• on the engine block on the front of the engine;
• on the inner wheel arch on the left side;
• on protecting the vehicle;

Step 2

Obtain the manufacturer's decoding key. Decoding keys are available on the Internet. From here you can get the information provided in your VIN. Depending on the year, make and model of the vehicle and its components, the engine type may be coded at any position in the vehicle description.

Where is the VIN code located in a car?

Determining car modifications is a necessary step in checking a car before purchasing. In this case, you can find out such parameters as engine size, brand, power, etc.

Step 3

Check the year, manufacturer, make and model of your vehicle. The second character in the VIN indicates the manufacturer, the third the model, and the tenth character the year. All this information must match the description of your vehicle.

Step 4

To find out the engine model, look for the engine code in the correct position of your VIN. Typically, characters four through nine make up the vehicle description and check digits section for most vehicles. They identify the body type, engine type and braking system. The exceptions are imported Audi, BMW, Honda, Lexus, Land Rover, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Scion, Toyota and Volkswagen. These manufacturers often list engine codes directly on the engine block.

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Check the code. Many pre-2003 engine descriptions are listed on manufacturers' websites. For other manufacturers, contact your auto service center, auto parts store, or other authorized independent auto repair shop with your engine code to obtain an accurate description of your engine type.

Expertise in MREO or specialized car service

If you yourself were unable to find out the car’s engine number, or you have any suspicions about the veracity of the seller’s words, you should contact the experts at MREO. In the process of full technical examination and diagnostics. But this check will last about 2 days and does not always give a positive result. Plus, you need to handle the seller and the car together, which is quite energy-consuming and often scares off even those car owners who sell the car on completely legal terms.

Another way is to contact a car service center, where specialists, using methodological literature and instructions from the manufacturer, will determine the engine model. The only but big minus is that this service will cost between 500-2500 rubles. Plus, checking the engine of a used car is not always possible. If some of the characters are erased, then even specialists will find it difficult to read the number. There is also a risk that the seller will pay a car service worker to indicate the wrong engine number.

Additional methods for determining the engine model

It is worth not only checking the documents with the words of the car seller, but also checking the VIN code on the engine itself. It's not always easy because:

• It can be in different places.
• Corrosion often destroys the code applied to the metal parts of the body or engine.
• The number may be overwritten to deceive the buyer.
• Older car models may not have a number on the engine.

Having found the VIN code, you will have to search for information on it on the Internet. It will not be possible to do without modern search engines.

Decoding the VIN code

A VIN code is a unique number assigned to a vehicle at the factory. It contains complete information about a specific car.

It is VIN that is most often used to check vehicles. The code consists of 17 numbers and non-number-like letters, divided into three parts. Let's take a closer look at the decryption:

• 1 character – code of the state where the car was produced;
• 2nd and 3rd characters – name of the manufacturer and type of vehicle. In some cases it is used to designate a division of the manufacturer;
• Characters 4-8 are a description of the car, which includes the model, body type, specification, transmission type and engine information. That is, the eighth digit carries information about the engine model.
• 9th character – control indicator;
• 10th character – year of manufacture in letter designation;
• 11th character – link to the plant;
• 12-17 symbols - serial production number of the machine.

As for where the VIN code is located, firstly, it is in the documentation for the vehicle. If the number was verified upon purchase, then you can safely use it. Second, the code is present in several places on the machine itself:

1. Under the floor covering near the driver's seat;
2. On the windshield;
3. Under the hood;
4. On the front drain of the body and other places invented by the manufacturer.

To determine which numbers will provide information about the engine number by vin, you should use either decoders or conversion tables. The second option involves spending a lot of time and does not guarantee finding the correct answer. The engine model is indicated in the form - gasoline ccm kbm. Where the word “gasoline” means that the engine is gasoline. Other symbols and numbers indicate engine power.

When buying a car, it is important to check the similarity of the VIN code in the documents and on the body. If there are discrepancies, the transaction should be abandoned, since the PTS is most likely fake. If you make a purchase at a dealership and discover an error, you should immediately notify authorized employees.