Missing or lost engine serial numbers
Hello fellow parts techs, truck drivers, or anyone else experiencing the headache of a lost or missing engine serial number. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve scoured the internet looking for such information. Trust me, I’ve done the same. Isn’t there a lot out there? So, I decided to take it on myself and research and post something that I hope will be useful to someone.
First, a little background on what prompted this article. I am employed by possibly the best truck dealership on earth. In the service department we have many, many fleet accounts that we handle. One of our accounts has an international glider. A glider is basically a cockpit and frame rails. The engine, transmission and rear axles come from another donor truck. Kind of like building a big model. This particular truck was married to a Cummins 8.3-liter mid-range engine and a 6-speed transmission. Whoever put this truck together forgot to record any information about the engine, what kind of truck it came out of, etc. Needless to say, finding engine parts is a nightmare. I searched the internet to no avail, but couldn’t find anything solid to pull from. Hence this article. Let me review the different engines and share with you what I have found.
Caterpillar – The usual place to find the engine S/N is on the valve cover engine data label. If it is missing, Cat is very good at stamping the S/N on the right hand side near the rear of the engine. I don’t know if this applies to all engines, but I know it’s there for the big borers.
Cummins – The engine data label is riveted to the front accessory unit cover on the driver’s side of the engine. The Critical Parts List or CPL number will also be found here. If missing, on big bore engines, Cummins stamps the engine S/N on the right side of the block near the oil cooler. Now the bad news, small bore engines – 3.9, 5.9, 8.3 liter engines, do not have this stamping. What I do in my situation is take all the visible part numbers on the engine and insert them into your cumpas web program. One little hint, Cummins wraps the injection lines on mechanical engines with metal tabs that have part numbers on them. I know this is a dice game, but it’s a place to start. good luck
Detroit – Like Caterpillar, the valve cover is the best place to find the engine S/N. I’ve been out of the Detroit scene for a while, but I think they stamp the number on the block too. 50 series and mainly 60 series motors are the mainstream for this type of motor. Although there are still a lot of the old 8V-72s on the buses. Also, the 8.2 liter fuel pincher is still available.
Navistar – The good 466 and 530 models. Again, the engine data label on the valve cover is the best place to start. On the driver’s side engine block, there is a block casting number that will also get you off to a good start. If the engine is the original truck engine, the line configuration tickets will indicate the S/N. If you’re doing an overhaul on the frame, especially on an older truck, do yourself a favor and double check the actual engine number against the line set.
This applies to all engines listed above. The truck’s VIN is possibly the best place to start to get the information you need to get the right parts the first time. Freightliner, Kenworth and Volvo use the last 6 digits of the VIN International, Sterling and Ford use the last 8 digits. Mack is a bit different. They like the last 6 digits of the VIN and the model type of the truck.
Hope this helps someone down the road. Most people will know this information, but hopefully someone will benefit from it. Be precise in your search and let’s keep America’s wheels turning!
Thank you for reading.