How to tell if a new engine has been put in?

Maybe a dumb question, but looking at a Tacoma that apparently has a new engine in it. Not new, but newer than the KMs on the truck. He doesn't have paperwork to verify this, was that way when he bought it. Going to get it inspected at a mechanic regardless and have a compression test done. Just wondering how I could verify? Is their any relation to VIN number and serial number on the engine?

Its a 1999 3.4 V6.

 

Yeah , not sure of the relation but regardless a compression check is probably your best friend in this case , just make sure you have the OEM numbers of what a fresh motor should be & compare to what you get, this is the best gauge I can think of, if it checks out good then the mystery motor is an non issue ...

 

I am sure you could figure out the vintage of the engine.

No way to tell just how many miles or just what might have been done to the engine.

I had seller say he had a fresh rebuilt engine it was only it was fresh like 80,000 miles before.

Compression Check look at the timing belt look at the condition of all the fluids .

The sad fact you say your getting it checked by a mechanic I really hope they are a die hard Toyota person otherwise they could miss quite a bit

Best of luck!!

 

Thanks. I had a knowledgeable Toyota friend check it out. He has done engine swaps ect before with the 3.4.

The mechanic is decent, he has worked on these trucks before(lots in town), but I cant say he is a Toyota expert. I would love to take any truck to a true Toyota fanatic but the reality is the logistics of setting that up with someone looking to sell is difficult. If I could I would take it to Toyoda4x4 in Kamloops a few hours away, he is the Jedi master of Toyota.

Is there a reference somewhere in regards to OEM numbers and year ect?

I would also like to put the 60/40 seat back in if I get this truck. He took it out and put buckets in, but I prefer the bench style seating option. So i may look around for one. From what I read it should be a fairly easy swap. Hopefully I can find one, but it seems most people swap them out for the buckets so should be a few around.

There are a few other trucks I like the looks of but whether or not I can travel to them before they sell is unsure. They are 4cylinder models, which would be my first choice, but I am getting less picky!

 

the 60/40 already uses a bucket seat for passenger side so offer to trade your drivers side bucket for the 60 of a 60/40 bench seat.

another note is the 01-04 truck use a 60/40 bench with a different style open center portion seat back so you have the full bench seat back with the arm rest up, but when arm rest is folded down, you have access to reach into the back seat so you have the rear access like bucket seats, its the best of both. on older trucks the seat is solid with the arm rest recessed into it so even with the arm rest down you still cant reach anything in the back seat without getting out and folding the seat forward.

if you post an offer to swap seats I think you will get a response of dozens of people fighting for a chance to swap seats with you

 

Don't know, but can't the engine serial number be checked to see what it cam in?

 

You might be able to find the age of the engine but not the engines age. The 'new' engine unless it is brand new could have a bajillion miles on it and still look new even though it's so old it's due to be replaced. I replaced a 2.7 in my first tacoma, the first engine that came in looked brand new and was advertised at less than 70k miles. Compression numbers were in the single digits and turns out it was a 'parts' engine, didn't matter in the least how it looked, returned it for obvious reasons. The next engine looked like it had been pulled out of an oil pit. It had high compression in all cylinders and ran very well, just looked older than dirt. The age of the casting doesn't matter. Just what condition the engine is in.

But if you want to find the serial number anyway

http://www.toyotapart.com/ENGINE_SERIAL_NUMBER_LOCATION_T-SB-0301-08.pdf

 

Oh excellent, a good time get my revenge on Tacoma owners asking 40 percent more than their truck is worth...

Thanks, I will look into it. For me, I more just want to verify that the engine is different than what it came with, so at least I can verify that an engine was swapped. Hopefully the compression test will show if its decent still.