Interesting debate regarding engine numbers and their requirement.

[Kroggers]

I am looking at the possibility to purchase a replacement engine for my car, but the one I am looking at has no serial number. As far as I am aware, it is a legal requirement here in Sweden for all road registered cars to have a valid and certified serial number on the engine. Is this not the case in the UK and US? I am concerned that if I take the engine, I will find that I will not be allowed to re-register the car. Here in Sweden whenever you do an large changes to the car like this, you have to go through a full registration test again where they test the car as a new (unregistered) car for road use. I would think the lack of a serial number on the engine would give a big red fail on the test!!!

[Rot 911]

I have never seen a 911 engine without a serial number. Did some one grind it off?

[Kroggers]

Good question Kurt, I will let you know when I get to know!!

[Grady Clay]

Pål,

Here in the US, very early motor vehicles (pre-WWII) commonly used the engine number for registration. By about ’68 almost every state used the VIN for registration (Federal mandate; use our rules if you want federal highway money). Today all states require a VIN. If a car doesn’t have one then the state assigns one. Typically states don’t care if you have an engine numder or not. If you have any number that has been tampered with then that can be a big deal.

To solve your problem, why not find your original engine number from a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity and have a Porsche Dealer stamp it in the case? With no number and no sign of tampering, the case is most likely a replacement part.

If you are concerned that someday someone might question your actions, emboss all the info on an aluminum tag and bolt it to the crankcase under the fan shroud. You could end the number with “E” for erstatztelle.

Best,
Grady

[Zeke]

AFAIK, replcaement engine cases for VW and American engine blocks came with no numbers. Perhaps this is the situation with Porsche as well.

[CliffBrown]

Replacement case from Porsche.

[Kroggers]

OK, so if it is a replacement case, then it will not have a number on it. How do I obtain an official number from Porsche to make sure I do not duplicate a serial number from an engine that is already in existence?? I do not want to end up in trouble with this, and want to make sure that if I do get the engine, that it is nothing illegal
I also wonder why someone would have to replace the case on a 3.6 engine - what type of damage would require you to replace the case

[Grady Clay]

Guys, correct me if I’m wrong.

At some point the engine number and type number is repositioned to under the engine. When is that change? Could Pål be looking where there isn’t a number?


Pål, this is where you need to ask Swedish authorities. Is there an EU standard now set?


Best,
Grady

[Kroggers]

Thank you Grady, I will have to verify both the Swedish laws on this and if the serial number is located under the engine and not on top...

[Porsche84]

I've been told that Porsche took the 964 engines that had leaking issues (and were replaced by the dealer) and rebuilt them, removed the engine numbers, and were available for replacement engines. The engine s/n from the factory is related to the car it is installed into, so it makes sense that a factory replacement engine might come without a s/n. A factory replacement tub for the GT 3 cars comes without a vin. You are supposed to transfer the vin to the new chassis and destroy the old one. Maybe they had the same plan for engines.

[Kroggers]

So, if I replace my 3.0 with a 3.6 that has no serial number I can punch the number from my 3.0 onto the 3.6? That could work, I can just state that I have rebuilt and upgraded my 3.0