Ever wonder why there are many different types of pistons in your diesel engine? And why certain pistons are included in your engine rebuild kits?
Continue reading Differences in DD15 Pistons And When You May Need An Overhaul
Founded in the early 20th century, Perkins has long produced diesel engines for various industries. They sought to change diesel engines from a slow-moving working engine to a high-speed, high-performance workhorse. They succeeded. At first they produced engines for agricultural applications, but their engines can be found in marine equipment, industrial, construction, and more.
Continue reading How To Find Perkins Diesel Engine Serial Numbers
If you’re running a C15 or 3406E diesel engine, you may have experienced your engine missing. So, why does that happen?
Continue reading How To Check For Caterpillar 3406E/C15 Fuel In Coolant
Choosing the best diesel engine is no easy task, especially in the information era where forums and sites write about how good “this” engine is, and how poor its competitors are. There is no question that the Caterpillar 3406E, C15, or C15 ACERT are all good engines in their own right, but, like with anything, each one has an Achilles heel if you dig deep enough.
Continue reading What’s The Difference Between Caterpillar 3406E, C15, And C15 ACERT Diesel Engines?
So, we’ve talked about various components of your Caterpillar C15 diesel engine and how you can tell if they’re causing your engine trouble. Now, we’re going to take a look at head gasket failure within a C15.
Continue reading Why Is My Caterpillar C15 Head Gasket Failing? Common Causes and Solutions
This is our Ultra Performance line of cylinder heads. Installed with Inconel exhaust and intake valves, it can withstand extreme temperatures and pressures generated in engines. It’s also upgraded with fire rings that are designed to prevent head gasket blowout. This overview covers failures and diesel part options.
Continue reading Ultra Performance Caterpillar Cylinder Heads (1835296)
Finding the correct engine serial number (ESN) is one of the most important steps when ordering diesel engine parts – but it’s also one of the most confusing. Every manufacturer places their serial numbers in different locations, and many engines have additional arrangement, horsepower, or build codes that matter just as much as the ESN itself.
In this guide, we break down exactly where to find the serial number on popular diesel engines like Caterpillar, Cummins, and Detroit Diesel, so you can identify your engine quickly and get the right parts the first time.
Sometimes it can be hard to find an ESN. Below we’ve collected the general formats your ESNs will have and where you can find them on your engine.
Most engine serial numbers can be found on the data-plate. As you’ll see later in this article, the data-plates for a certain type of engine can be found in various places depending on the model. However, Caterpillar is pretty consistent, and the data-plate on a Caterpillar engine can be found on the driver’s side of the valve cover.
All Caterpillar ESNs have a similar format. They all begin with a three number/letter prefix, 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’ reputations precede them. 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 critiqued.
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. You can find the location of your dataplate in your owner’s manual, but if you haven’t held on to the physical copy of the manual, then you can access Cummins Quickserve and get a digital copy of the owner’s manual there.
If you don’t have your owner’s manual and don’t 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 don’t see your engine model listed? It’s okay. Cummins also stamps the engine serial number into the passenger side of the engine block for all models.
Cummins engine serial numbers look more like a classic serial number than Caterpillar ESNs do. They are composed only of 8 numbers. They’re in a specific numerical sequence, based on which engine came off the assembly line first. There is no special designation for particular models.
Cummins engines do have something a little unique, called a CPL. This stands for Critical Parts List and, as you can probably guess, 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, you can give us a CPL rather than an ESN.
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 aren’t always, so don’t panic if you go to look in the spot listed below and don’t find it. It’ll be on the engine somewhere, so just keep looking.
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.
International/Navistar actually keeps the ESN location pretty simple. The engine serial number for International/Navistar engines can be found stamped on a pad on the block. For engines pre-2000 engines, 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 International/Navistar engines that were built after 1993, you’ll 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.
International/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.
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 didn’t think about what a pain it would be in the future when you need to order parts for repairs.
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 you’re buying a single part, providing the part number off the old part will also work.
However, if you’re 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 make sure you’re getting the right thing. So, whether you’re calling us or using our online quoting tool, be sure to provide your engine serial number.
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 didn’t answer for you? Our experienced techs are on hand to answer your questions. Give us a call at 844-304-7688 to get your questions answered!
HOW TO FIND CUMMINS DIESEL ENGINE SERIAL NUMBERS: LOCATIONS & FORMAT
HOW TO FIND NAVISTAR DIESEL ENGINE SERIAL NUMBERS: LOCATION & PREFIXES
DIESEL ENGINE SERIAL NUMBERS FOR AGRICULTURE ENGINES JOHN DEERE, CATERPILLAR & CUMMINS
We get it- when you need Diesel Engine Parts, time is of the essence. That’s why we’ve developed the HHP Online Quoting System.
Originally Posted November 8, 2017; Edited March 25, 2021
This is Stage 3 in our Performance Line of cylinder heads. Installed with Inconel exhaust valves, it can withstand extreme temperatures and pressure generated engines. This overview covers failures and diesel part options.
Continue reading Caterpillar C15/3406E Stage 3 Cylinder Head (1835296)
This is Stage 2 in our Performance Line of cylinder heads. Installed with Inconel exhaust valves, it can withstand extreme temperatures and pressure generated engines.
Continue reading Caterpillar C15/3406E Cylinder Heads With Inconel Valves (20R2645)
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, steam tractors were the primary method of agricultural development. But out in California, they had a problem: the incredibly heavy tractors kept sinking into the soft earth. One solution sometimes used was to lay wooden planks ahead of the tractors, but this drastically decreased speed and was expensive to do.
Continue reading Everything You Need To Know About The Caterpillar C15Highway and Heavy Parts is your trusted source for over 250,000 replacement diesel engine parts, including a comprehensive selection of Caterpillar engine components. Whether you’re maintaining fleet vehicles or heavy equipment, we carry the parts you need to keep your Caterpillar engines running at peak performance. This, combined with our ASE Certified service team, makes us industry experts and qualified to write about everything Caterpillar-related.
On this page, you will find blogs that discuss common Caterpillar issues, diesel engine part highlights, and how-tos.
Engine Components & Service Parts
Our extensive Caterpillar inventory includes essential engine components such as engine blocks, pistons, fuel injectors, and turbochargers. From routine maintenance items to major engine rebuild components, we stock everything required for C15, C15 ACERT, 3406E, and other popular Caterpillar engine models.
Quality You Can Trust
At Highway and Heavy Parts, you’ll get parts that have been manufactured in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility, ensuring quality and consistency for your Caterpillar equipment. Our commitment to quality ensures you receive parts engineered for durability and long-lasting performance.
Fast, Reliable Service
Order by 2PM EST, and in-stock items will ship the same day (M–F), ensuring minimal downtime for your equipment.
We understand the importance of keeping your fleet operational and ready for work.
Expert Knowledge & Support
Highway and Heavy Parts, LLC is owned and operated by diesel engine experts.
We know the importance of keeping a delivery fleet on the road. Our team combines decades of experience with comprehensive product knowledge to help you find the right parts for your specific application.
Comprehensive Parts Selection
You can quickly and easily find the precise part you need with our large range, saving you time and effort. From gaskets and seals to major engine components, our inventory covers the full spectrum of Caterpillar parts needs.
While Caterpillar has a long and storied history of producing top-notch diesel engines and was known for construction and mining equipment, they also produced engines for on-highway applications. Though Caterpillar has discontinued their truck engine production, existing equipment still requires quality replacement parts and ongoing maintenance support.
Browse our complete selection of Caterpillar parts today and experience the Highway and Heavy Parts difference – where quality meets reliability for all your heavy-duty diesel engine needs.
