Engine recognition


It is important to know which engine is fitted when it comes time to do maintenance or a rebuild. Not every 1200 Beetle is fitted with a 1200cc engine. A lot of engines are interchangeable, often without modifications to the chassis or bodywork, so there is a chance that you have a different engine in the back of your car. Either a bigger displacement engine or an engine from another year.

If at one point the engine was replaced by a rebuilt engine, the letter combination can be different (if it has an engine number). Please ask the supplier of this rebuilt engine for year of manufacture and displacement, as they tend to use their own letter/digit combinations.

From the engine number you can determine what type of engine it is and the displacement of the engine. The first letter(s) determine the displacement and the type of engine. The following numbers indicate the model year. Engine up through 31-7-1965 did not have letters in the engine number, for those engines we can only supply you the model year.

Note: This system is built as an extra service from which no rights may be derived.

Please enter you engine number as found on your engine and click on Check. First in the list of results is the model year of the vehicle it was installed in, followed by the engine type (also see the chart below). Second is the period in which the engine left the factory, thirdly the displacement of the engine and finally (if available) the power of the engine.

Engine number :


The chart below shows you which type of engine was used in which VW model.

  BeetleKarmann GhiaSplit BusBay window BusT25 / VanagonType 3Thing
                 
Type 1  25 hp*
30 hp*
1200
1300
1500
1600
-
30 hp*
1200
1300
1500
1600
25 hp*
30 hp*
1200
-
1500
-
-
-
-
1300
-
1600
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1500
1600
Type 3  -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1500
1600
-
-
Type 4  -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1700
1800
2000
-
-
2000
-
-
-
-
-
-
CT / CZ *  - - - - 1600 - -
WBX *  -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1900
2100
-
-
-
-
Diesel  -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1600
1700
-
-
-
-

* 25+30 hp = Used until July 1965, they have a fixed generator stand (part of the engine case)
* CT/ CZ = Aircooled engine. Engine number starts with “CT” or “CZ”
* WBX = Watercooled boxer engine