how can i tell if my motor is stolen?

[b18vtecrx]

hey guys i need to know how to tell if the motor in my car is stolen, i need to know before i go to the smog ref to get the swap bar legal, i would really hate for him to run the serial for me and have it come up stolen then he would take everything attached to the motor that i have added. so please let me know asap thanks -mike

 

[EGProject]

For the most part I don't think theres a serial on a motor. Unless the VIN was stamped on the block maybe - but the only visual marks I can remember on Honda motors is the casting number for the block, head and tranny.

If you think it's stolen - then it probably is.

 

[get_nick]

i would get some sort of paperwork for it. check the vin on the tranny. have the dmv or state patrol check it. just say you know a guy selling and you want to make sure it's legit. if not. either get rid of it or do emissions before you do the swap.

 

[Thateguhate]

Yeah, run the vin, or better yet .. make sure its still there and not shaved off. How much did you pick it up for?

But like said above, if you fear its stolen then you shouldnt have bought it to begin with. At least not without a bill of sale just in case it is you can fight it out in court. Just my 02.

 

[SlushboxTeggy]

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Yeah, run the vin, or better yet .. make sure its still there and not shaved off. How much did you pick it up for?

But like said above, if you fear its stolen then you shouldnt have bought it to begin with. At least not without a bill of sale just in case it is you can fight it out in court. Just my 02.

yup if it was a total steal then it probably was literally. like a type r motor you get for less than 3k. no one gets rid of a motor for an amazing price unless they need it out of their possession. but i guess there are rare cases. oh and if it was stolen i would keep an eye on the car; might get stolen back.

 

[b18vtecrx]

i bought a civic, the body on it is rough and the previous owner did a sloppy gsr swap i mean shitty wiring and didn't bolt up all the mounts but just little odds and ends that had to be fixed but i got it for 2500 and i just got the title to the car in the mail so i know the car isn't hot now im just wondering how to check the motor to see if its hot, now everybody is saying to check the vin# but do you guys mean the number printed directy under the engine code? please specify. and is there a site anybody knows of where i can check the number? thanks -mike

 

[civicious]

If it's USDM and it's missing the VIN tag on the front of the block (right above the oil pan), it's probably stolen.

If it's JDM, for the most part there's no way to tell if it was stolen or not.

 

[Thateguhate]

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If it's USDM and it's missing the VIN tag on the front of the block (right above the oil pan), it's probably stolen.

If it's JDM, for the most part there's no way to tell if it was stolen or not.

which more than likely it is and people dont bother barcoding, all they do is pay up, or just not register and have a track car.

My advice to you is find somone with a carfax, or who can check the vin, or hopefully you know somebody who knows somebody @ the DMV who can check on that for you. Thats the thing about these cars, theres a high demand for everything. Even the motors that power them.

goodluck though, let us know how it goes.

 

[b18vtecrx]

i dont know if its jdm or usdm........so if there is no vin plate on it i wont be able to get the swap BAR legal then? or how does that situation work cause i dont think theres a plate on it.

 

[civicious]

if it's a B18C1 or B18C5 it's USDM. if it's a B18C it's JDM.


Like I said, if it's USDM and doesn't have a VIN tag on it, it's probably stolen. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for anyone to remove the VIN tag on a USDM motor.

 

[Thateguhate]

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i dont know if its jdm or usdm........so if there is no vin plate on it i wont be able to get the swap BAR legal then? or how does that situation work cause i dont think theres a plate on it.

They cant barcode it without a VIN, you need that to do this so the barcode you get goes with the VIN of your motor, so yeah correct. You cant. Theres ways around emissions, but if you want to get it through the state ref and you dont have this, It just wont happen.

 

[b18vtecrx]

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i dont know if its jdm or usdm........so if there is no vin plate on it i wont be able to get the swap BAR legal then? or how does that situation work cause i dont think theres a plate on it.

They cant barcode it without a VIN, you need that to do this so the barcode you get goes with the VIN of your motor, so yeah correct. You cant. Theres ways around emissions, but if you want to get it through the state ref and you dont have this, It just wont happen.

you say without a VIN they can't make it BAR legal but then i know people use JDM motors and use all the USDM emissions equipment to make it legal, so how does that work? since earlier somebody stated that jdm engines dont use VIN #'s. please let me know asap i really appreciate the help im getting, so please keep the feedback coming.

 

[Thateguhate]

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i dont know if its jdm or usdm........so if there is no vin plate on it i wont be able to get the swap BAR legal then? or how does that situation work cause i dont think theres a plate on it.

They cant barcode it without a VIN, you need that to do this so the barcode you get goes with the VIN of your motor, so yeah correct. You cant. Theres ways around emissions, but if you want to get it through the state ref and you dont have this, It just wont happen.

you say without a VIN they can't make it BAR legal but then i know people use JDM motors and use all the USDM emissions equipment to make it legal, so how does that work? since earlier somebody stated that jdm engines dont use VIN #'s. please let me know asap i really appreciate the help im getting, so please keep the feedback coming.

Ive never looked into that, but you can call them or have them refer you to a website where they can tell you. I'm assuming there has to be a # on the motor they go by.. or maybe they assign one to it.

 

[b18vtecrx]

wel guys i found out how to tell if its stolen or not...... right under the engine code "B18C1" theres a long number in my case its between 130,000,000 and 200,000,000 which means its a 94' and that number also tells them what specific car it came out of , i know this cause i called the guy at the dealership and he told me so from there i called my local police station and asked them to run that number for me and everything came back clean!!!!!

so this means i got a 94 civic EX with a clean title and a complete 94' GSR swap already done in it for 2500. i can't wait to go to the BAR ref now im just waiting on my skunk2 intake manifold. anyhow thanks for everybody's input. peace -mike

 

[get_nick]

congrats. good find...

 

[HatchSpeeD]

nice, BTW I believe our engines didn't come with vin tags on the tranny or block till 96+ or 98+....I forgot which but basically anything below that, exactly what you did to check is the only way to know.

 

[eastonball]

Not too sure about only having the bar codes on 96 and up. On my 04 Ls tranny, there was a bar code. Right on the front of the case, on the top of the bell housing. And its the original 94 tranny.

 

[HatchSpeeD]

I'm not talking about the barcode, i'm talking about the vin tags.

 

[EG8TYPER]

How can i tell if the JDM engine is stolen or not? what if i got pulled over by a cop, what's the best thing to say? I just got a JDM CTR engine. But no receipt coz i bought it from a friend.

 

[xj0hnx]

How can i tell if the JDM engine is stolen or not? what if i got pulled over by a cop, what's the best thing to say? I just got a JDM CTR engine. But no receipt coz i bought it from a friend.

The best thing to say in this case, is ...

"Officer, I am sorry I posted in a thread that was almost six years old instead of starting a new one of my own."