The L28R Engine

[HS30-H]

I just purchased a 1971 240z (12/70) fitted with a 2.8L Nissan engine number L28R902644X. The database at partstrain.com says my engine comes from a Nissan Skyline R30.

Can you take a photo of your engine number pad, and post it here? I'm interested to see it, as I've never seen one before. Also interested to see the oil pan / sump position ( front sump, or rear sump ) and the oil dipstick position in the block.

But I don't see how your engine number could have been identified as having come from an R30 Skyline. What system would be used to track such things from the engine number? L28-engined R30-series Skylines are fairly rare beasts, too........

Engine blocks with "R" and "X" stamped on the engine block # area are factory rebuilt bare engines, sold by Nissan parts department as replacement engines, rather than engines that were used in certain model/market/spec cars.

I know this for sure because I have two factory remanufacturerd engines stamped this way. Nothing special otherwise, no "racing" bullshit or anything like that. I would guess that the "R" means "Remanufactured" or Rebuilt or mayeven be Recalled (?) or something of that nature.

Makes sense to me. The 'R' could then be stamped in the gap between the 'L28' stamping and the block serial number at time of Remanufacture, and the 'X' on the end would preclude anyone from changing the number by adding to it ( same as Nissan did with body serial numbers in certain markets, to conform with local regulations ).

Cheers,

Alan T.

[sblake01]

Also interested to see the oil pan / sump position ( front sump, or rear sump ) and the oil dipstick position in the block.

Good call, Alan. I missed that one. The sedan motors would be front sump and the S30 motors would be rear with the dipstick in the corresponding position. I should have reacalled that having owned both.

[jirospy]

I will try and post photos as soon I get it back from the shop... if you notice, I have cropped my avatar to remove the flat bed tow truck it was sitting upon due to some electrical issue (maybe starter solenoid?) that caused the fusible link to overheat/white smoke and break. Once I get my car back, I will be happy to take photos and post.

[jirospy]

I will try and post photos as soon I get it back from the shop... if you notice, I have cropped my avatar to remove the flat bed tow truck it was sitting upon due to some electrical issue (maybe starter solenoid?) that caused the fusible link to overheat/white smoke and break. Once I get my car back, I will be happy to take photos and post.

As promised Alan, see photos for engine number and oil pan position.

Edited March 28, 2011 by jirospy

[HS30-H]

As promised Alan, see photos for engine number and oil pan position.

Thanks for taking the time to do that.

Now that it's installed in your S30 body, it would of course have to have been converted to rear sump if it was originally front sump, so nothing conclusive there. I'd expect to see the original front sump dipstick hole plugged and the rear sump dipstick boss casting drilled to suit the rear sump position.

I still don't see how it can have been linked to an R30 Skyline just by its engine number though.....

Cheers,

Alan T.

[jirospy]

Thanks for taking the time to do that.

Now that it's installed in your S30 body, it would of course have to have been converted to rear sump if it was originally front sump, so nothing conclusive there. I'd expect to see the original front sump dipstick hole plugged and the rear sump dipstick boss casting drilled to suit the rear sump position.

I still don't see how it can have been linked to an R30 Skyline just by its engine number though.....

Cheers,

Alan T.

Hi Alan,

Again, I am new to Z Cars and do not claim to be an expert whatsoever.

I was told by a parts company (name listed above) while inquiring about a starter that my engine number matched with an R30 Skyline. That is all I can tell you about this...

[HS30-H]

Yes, that's the thing I find most puzzling. I don't know what system, what data would link a remanufactured engine number with a particular model. Plenty of other models used the L28 engine block in both front and rear sump applications.

Has your block got a front sump dipstick boss that has been plugged?

[g72s20]

Perhaps timing is the key? If the R30 was the last hurrah for the L28 in a production Nissan, the reference used may be simplistic and simply link the L28 part of the engine No. to the last use of this identifier, with the last vehicle series to receive an engine No. beginning with L28? Particularly if the block in question was sold/supplied sone years after production ceased. Some parts publications seen to trim information to the basics as years go by so maybe in the interests of print space they simply refer to the last known model?

Just a (convoluted) thought!

[Noddle]

Perhaps timing is the key? If the R30 was the last hurrah for the L28 in a production Nissan

R30 (MR30 -Aus spec) had a L24e in them.

Nigel

[g72s20]

R30 (MR30 -Aus spec) had a L24e in them.

Nigel

Yeah... I thought that after I read it back, but as my whole theory is a bit of stretch I thought "mmmmmayybee?"