Which digit in the engine number indicates the production date?

[VonAlivia]

The production date cannot be determined from the engine number. The production date can be found in the VIN code, specifically the 10th digit. The VIN code is a set of 17 letters or numbers that contains information about the vehicle's manufacturer, year, model, body type and code, engine code, and assembly location. Correctly interpreting the VIN code is crucial for accurately identifying the vehicle model. The 17-digit code is usually divided into six parts: Digits 1~3: Represent the manufacturer, brand, and type; Digits 4~8: Vehicle characteristics; Digit 9: Check digit, calculated through a standardized weighted method; Digit 10: Model year, generally indicating the vehicle's production year; Digit 11: Vehicle assembly plant; Digits 12~17 (last six digits): Production sequence number. The engine number is typically located between the 7th and 8th digits. The arrangement and content of the engine number may vary by manufacturer. It usually includes the engine model, production year and month, and a randomly assigned serial number given when the engine comes off the production line. Some may also include a location code. The engine model is an identification code assigned by the engine manufacturer in accordance with regulations, industry practices, or engine attributes to a batch of identical products. It indicates information such as the manufacturer, specifications, performance, features, technology, purpose, and production batch of the engine, including fuel type, number of cylinders, displacement, and static brake power. Engines installed in passenger cars or multi-purpose vehicles are required to display the professional manufacturer, model, and production number. It is important to note that the engine number is not the same as the engine model. The engine model refers to the specifications and size of the engine within the manufacturer's lineup, and the same engine model can be used for multiple engines. The engine number, however, refers to the production number of the engine, and each engine has a unique number. Composition of the engine number: Prefix: Includes product series code, generation symbol, and regional or company code, chosen by the manufacturer as needed but must be approved and filed by the industry standardization authority. Middle section: Consists of symbols for the number of cylinders, cylinder arrangement, stroke, and bore diameter. Suffix: Composed of symbols for structural features and usage characteristics. Tail: Distinguishing symbol. Used to differentiate products within the same series due to improvements or other reasons, chosen by the manufacturer. The suffix and tail can be separated by a hyphen (-).