If you're shopping for parts for your Caterpillar diesel engine, then you're going to want to make sure that you're getting the right ones the first time. To help us get you exactly what you need, you need to have your engine serial number handy.
- Still working on the tear down and making great progress except for the 7W3906 fuel pump assembly. As far as I can tell I've got all of the bolts out of the pump that mate it to the block and the front cover of the engine. The pump will wiggle and move around.
- Caterpillar 3406B Engine equipment part for sale Build year 1984 ID K00106TR.
Where is that, you ask? Well, we're going to take you through where you should be looking to find this information on your CAT engine. Read on to find out more!
This is the 2nd draft of this video, I re-shot it after learning about additional locations the numbers could be found, depending on when the tractor was built.
Need parts for your CAT diesel engine? Let our ASE Certified Technicians help you get the right parts the first time!
Give Us A Call!Where Do I Find My Caterpillar ESN?
Most engine serial numbers can be found on the dataplate, which is typically on the driver side of the valve cover. Not all engines are consistent in where they put these information plates. The dataplates for a certain type of engine can be found in various places depending on the model. However, Caterpillar is pretty regular with their location.
If you're looking for more information on ESNs in general, we have a blog about other diesel engine serial numbers!
What's the Format of a Caterpillar Engine Serial Number?
Its a little hard to find something when you dont know what youre looking for. We get people that try to give us part numbers, casting numbers, or even VINs instead of ESNs, simply because they dont know what an engine serial number should look like.
All Caterpillar ESNs have a similar format, which makes them pretty easy to identify. They all begin with a three number/letter prefix, which is then followed by 7 digits.
The prefixes will correspond to a particular model, and usually to a certain subsets of the model. For the more popular prefixes, people will sometimes refer to their engine by the prefix rather than the broader model. You may have heard someone say, Oh, yeah, my 6NZ runs like a champ. A 6NZ is a common prefix for a single-turbo C15. Some prefixes even have reputations. For example, a C15 with a prefix of MBN is known as a Bridge motor (because it was the bridge engine from the mechanical C15 to the electronic C15 ACERT), and is often heavily criticized.
If you want to know more about one of CAT's most popular engines, check out our Caterpillar 3406E Engine Spotlight!
Caterpillar ESN Prefixes by Model
3406:
- 92U
3406B:
- 2EK
- 3ZJ
- 4CK
- 4MG
- 5KJ
- 7FB
- 8TC
3406C:
- 3ZJ
- 4CK
- 5KJ
- 8PN
3406E:
- 1LW
- 2WS
- 5DS
- 5EK
- 6TS
C7:
- KAL
- C7S
C12:
- 1YN
- 2KS
- 8YF
- 9NS
- 9SM
- CPD
- GEP
- MBL
- TME
C15 and C15 ACERT:
- 6NZ
- 9NZ
- B5R
- BXS
- EGH
- JEP
- KRA
- MBN
- MXS
- NXS
- RKS
- SDP
- TRB
C16:
- 7CZ
Why is My Caterpillar Engine Serial Number Important?
As much of a pain as it can be to find and identify your ESN, its incredibly important that you do it when you go to order parts. Giving us your engine serial number will guarantee you get the right parts for your engine, because we can look it up to figure out what your engine was originally built with.
You will see that when you entersome of our product pages, there is a box under our price with the available options. One option field that appears is for your Engine Serial Number. While youll be able to place an order without inputting your ESN, you will get a call from us asking for it before we will actually be able to get your order processed. And that just slows everything down.
Got questions? We've got answers! Our ASE Certified Technicians can help you with your diesel engine part needs. Give us a call at 844-304-7688 if you have any questions! Or, you canrequest a quote online.
Originally Posted October 4, 2017; Edited December 3, 2019
Engine serial numbers are specific numbers assigned to every individual engine. No engine that exists has the same serial number as another engine. If you know you engine serial number, you can find out the exact parts your engine was built with when it was first made.
How to Find Your Diesel Engine Serial Number
Sometimes it can be hard to find an ESN. Below weve collected the general formats your ESNs will have and where you can find them on your engine.
Caterpillar Engine Serial Number Location
Most engine serial numbers can be found on the dataplate. As youll see later in this article, the dataplates for a certain type of engine can be found in various places depending on the model. However, Caterpillar is pretty consistent, and the dataplate on a Caterpillar engine can be found on the drivers side of the valve cover.
Caterpillar Engine Serial Number Identification
All Caterpillar ESNs have a similar format. They all begin with a three number/letter prefix, which is then followed by 7 digits. The prefixes will correspond to a particular model. For example, prefixes of 1LW, 2WS, 5DS, 5EK, and 6TS indicate that the engine is a 3406E. For the more popular prefixes, people will refer to their engine by the prefix rather than the model. You may have heard someone say, Oh, yeah, my 6NZ runs like a champ. A 6NZ is a common prefix for a single-turbo C15. Some prefixes even have reputations. For example, a C15 with a prefix of MBN is known as a Bridge motor (because it was the bridge engine from the mechanical C15 to the electronic C15 ACERT), and is often critiqued heavily.
Caterpillar ESN Prefixes By Model
3406:
3406B:
3406C:
3406E:
C7:
C12:
C15 and C15 ACERT:
C16:
Cummins Engine Serial Number Location
Cummins engine will have the engine serial number on the dataplate, however the dataplate will be in different locations based on the model of the engine. The location of the dataplate for your engine will be in your owners manual. If youve long since lost the physical owners manual, but can access Cummins Quickserve, you can see a digital copy of the owners manual there.
If you dont have your owners manual and dont have access to Quickserve, we have the locations for the dataplate on some of the more popular engine models.
Unable to find the dataplate or dont see your engine model listed? Its okay. Cummins also stamps the engine serial number into the passenger side of the engine block for all models.
Cummins Engine Serial Number Identification
Cummins engine serial numbers look more like a classic serial number than Caterpillar ESNs do. They are eight digits long and are composed only of numbers. They go in a numerical sequence, based on which engine came first off the assembly line. There is no special designation for particular models.
Cummins engines do have something a little unique, called a CPL. CPL stands for Critical Parts List and is a list of the critical parts of the engine. There are fewer CPLs than ESNs because multiple engines can have the same CPLs. For most major parts of an engine, giving us a CPL will work just as well as giving us an ESN.
Detroit Diesel Engine Serial Number Location
We could (and did) write an entire blog on where you can find your Detroit Diesel engine serial number. Detroit is notoriously inconsistent when it comes to ESN placement. While the locations you can find your ESN are often consistent across a model, they arent always, so dont panic if you go to look in the spot listed below and dont find it. Its gotta be on the engine somewhere, so just keep checking.
Detroit Diesel Engine Serial Number Identification
Thankfully, the format of Detroit engine serial numbers is more consistent than their location. It can still get rather complicated though. For the sake of keeping this guide simple, were just going to go over the highlights.
Navistar Engine Serial Number Location
The engine serial number for Navistar engines can be found stamped on a pad on the block. Navistar keeps the location pretty simple. For engines that were built before the year 2000, that pad can be found on the left side of the block, just under the head to block parting line. For engines newer than that, the pad is on the right side of the block, between the oil cooler and the top of the block.
For most Navistar engines that were built after 1993, you will need more than just the engine serial number as well. You will also need the engine model, model year, horsepower rating, and torque rating, which can all be found on the emission label. The emission label can be found on the top of the rocker cover or intake manifold.
Navistar Engine Serial Number Identification
Navistar engine serial numbers are probably the most informative of all the ESNs for the major OEMs. They have a specific format that will provide the engine model, configuration, application, country of origin, and unit number.
3406b Caterpillar Engines For Sale
The Importance of Diesel Engine Serial Numbers
Caterpillar 3406b Serial Number Location Chart
C16:
- 7CZ
Why is My Caterpillar Engine Serial Number Important?
As much of a pain as it can be to find and identify your ESN, its incredibly important that you do it when you go to order parts. Giving us your engine serial number will guarantee you get the right parts for your engine, because we can look it up to figure out what your engine was originally built with.
You will see that when you entersome of our product pages, there is a box under our price with the available options. One option field that appears is for your Engine Serial Number. While youll be able to place an order without inputting your ESN, you will get a call from us asking for it before we will actually be able to get your order processed. And that just slows everything down.
Got questions? We've got answers! Our ASE Certified Technicians can help you with your diesel engine part needs. Give us a call at 844-304-7688 if you have any questions! Or, you canrequest a quote online.
Originally Posted October 4, 2017; Edited December 3, 2019
Engine serial numbers are specific numbers assigned to every individual engine. No engine that exists has the same serial number as another engine. If you know you engine serial number, you can find out the exact parts your engine was built with when it was first made.
How to Find Your Diesel Engine Serial Number
Sometimes it can be hard to find an ESN. Below weve collected the general formats your ESNs will have and where you can find them on your engine.
Caterpillar Engine Serial Number Location
Most engine serial numbers can be found on the dataplate. As youll see later in this article, the dataplates for a certain type of engine can be found in various places depending on the model. However, Caterpillar is pretty consistent, and the dataplate on a Caterpillar engine can be found on the drivers side of the valve cover.
Caterpillar Engine Serial Number Identification
All Caterpillar ESNs have a similar format. They all begin with a three number/letter prefix, which is then followed by 7 digits. The prefixes will correspond to a particular model. For example, prefixes of 1LW, 2WS, 5DS, 5EK, and 6TS indicate that the engine is a 3406E. For the more popular prefixes, people will refer to their engine by the prefix rather than the model. You may have heard someone say, Oh, yeah, my 6NZ runs like a champ. A 6NZ is a common prefix for a single-turbo C15. Some prefixes even have reputations. For example, a C15 with a prefix of MBN is known as a Bridge motor (because it was the bridge engine from the mechanical C15 to the electronic C15 ACERT), and is often critiqued heavily.
Caterpillar ESN Prefixes By Model
3406:
3406B:
3406C:
3406E:
C7:
C12:
C15 and C15 ACERT:
C16:
Cummins Engine Serial Number Location
Cummins engine will have the engine serial number on the dataplate, however the dataplate will be in different locations based on the model of the engine. The location of the dataplate for your engine will be in your owners manual. If youve long since lost the physical owners manual, but can access Cummins Quickserve, you can see a digital copy of the owners manual there.
If you dont have your owners manual and dont have access to Quickserve, we have the locations for the dataplate on some of the more popular engine models.
Unable to find the dataplate or dont see your engine model listed? Its okay. Cummins also stamps the engine serial number into the passenger side of the engine block for all models.
Cummins Engine Serial Number Identification
Cummins engine serial numbers look more like a classic serial number than Caterpillar ESNs do. They are eight digits long and are composed only of numbers. They go in a numerical sequence, based on which engine came first off the assembly line. There is no special designation for particular models.
Cummins engines do have something a little unique, called a CPL. CPL stands for Critical Parts List and is a list of the critical parts of the engine. There are fewer CPLs than ESNs because multiple engines can have the same CPLs. For most major parts of an engine, giving us a CPL will work just as well as giving us an ESN.
Detroit Diesel Engine Serial Number Location
We could (and did) write an entire blog on where you can find your Detroit Diesel engine serial number. Detroit is notoriously inconsistent when it comes to ESN placement. While the locations you can find your ESN are often consistent across a model, they arent always, so dont panic if you go to look in the spot listed below and dont find it. Its gotta be on the engine somewhere, so just keep checking.
Detroit Diesel Engine Serial Number Identification
Thankfully, the format of Detroit engine serial numbers is more consistent than their location. It can still get rather complicated though. For the sake of keeping this guide simple, were just going to go over the highlights.
Navistar Engine Serial Number Location
The engine serial number for Navistar engines can be found stamped on a pad on the block. Navistar keeps the location pretty simple. For engines that were built before the year 2000, that pad can be found on the left side of the block, just under the head to block parting line. For engines newer than that, the pad is on the right side of the block, between the oil cooler and the top of the block.
For most Navistar engines that were built after 1993, you will need more than just the engine serial number as well. You will also need the engine model, model year, horsepower rating, and torque rating, which can all be found on the emission label. The emission label can be found on the top of the rocker cover or intake manifold.
Navistar Engine Serial Number Identification
Navistar engine serial numbers are probably the most informative of all the ESNs for the major OEMs. They have a specific format that will provide the engine model, configuration, application, country of origin, and unit number.
3406b Caterpillar Engines For Sale
The Importance of Diesel Engine Serial Numbers
Caterpillar 3406b Serial Number Location Chart
Long, long ago in a time before electric cars were even conceived, heavy duty diesel engines were first made. These engines were not like mass-produced automotive vehicle engines. There was no standard Make-Model-Year formula that magically gave all engines with the same model name the exact same parts. No, they were special; each individual engine was different as it came down the conveyor belt.
And apparently the manufacturers didnt think about what a pain in the butt it would be in the future when repairs needed to be done and parts ordered.
Because of the lack of foresight, finding parts that correctly fit an engine can be incredibly complicated. Engine serial numbers are important because they are the only guaranteed way to find the exact parts that an engine was built with. Usually if youre buying a single part, providing the part number off the old part will also work. However, if youre looking to get an engine rebuild kit, we will always ask you for an engine serial number. This might seem excessive, but when it comes to an expensive kit with a lot of parts, we want to absolutely make sure youre getting the right thing. So whether youre calling us or using our online quoting tool, be sure to provide your engine serial number.
Caterpillar 3406b Serial Number Location Code
When calling to order parts, we get some people that want to give us VINs (Vehicle Identification Numbers) instead of ESNs. Unfortunately, a VIN is different from an ESN. We are able to look up some VINs to find their coordinating ESNs, but this is not a guarantee. Depending on your vehicle, you can always use our VIN Decoder Resource Guide.
Anything this didnt answer for you? Our experienced techs are on hand to answer your questions. Give us a call at 844-215-3406 to get your questions answered!
Edited September 12, 2019