Hi Guys - Is there any way to externally identify the NC2/3 engine with the steel crank and sliding wrist pins compared to the earlier NC1 engine ?
( Engine is out of the car and most ancillaries have been taken off it )
As I recall, the engine number will reveal that. A bit of Google fu on your part could be in your future.
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Cheers
So - reading that - the engine number for an NC2/3 engine needs a number higher than 133235
Hmm, I’m not so sure about that table, it feels wrong.
For example: my dear old NC1 Niseko was UK reg 01/03/2008 but had the VIN JMZNC18F200150855.
All the body etc was pre-facelift, but it did have some features that became more standard in the facelift cars.
Curiously at 35K miles I still think it had a lot more go than this 25AE which only has a third of that mileage. Maybe the 25AE isn’t run-in yet?
Just realised that the serial range in that chart is the cars VIN
It still won’t identify an engine that is out of the car as an NC2/3 engine.
Hmm, yes, of course!
Tricky.
My 25AE number is LF115nnnnn
There must be some coding there, that’s 11.5 million
Table B states ENGINE Code and the table at the bottom states ENGINE Code.
No mention of VIN numbers.
That’s how I read and understand it.
Agreed the table name is called VINCHART.
However, just comparing that table with my engine code(2013) and doesn’t make sense!! 
Give them a ring and sure they can clarify it for you.
For an NC The Engine code would be “8” for a 1.8 and “F” for a 2.0 - that is the 8th digit of the car VIN
The “Serial Code Range” is pointing to the last 6 digits of the car VIN
So the 133235 is the first VIN for an NC2
I still can’t work out if an engine sat on a pallet is an NC1 or NC2/3 motor
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In case it helps anyone out when looking at engines removed from the car ( and no car ID available )
There is an engine build date sticker on the back side of the engine ( above the flywheel )
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What was it in the end?
March 2009 build.
They also found the donor vehicle details - 2009 2.0 SE 5 speed VIN ends in 1509XX making it an NC2.
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Useful info that I’ve squirrelled away. Thanks.
That’s interesting, I was always under the impression that facelift NC started at 200001 VIN serial number. Have you got the full VIN?
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Really? my 2008 NC1 Niseko was 150855.
So it looks like the VIN chart being used by MX5parts is BS
Expensive lesson learned
Check the actual manufacture date on that label on the engine. It might be OK.
I was always impressed by that particular free-revving Niseko engine compared with all the others I test drove.