How to search engine history via VIN

[Jeff_ATX]

Hi Viper gang,

I was hoping someone could help me gather history on an engine using the VIN number. I've spent hours doing research and can't track it down including predicting the numbers preceding the engine VIN. I also used the thread that breaks down what each number represents and experimented from there.

I'd love to hear what the community has to say or what help it can provide.

 

[GTS Dean]

Just your engine, or more generally? If it's yours, you should be able to go to a local dealer in your car, or with your license renewal / insurance card and have them search your VIN history for dealer visits/recalls.

 

[MoparMap]

What kind of information are you looking for regarding it? I'm guessing you're not going to find much as engines alone don't really have much tracking info on stuff like CarFax. You could maybe at least tie it back to the vehicle it came out of and determine what sort of accidents that vehicle may have been in that could have caused any damage, but engines can typically be rebuilt more robustly than the vehicles they come in, so hard to say if that would really offer much.

 

[Jeff_ATX]

Just your engine, or more generally? If it's yours, you should be able to go to a local dealer in your car, or with your license renewal / insurance card and have them search your VIN history for dealer visits/recalls.

Hey Dean, thanks for the reply and sorry for not clarifying further. I'm getting a good amount of work done on my Viper and we noticed that the VIN on the engine didn't match the car. I called a few local dealers in Austin, Tx and they weren't able to help.

The engine's VIN only had the last 8 digits: 5V500182 and my car's VIN is 6V100158

I'm trying to find history on that 5V500182 VIN because it threw a rod bearing which seems unlikely given my car's history is clean and with low miles (assuming that was all done on the original matching VIN motor). @MoparMap including you as well.

 

[GTS Dean]

Possibly it went to Arrow/Prefix for a warranty exchange for the previous car and ended up in your car after re-man.

 

[Jeff_ATX]

Possibly it went to Arrow/Prefix for a warranty exchange for the previous car and ended up in your car after re-man.

What's funny is this motor is at Prefix as we speak. I'm a bit doubtful and more fearful it was a higher mileage motor swapped with mine. We're seeing a good amount of amateur work around the motor that's been catching our attention. Beyond what we see with the motor we're tracking other questionable work.

I'm determined to restore this car to it's former glory and ready to spend a good amount of money but given what we see so far we have good info to take action on. If I can track the history of this motor and find out it's a high mileage motor but the car was sold (and promised) as a fully original car we have ourself a serious implication.