Engine Number Research

[Brian C]

Hi All,

I'm a new 02' owner and was wondering how to identify the engine # and see if it original to the car.

My VIN is - 4280394 (74' Automatic - M10)

Engine # is - 2361508

Head is stamped E12 & 73 - couldn't see the month ID

The car has a 5 speed manual transmission - which I'd also love to know how to identify and see where that came from.

 

Thanks so much for any help!!

[steve k.]

The Engine number is the VIN where it came from, so it is not original to the car. Factory rebuilt blocks would have XXXXX on them. 

You can track down which car it came from at 

 

 

Most of the 5-speed transmissions cam from an e21 320i. it is a very common upgrade, but there are some 2002 specific 5 speed transmissions and they are very rare. 

 

Steve K.

 

p.s. welcome to the obsession

 

[tech71]

As for the transmission, best way to identify is to post a couple of pics showing the rear area ( mounts, shift linkage )

[Brian C]

Thanks so much for the help and I understand now the engine would be same as VIN - Looks Like my car is January 74 - Automatic and engine is from a late 74' manual. I'll look at the transmission and see if I can get some pictures, but I bet you're right Steve that its a 320i.

It's been a 20 year dream to own an 02 and thanks for the Welcome!!

Best

Brian

 

[Conserv]

15 hours ago, Brian C said:

Thanks so much for the help and I understand now the engine would be same as VIN - Looks Like my car is January 74 - Automatic and engine is from a late 74' manual. I'll look at the transmission and see if I can get some pictures, but I bet you're right Steve that its a 320i.

It's been a 20 year dream to own an 02 and thanks for the Welcome!!

Best

Brian

 

Welcome, Brian, and congrats!

 

Email the VIN and the engine number to BMW Group Archives, requesting their data on both cars. You’ll get the specific manufacturing dates of both cars. The email address is:

 

info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com

 

For cars manufactured approximately 1974 and newer, the RealOEM.com site will provide a month and year of manufacture, as long as you select “Classic” as the view. Attached below are the RealOEM VIN decoder pages for your car and engine. You’ve probably seen these already, based on your correct characterizations of the car and engine dates. But a couple notes.

 

Your car was manufactured January 1974. Thus, it may well have been equipped with a head cast in 1973. Around the “73” on your car’s head, how many “month nubs” are there? One to twelve are the possibilities. The third photo below shows the original head from my ‘76, an E21 2,0 head cast in April 1976 (four nubs surrounding “76”). I would expect a car manufactured in January 1974 to have a head cast from, say, October 1973 to January 1974. Count your nubs! If the head was cast in late 1973, it could well be the car’s original head.

 

Second, the model years for most car manufacturers, especially historically and including BMW, generally run from September to August. Thus, the November 1974 2002 that originally held your engine block was actually a 1975 model.

 

A lot happens to most cars over a 45-year period: engine replacements is just one of those things.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2020 by Conserv