If the car it came out of can't be verified to check the vin # how would you know that the motor is in fact a vin-9 motor without tearing it apart??

From what I have heard (but not verified), there is a metal tag on the engine block near the crank pulley that has the last 6 digits of the VIN on it, which supposedly you can use to get something like a carfax. Otherwise, just take off the rear valvecover, and mic the intake valve lobe.

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: From what I have heard (but not verified), there is a metal tag on the engine block near the crank pulley that has the last 6 digits of the VIN on it, which supposedly you can use to get something like a carfax.

That's right, stamped on the block is the VIN derivative.
Position 1 is VIN position 3
2 is 10
3 is 11
and 4-9 is 12-17

Just call a GM dealer and ask them to run the digits of the vin (you may have to tell them what position is what). They will be able to tell you from that if the engine is LD8 or L-37 (L-37 is the VIN 9).

Thanks guys +

Russ

Actually is right on the block of the engine just above the plate if you carefully look at it you will be able to see "L37" stamped right on the block!

Take care!
JG

quote Originally posted by THE BEAST: And the heads also have it (L37) somewhere too can't remember exactly where though... BTW on my previous post when I said "above the plate" I meant where the engine VIN # plate is on the block.

Excellent. I like that even better as the tag could easily be from another motor, but the stamp is pretty much proof positive. I guess I'm just a born skeptic

+
Russ

quote Originally posted by THE BEAST: And the heads also have it (L37) somewhere too can't remember exactly where though... BTW on my previous post when I said "above the plate" I meant where the engine VIN # plate is on the block.

Are you 1000% sure of that? Can you go look right now to check? Because I asked the same question to an engineer who worked on the northstar development, and he said the only way was either the metal plate, or mic'ing the intake lobes. I think he also said some years had a sticker on the cam cover with a code on it like "MVY" where the middle V is a vin 9 and if it were Q its a vin y (that's not what it is, but somebody else might know the codes). I remember because when I first got my engine, I looked all over for any kind of identifying marks. All the heads said were "4.6L", and a part number - which btw - is the same for both VINs.

In the end, I had to mic the intake cam, because nobody could tell me how to decode the metal vin tag.

It took me a while too, but after I finally found someone that knew what they were talking about, everything sorted it’s self out. He told me that I would likely have to tell the GM employee what each vin derivative corresponds to and only then would the employee be able to run the motor through their computer properly. They can’t get you much information with only the VIN Derivative but one of the things they can find is the motor type (use the info in my previous post).

Aaron

.

Definitely sure. Mine has it on the head that has the coil-pac on top!

Take care!
JG

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: Are you 1000% sure of that? Can you go look right now to check? Because I asked the same question to an engineer who worked on the northstar development, and he said the only way was either the metal plate, or mic'ing the intake lobes. I think he also said some years had a sticker on the cam cover with a code on it like "MVY" where the middle V is a vin 9 and if it were Q its a vin y (that's not what it is, but somebody else might know the codes). I remember because when I first got my engine, I looked all over for any kind of identifying marks. All the heads said were "4.6L", and a part number - which btw - is the same for both VINs. In the end, I had to mic the intake cam, because nobody could tell me how to decode the metal vin tag.

My motor finally arrived from Texas yesterday, so now I can also verify that "yes" it is stamped on the block, right below the vin # stampings.

Cheers,
Russ

And you were all worried about it...

quote Originally posted by Will: And you were all worried about it...

LOL. Ya... I know. but I've managed to find something new to worry (or at least wonder) about

The "V" indicates the year of manufacture as 97' but the year stamps on the block and heads say 96 . Doesn't really matter I guess, but it does seem odd. Apparantly the only notable difference in the 96 and 97 is that the 97 has hard-chrome valve stems [shrug]. I was told it was from a 97 so we'll go with that LOL.

anyone know if the shortened vin on the engine has the same sequence # (last 6 digits) as the vin on the car? or are they independent from one another?

Russ

[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 04-16-2005).]

quote Originally posted by Russ544: My motor finally arrived from Texas yesterday, so now I can also verify that "yes" it is stamped on the block, right below the vin # stampings. Cheers, Russ

Wow, mine doesn't have that! Isn't that odd...

Mine's got a metal tag with the encoded vin on it, nothing else... There's nothing stamped into the block at all.

[This message has been edited by ryan.hess (edited 04-16-2005).]

quote Originally posted by ryan.hess: Wow, mine doesn't have that! Isn't that odd... Mine's got a metal tag with the encoded vin on it, nothing else... There's nothing stamped into the block at all.

What year is yours? perhaps it was only done on later years or??

quote Originally posted by Russ544: What year is yours? perhaps it was only done on later years or??

95. I can verify it's not on 94's either.

I just checked my block, all I have is the metal tag with the vin, no L37 stamp. My motor is an 03.

I have a '94, a '96, and '97, none of them have the engine code stamped in that area.

quote Originally posted by rockcrawl: I have a '94, a '96, and '97, none of them have the engine code stamped in that area.

You a collector now?

Beast,

Where exactly did you see the L-37 on the head? I've looked at mine and don't see it, but there is still a lot of crud still on the motor.

quote I have a '94, a '96, and '97, none of them have the engine code stamped in that area.

now that is bizar. Mine pictured above is a 97 (although the "starburst" shows it as a 96).
Maybe the kid that was hired to stamp the "L-37 was just part time help (or the bosses son) .

Russ

[This message has been edited by Russ544 (edited 04-17-2005).]

quote In the end, I had to mic the intake cam, because nobody could tell me how to decode the metal vin tag.

Does anyone here know what the cam specs are for the 300hp N*?

quote Originally posted by rockcrawl: Does anyone here know what the cam specs are for the 300hp N*?

intake lobe lift is 0.370" on the <99 300hp's.

0.339" for the LD8/ 275hp's

quote Originally posted by Will: And you were all worried about it...

Well..... it paid off for me to be a sceptic on this one. It was a VIN 9 alright, however this motor was sold to me as a 21,000 mile peach, but it just didn't look right to me. I was able to get the vin from the donor car in Texas and ran a carfax on it. the results showed that the car had had 6 owners in it's lifetime. the 4th or 5th one had the car repoed. and the next one totalled it. after that it was rebuilt and received a salvage title. the instrument cluster was also changed at that time and earned a note stating that the mileage was not accurate. Prior to the total the car showed 88,000 miles. Needless to say it will be headed back to Texas soon. The yard here in Oregon who got it for me was great about it and has already ordered up another engine from the East coast. This time I ran a carfax before ordering it. it came back showing 11 miles, which just means the original owner wreaked it. The yard back east says it shows 22000 miles.

Sometimes it pays to be a sceptic ,
Russ

It frequently pays to be a skeptic.
There's one born every minute, as they say.

I checked the cams on my '96, according to the info above it is a LD8 275hp engine. So I thought maybe only the L37 engines had the stampings and the LD8 were left blank. But then I ran the BCC from the PCM of the '94 and it comes up L37, and no markings on the block. My '97 engine has only 2000 miles on it and I don't feel like pulling it apart right now to check the cams.

quote Originally posted by rockcrawl: I checked the cams on my '96, according to the info above it is a LD8 275hp engine. So I thought maybe only the L37 engines had the stampings and the LD8 were left blank. But then I ran the BCC from the PCM of the '94 and it comes up L37, and no markings on the block. My '97 engine has only 2000 miles on it and I don't feel like pulling it apart right now to check the cams.

Were all the Northstar engines built at the same assembly plant? Maybe only the ones built at a certain plant got the stamp.

THE BEAST's engine is a '93, which are different in a number of ways from later year engines.

quote Originally posted by Will: THE BEAST's engine is a '93, which are different in a number of ways from later year engines.

and??

Just that it's no surprise that he had a tag and very few other people did.

quote Originally posted by Will: Just that it's no surprise that he had a tag and very few other people did.

Mine (shown above) has the L-37 stamp and it was a 97' . There must be some rime or reason which ones get the stamp and which ones don't. I haven't seen any logic to it yet however.

I have a set [ 4 cams] of cams out of a 300 hp engine i bought from a Cadillac dealership.They are used. the service manger could find nothing wrong with them. They are for sale .