Rebuilt or not?

[GWRider]

Attached is a pic of the engine in the Bus I am buying. There is no documentation that it was rebuilt but supposedly it was some 10-12k miles ago and the transmission was also rebuilt (not sure if within the same amount of miles). The drivetrain appears very clean and there are no leaks or seepage that I could tell including underneath around the drivetrain. Any ideas on what to look for that might indicate the engine was rebuilt? The transmission has a Allision Retran lable on it but the label is somewhat faded so that appears factual.

[cadillackid]

unless its labelled its tough to tell.. however if the engine is clean, runs solid, doesnt leak and doesnt smoke its a good chance that it was rebuilt or replaced.. sometimes you can look at the amount of blowby coming out of the draft tube.. a worn engine will have lots of smoke and a newer engine rebuilt correctly will have a small amount at idle..
-Christopher

[BlackJohn]

The paint on the entire engine looks new so cannot be original I think.
Pretty sure they are all repainted when rebuilt in a reputable shop. That looks like it hasn't got any miles on it since.
What type/make of engine is that?



John

[TJones]

You may be able to run the engine serial # through a cummins dealer. If a cummins dealer did the rebuild there may be record of it.

Im not sure that the paint is as new as it is clean. See if the paint looks that clean on the back of the engine in a place not easily accessible by power washer or rattle can. Also look for engine color paint on parts which likely would have been removed for a rebuild.

Ted

[GWRider]

Originally Posted by BlackJohn

The paint on the entire engine looks new so cannot be original I think.
Pretty sure they are all repainted when rebuilt in a reputable shop. That looks like it hasn't got any miles on it since.
What type/make of engine is that?



John

Based on the attached images, it appears the engine may not have been removed and maybe an in-frame rebuild. It is a Cummins 8.3.

[GWRider]

Originally Posted by TJones

You may be able to run the engine serial # through a cummins dealer. If a cummins dealer did the rebuild there may be record of it.

Im not sure that the paint is as new as it is clean. See if the paint looks that clean on the back of the engine in a place not easily accessible by power washer or rattle can. Also look for engine color paint on parts which likely would have been removed for a rebuild.

Ted

I attached some pics of the engine bottom in my response to BlackJohn (I did not take these). I cannot see the back side but it appears that the paint was sprayed while engine was in frame.

Also, the transmission Re-Trans tag has the number 2008196 under the S/N number. I am guessing that is the Mfg. or Re-Trans date but not sure.

[TJones]

It does look clean. Being a 8.3 it was likely rebuilt in frame. When you inspect it in persom if the valve cover and oil pan gaskets look newish its probly been rebuilt.

Ted