So, recently discovered that my 1988 Dodge Ram does not have the original engine - the casting clock/date on the block is 8/24/84 @ high noon. There is also another casting number on the block (both of these can be found by lying on your back and looking up at the engine block) - that number, near as I can tell is 4328380318 11. These numbers tell me about the block itself, but not about the engine and when it was put together (okay, I'll give you that the ...318 is the displacement in the 10 digit casting number!). I understand there is a (possibly 7 digit) tag stamped into the engine somewhere - one of the possible locations is on the surface of the block where the driver's side "head" is attached - between the firewall and the engine, of course. Heaven forbid any of this info could be put somewhere accessible!!!! Any info or pics of this tag or how to access it would be more than welcome. I think I am finally getting near the end of the "oil dipstick" journey/mystery. Lots of questions getting answered!!!! Thanks, Mike

 

This site may help. The first URL is the location of the numbers you want and the second is three pages after the first URL that explains how to decode the info. They are the same site. Hope this helps.

http://www.yearone.com/updatedsingle...gnumbers1.html

http://www.yearone.com/updatedsingle...gnumbers4.html

 

I will probably get the dumb-**** award, here, but I did not fully understand (even w/ the pic, and a truck in the garage w/ the engine in it), the following description of the location:

SMALL BLOCK: Locating the I.D. pad on a small block is the simple part -- decoding the information is where it gets tricky (more on that later). The pad is found on the driver's side front of the block below the cylinder head on both "A" and "LA" small blocks. With the engine in the car and all the accessories in place, it may be hard to see, but it's there.

1) Is the "front" of the block closest to the radiator or the firewall??
2) Where exactly is "below the cylinder head" - I know what the cylinder head is (being that it contains the valves and is a part separate from the block, and that there are two of them on this engine)....pretty sure my block is an "LA"

Thanks in advance for holding my hand through this!!!

 

Don't know if we are holding hands or not but I have learned a lot since you asked this question. There are actually books out there to find and decipher engine castings and stampings. There apparently was little control over this even inside Dodge/Chrysler. The LA engine replaced the A engine in 1967 (I think) so it would be an LA. Front of the engine is toward the radiator. They put the stampings in different spots in different years and some came without any stampings if they were not factory installed into a vehicle. If your engine is not original to the truck it may not have any stampings. You might want to look at the bottom of the block on the passengers side just above the oil pan on a machined surface between the motor mount and the exhaust pipe.

 

I was able to find the ID in question - buried under a lot of grime and gunk, but was it sitting there (almost) plain as day. Oven cleaner seems to work better than just about anything in cleaning it up, btw. My engine I.D. (drum roll, please) is.....5M318 12211248 ... working on decoding it, but pretty sure the "5" means it was used in the 1985 production year, and the "M" is the plant code...cannot say w/ 100% certainty, but coupled w/ the block casting date ( 8/24/84 ), that seems a likely explanation...trust me, I'll be getting back to you when I am 100% certain...hopefully I can decode the number to the right of the 5M318 as well........any of y'all want to jump in, feel free!!!!! Thanks again for all of your help....pretty sure I'm almost to the end of this oil dip stick mystery.....

 

Here is my crack at decoding the 5M318 part:

5 = production year (1985)
M = Assembly Plant (Mound Road Engine plant in Detroit, Michigan)
http://www.allpar.com/corporate/fact...ound-road.html
318 = Engine Displacement

 

mjm1988 is correct on the 5M318. Galin Govier"s book may be available at the library. It will contain the answer you are seeking. You will probably have to have them do an interlibrary loan to get it.

 

That is actually all the info that I really need, ...the production year, HOWEVER, I will not let that stop me!! Stay tuned....oh, and btw, I believe that I am going to run a dip tube and dip stick in from the side of the block....anyone here OWN a 1985 production ANYTHING with a 318? Do the dipsticks on the '85 engines run in from the front or the side, or maybe the location of the dipstick depends on the application??? All I know is that for whatever reason the front dip-tube / oil pan on THIS truck DOES NOT WORK.

 

My Engine ID is stamped on the front of the engine block, where the cylinder head is bolted onto the engine block. Like I said - buried under a lot of grime and dirt - you would NOT know it was there unless you knew it was there!!! The water pump is to the left of it. If you are curious enough about your engine or vehicle, the man to contact is Galen Govier - will cost you a tiny bit (no more than $100), but well worth it IMHO! http://galengovier.com/