Decoding engine serial numbers how to#
Decoding engine serial numbers serial number#
Decoding engine serial numbers series#

Decoding engine serial numbers series#

Both of these trucks could have come with a 4.3 liter that was a Z series engine or a W series engine. An S10 Truck or an S10 Blazer are perfect examples of this. It's the engine size! So if you were to go to a junkyard, this digit is really helpful for vehicles that had two different engines during the same year. So if the vehicle is a convertible, a two-door, four-door, or wagon, it is defined in these two digits.ДЁth Digit: The 8th digit, in this case, a 'Z,' is one of my personal favorites. There was also a T series at the same time.Д¦th & 7th Digits: The 6th and 7th denote the body style. In this picture above, we have an S series, which happens to be an S-10 series truck. It was/is important when ordering parts, because a '1988 Chevy Truck' could mean a variety of things depending on what that letter is. These letters would be found as the fifth digit of the VIN on these trucks. The 'K' and 'V' were designations for four-wheel drive. The 'C' and 'R' were designations for two-wheel drive. The C/K was a different body style than the R/V. In the 1980s, for example, General Motors built full-size C and K series trucks, along with R and V series. eleven airbag option, for example.ДҐth Digit: The 5th digit, in this case, 'S,' which is the series of the vehicle. It might also reference a specific safety restraint package, like if the vehicle had a two vs. For example, if you have a special option, heavy-duty truck with eight-lug wheels or a towing package, this digit will indicate the vehicle has a special suspension and brake package. They include information like safety, engine size, body style, and vehicle series.Д¤th Digit: The 4th digit is safety, braking and suspension. So, in the example above, the 'N' happens to mean 'Chevy'.Дigits 'four' through 'eight' are called the 'Attributes' of the VIN. In the case of General Motors, the division would be the more specific Buick, Cadillac, etc. In the example above, the second VIN digit would mean 'General Motors'.ДЈrd Digit: The 3rd digit is the division of the larger manufacturer. They have Chevy, Buick, and GMC, along with many others. This doesn't always mean the 'make' of the car (like GMC), because companies like General Motors have many different divisions. In the example above, the first digit (1) means 'United States' if it was 'J', it would mean Japan.Дўnd Digit: The 2nd digit designates the manufacturer that built the vehicle. That encompasses the country of origin, the manufacturer, and the division that the vehicle is built for.ДЎst Digit: This digit designates the country where the vehicle was made. The first three digits of the VIN are known as the 'WMI', which is an acronym for 'World Manufacturer Identifier'.

Decoding engine serial numbers serial number#

The country, make, check digit, year, plant, and serial number are usually in the same positions regardless of the vehicle manufacturer. Typically the engine, vehicle series, body type, restraint system, and model are the ones to watch out for. They still have the same VIN information but in slightly different spots. On many Volkswagens for example, the 3rd through 8th digits are in a different order than the American brand cars and trucks. The last thing worth noting is that some foreign car manufacturers switch around these VIN numbers slightly. The NHTSA decided it, and that's just the way it is.ДЇoreign Cars: VIN Info in Different Order well, you get the point.ДЇor the 10th digit of the VIN number, letters 'U' or 'Z' are not used. In the real world, that is how people say it, and being a real person. I realize that saying 'Vehicle Identification Number.Number' is silly, but it sure rolls off the tongue easier. You may see 'VIN Number' throughout this page. The letters 'I,' 'O,' and 'Q' are not used in VINs from 1981 to today because they can be easily confused with the numbers 'one' and 'zero.' Quick Facts about VIN Numbers Letters I, O, and Q Well, except for one of those digits, but we'll get into that later. Each number within that 17 digit VIN meant something specific about that car. In 1981, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration required all car manufacturers to use 17 digits. Vehicle manufacturers could have used 8 digits, 10 digits, 25 digits, or really any number of digits they wanted. We'll show you how.Д«efore 1981, no standardization of VINs on American model cars and trucks existed. You can find out a lot about your car or truck if you can read and decode its VIN number.

Decoding engine serial numbers how to#

Learn how to 'read your VINs.' A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is the 17-digit string of numbers that an automotive manufacturer assigns to a specific vehicle that it has produced.