Did Many Turbos Get Factory Replacement Engines?

[frached]

I recently looked at  a '74 Turbo but when I checked to see if it had matching number son the engine, the spot was blank. The vehicle was an early production '74. I remember hearing that many of the early Turbo's had failures and that quite a few received factory replacement engines. I searched online, briefly, for articles about this but could not find any. By the way, the block in the vehicle was a 1974 casting, it was cast a few months after the delivery date of the vehicle, thus I was drawing theconclusion about it being a replacement or crate engine. Any info from the community would be appreciated. 

[Einspritz]

Mine did.

 

I have the documentation and correspondence between he owner and the dealer stating the reason was "low compression". It was (commonly) less expensive to replace with a long block than to rebuild.

 

On the shelf behind the head, there should be a designation 22 AT then Month then Year stamped. 22 AT is shown in the parts books as a rebuilt long block. Frequently, these were not necessarily rebuilt, but new replacements.

 

Search in this Discussion as this was explored in detail, I can't remember where.

[Conserv]

I’m confident we’ll never know for certain, but I wonder if the four-digit serial numbers assigned to remanufactured engines could reveal anything...

 

Were turbo engines, for instance, given their own serial numbers, beginning with 0001? If, yes, how would we know we’d located a “late” serial number? It’s going to be complicated....?

 

Anyway, here’s that other recent thread:

 

 

I’ll also add that factory remanufactured engines sometimes stamped the same information discussed in the linked thread on the block’s “VIN boss”, as below.

 

I also believe that BMW accidentally left the historians with a mess regarding these remanufactured engines by using a single-digit to signify the year of the remanufacturing. This leaves us, oft-times, scratching our heads and saying something like, “This engine was remanufactured in April 1978, or was it April 1988, or could it be April 1998?!” My firm belief is that BMW never imagined how long they might be producing replacement and remanufactured parts for a modest car such as the 2002...?

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited February 25, 2019 by Conserv

[frached]

I am updating the thread with some photos. You can see the casting on the block...74 and 10G, which translates to July 10th. It also clearly says on the casting BMW EB. I am guessing the EB is the casting plant or location? There is also a photo of the block where the vin or other should be and it is blank. No appearance that it was ground off or other. My understanding is the car was delivered in early 74, so my guess is that a casting date of July on the block with no vin would have been a warranty replacement.

[wkohler]

Looks like you have the two Xs on the flat above the starter, so that would indicate a factory rebuild/new block.

[Rich]

evening Frached, would you mind sending me a PM, I have a question please, thank you, Richard

[m6smitten]

Mine was a factory reman too, with the X VIN# X

[dlacey]

On 2/26/2019 at 12:07 PM, frached said:

.... It also clearly says on the casting BMW EB. I am guessing the EB is the casting plant or location?

 

EB is Eisenwerk Bruehl GmbH

http://www.eb-bruehl.com/

[Conserv]

On 10/27/2019 at 11:31 PM, m6smitten said:

Mine was a factory reman too, with the X VIN# X

Just to clarify, in general:

 

“X                 X” signifies a rebuilt engine or replacement short block, and

 

”+  429xxxx  +” signifies an original block.

 

The only instances in which I’ve seen a correct engine number (VIN) between “X’s”, as opposed to “+’s”, is when some, generally well-intentioned, mechanic has stamped the original engine number onto a replacement block, post-factory.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited November 27, 2019 by Conserv