My Zetec engine has the month & year cast into both the head and block.

This is consitent with the engine number on the donor cars Vin number & V5C, also Burton powers production date list.

That said, I would not risk that my local IVA station would accept this as proof of the engines age.

As far as I am aware, if the tester is unsure of the date of manufacture, the car will be tested to the stricter emissions criteria :eek:

Service part replacement engines don't come with numbers, dealers are instructed to stamp the number off the knackered engine.

I presume buying a brand new one, plenty on the bay, they don't have numbers either.

The number on mine was very faint so I layed the engine over the electrolysis bath and it came up that way.