Hey Guys, I'm new to Chevy stuf. I recently bought an 2.8 MPFI as a replacement for the carbed 2.8 version of my '83 Blazer.
The guy I bought it from said it was from a Camaro but he was not sure.
The reason I bought this engine is because the outraging gasprices in Europe, we pay $8.25+ for a gallon where I live (the Netherlands).
I'm going to run the engine on a megasquirt and make it propane injection at the same time.
Running on propane is very common here and costs under $3 a gallon.

Is there a way how I can identify what year the engine is? (it has the extra injector at the back of the intake).
The only number I have found sofar is a small stamped number in front of the drivers cyl head. It reads A009607AAK
Does my '83 flex plate fit this engine without having any ballance problems??

 

if its a 2.8 out of a camro it will be a 86-90 i belive i belive the 85 engines were still carbed but i could be wrong on that

 

I think both the firebird/camaros from 85/90 were 2.8mpfi.

And in 87 I think they went to internally balanced so I don't think your flex plate/Harmonic balancer would work if that engine is 87 or newer.

 

... and the seventh injector was only used until the end of the 88 model year. To narrow it down even further, does the engine have a large black pipe running from a nipple on the back of the intake manifold to the throttle body? If it does, it's somewhere between 85-87 model years, as the upper plenum and throttle body were redesigned for the 88 model year. IIRC, the 2.8 went to internal balance in 88 as well (pretty sure my 87 2.8 was externally balanced as the flexplate had to be replaced with the engine when my internally balanced 3.1 was put in).

There should be a VIN derivitive somewhere on the block, a set of 9 digits taken from the original vehicle's VIN. An example is what is found on my 700R4 trans: 2HL223742. Don't concern yourself with the first or last 6 digits, you're looking for the 2nd (the model year of the donor car) and the 3rd (the manufacturing plant for the donor car). IIRC, this is supposed to be on a boss near the front of the intake manifold, stamped into the block, under and near the thermostat housing. It's either there or somewhere on the rear of the block that forms the shape for the bellhousing. You'll need to clean the block really good and rid it of any grease and possibly some rust to find it.

:edit: Just checked car-part.com for the flexplate interchange... Basically what it boils down to is if your "new" engine has the black idle air pipe I mentioned above on it, your existing flexplate will work. If it doesn't and it's an 88, you need to get one from somewhere. Oh, and the V6 for the 90 model year was the 3.1.

 

89 still had the 7th injector. aka cold start injector.

this might help also. good place for info on engines
http://www.60degreev6.com/content/60...V6_Family_Tree

 

Hi Folks, thanks for your help sofar.
I believe it is an 1985/1986/1987 engine out of an F body.
The engine has the large tube running from the rear intake to the tb so this makes it a 85-87 engine.

It has a combination of the drive/v belt sysem so this makes me believe it is a 1985 engine.
The bolt from the oil pan are not in the timing chain cover and it has a one piece seal so this should make it a 1987.

On the front of the engine I fount a casting number that says 10065457.

I'm now totally confused about the year of this engine.

The MPFI has a mass air system, was that used from 1985 on?
The label on the ECU has been damaged so I cannot take all numbers from that.

 

The number you found on the block is the 8-digit GM part number for the block. You're looking for something with letters in it. Driver's side of the bellhousing attachment, near the lower bolt, probably crudded up, is the location according to my FSM.

Anyways, if you can't find that, take the cover off of the ECM and give us the 3 or 4-letter code on the large chip inside. This is the broadcast code, and is year, engine, and emissions system specific.

 

At what chip should I look, there are two big chips in there.
One is removable and the other on is not.
I guess you mean the removable one??

There is no number on the block, I cleaned it to bare metal in that place.
Could it be a replacement engine??

 

If the ECM has a part number ending in 302, which most MFI 2.8 engines have, then there are 2 chips under the cover, both removable, as they need to be swapped to a replacement ECM when the ECM needs replacement. The small one is known as the CALPAK, which is used in the event of a major system failure. The large one with the silver label on it is the PROM. We need the 3 or 4-letter code off of that silver label.

 

I took the bigger chip out but it is attached to the cover so the numbers are not readable.

 

Well, since your pic is all washed out because of the flash, I'll go out in the morning and take a pic to illustrate what you're looking for. However, I will say that you're not looking for numbers... Those numbers are the part number of the chip. What you're looking for is a code made up of letters. A few examples of this are HNR, HNL, AUJW (91 3.1 with VATS), AUXW (91 FWD), APFR (88? 2.8 auto), and others. The HNR and HNL are the broadcast codes for 87, the HNR being for automatic trans and the HNL being for manual.

:edit: Also, the alternate VIN derivitive location is supposed to be on the front of the passenger's side cyl head.

 

The number on the chip is HNL so it appears to be an 87 manual shift.
Now I also understand why they took the flywheel away, they sold it with the gearbox.
I'm going to make it automatic but use a programmable EFI system.

 

Now that we have verified that your engine is from an 87, we can say that the flexplate you have will work on it.

:edit: And, BTW, the HNL will work but the fuel and spark tables are slightly different between the 2 transmissions.

 

It does not mather to me because I'm going to run another ECM anyway.
The one I'm going to use has two different fuel tables so I can run regular fuel or Liquid Propane Gas with the same ECM.

 

If the new engine has a one piece rear seal the 83 flex plate won't work on it.

 

Not according to the Hollander Interchange Manual... IIRC, the one-piece was used starting in 85... GM swapped to internally balanced flexplate/flywheels in 1988... Yes, the 83 was externally balanced with a 2-piece RMS, but my 87 was also externally balanced (with the 2.8, the shop had to get a neutral flexplate for my 3.1 swap) but it had a one-piece RMS... The last year for the external balance.

 

You may be right,I had been told that they started using the int balanced engine mid-year and the way to be sure was if it had the one piece seal.If you can compare the two flexplates the ext balanced will have a weight tacked on,the int won't.