John Deere, like other engine manufacturers, uses its unique terminology and arrangements to mark its products and assign part numbers. Understanding this categorization and marking system is crucial to part number identification, which is then used to select rebuild kits, components, and maintenance parts.
A typical engine serial number looks like TO4045T123456. To better understand this number, it will be divided into several parts. The first segment is the two initial letters “TO”. These two initial letters indicate two things: one, what country it was made in, and second, whether it is Powertech or not Powertech.
All John Deere engines built in Dubuque, Iowa, USA are preceded by the letters “TO”, all engines preceded by “CD” are built at Saran, a factory located in the Loiret area of France, and all engines made in Torreón, Mexico are preceded by the letters “PE”.
The next set of numbers in the John Deere engine serial number is four (4) or (5) numbers and letters. In our example, this refers to “4045T”. This can be further subdivided into “4045” and “T”. The 4045 indicated that this is the 4045 model. The initial “4” indicates that it is built with four (4) cylinders. The “T” that comes after the engine model number indicates that the engine has a turbocharger attached to it and is therefore a turbocharged engine. This factor is important as turbocharged engines are designed differently than non-turbocharged engines. they cannot be interchanged between these two engine types.
The last set of six (6) numbers is the sequential number of the engines as they come off the assembly line. If this number is 123456, then the next serial number for the next engine on the same assembly line will be 123457. This will continue until John Deere decides it’s time to upgrade or build another model.
There are many variations of the above serial number. Model 4045T can be marked as 4045D. Here, the “D” symbolizes that the engine is a diesel engine (some early John Deeres were built to run on gasoline), and it is naturally aspirated, meaning it is not turbocharged. Therefore, this serial number could have been TO4045D123456 and this would have been totally different from TO4045T123456.
The 4045 in serial numbers can also be 3152, 3164, 3179, 3029, 4202, 4219, 4239, 4039, 4276, 6303, 6329, 6059, 6414, 6068, 6414, 4270, 6404, 6466, or 6076 “D.” , a “T” or an “H”.
The problem often arises of how to identify which motors are PowerTech and which are not. This can be resolved by taking a closer look at the John Deere serial number.
For engines built in Dubuque, Iowa, USA (TO Engines), all engines with a sequence number greater than 700,000 are all Powertech engines.
For engines made in Sarran, France (CD engines), all engines with serial number sequence greater than 500,000 are all Powertech engines.
In contrast, however, all John Deere engines built in Torreón, Mexico (PE engines) are PowerTech engines. This sequence serial number started with one thousand (1000). Thus, all PE PowerTech motors will have a sequential serial number from one thousand (1000) and up.