Re-equipment of auto engine replacement. Registration of engine replacement at the traffic police according to the new rules. Preparation of documents for engine replacement

You changed the engine on your iron horse! A reasonable question arises: “Is it necessary to register the replacement of an engine on a car, since for several years now the “heart of the car” has been considered an ordinary spare part?” Let's talk about everything in order.

Legislative basis of the issue

Is it allowed to replace the engine of a car? Of course, it is allowed, but only after the owner receives the appropriate permission (the rule has been in effect since January 2016).

Also, back in 2011, the rules changed, therefore, the car engine slightly changed its status. On the one hand, it is now placed on a par with all other spare parts of the car, so now the number of the power unit is not indicated in the registration certificate.

On the other hand, the engine still has its own unique number, which cannot be damaged or changed, as this is punishable under Article No. 326 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: anyone who damaged or removed the numbers on the engine will have to pay a fine of up to 80,000 rubles.

Now the rules require entering the engine number only in the vehicle passport (in accordance with technical regulations No. 877 of 12/09/2011). Also, the cherished symbols that determine the uniqueness of each car engine are entered into the automatic registration system, although when registering a vehicle for this registration, the correspondence of the number physically located on the engine and the documents for the car are not verified.

Any re-equipment of a car (namely, this is how replacing the engine of a car with a more powerful one is interpreted) must be recorded in accordance with the basic provisions for the admission of a vehicle to operation, which were approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1090. You cannot start using a car for its intended purpose if its design was - changed in some way. This information is indicated in paragraph No. 7.18 of these provisions.

In the case of replacing the motor with a similar one due to excessive wear and tear of the old one, such a change is not considered a re-equipment.

What does the Customs Regulations for Vehicles say about this? The fourth part of the fifth section (the chapter is called “Conformity Assessment”), paragraph 77, states that a vehicle should not be tested for compliance with technical requirements if it is equipped with components that are designed specifically for a given make and model (this is not considered modifications, as mentioned above).

The next paragraph (No. 78) states that when changes are made (replacing an engine with a different one in terms of power and/or volume), inspection by authorized persons and the subsequent issuance of relevant documents is mandatory.

Important! You need to notify the insurance company that issued your car policy about the change in the power unit number so that if an insured event occurs, there will be no problems with payments.

Registration procedure

Before replacing a car engine with another, you need to contact the traffic police.

In this case, it is necessary to act according to the following algorithm:

Undergo an examination, the purpose of which is to determine whether the condition of the car (its technical characteristics) will deteriorate after a design change (after replacing the engine).
If you successfully complete the first stage, you need to obtain permission for conversion.
Only with permission in hand can you replace the engine at the third stage.
After changing the design, it is necessary to obtain a technical examination report and a diagnostic card.
With the received documents, you need to visit the traffic police again. They must issue a certificate stating that the car, after conversion, meets all safety requirements.
All that remains is to write an application with a request to change the car data in the vehicle passport and pay the state fee.

Documents for the procedure

Replacement of the engine of a car is carried out if the following documents are available:

A document identifying the owner of the car (passport).
Preliminary conclusion of technical expertise.
An application signed by the owner of the vehicle (download - for making changes to the design of the vehicle).
Passport for the vehicle (PTS).
Protocol on technical expertise.
Vehicle Registration Certificate (VRC).
Car diagnostic card.
Certificate of conformity of the engine.

The process of registering a car with replacing the engine with one of similar power and volume involves making changes only to the technical passport of the car. At the same time, there is no need to carry out an examination by the MREO and approval by the traffic police.

To notify government officials, make a phone call to your local MREO, or better yet, make a personal visit to officially inform the responsible employee of that organization about the change in engine number.

Some important final points

In addition to registration documents, paying duties and entering the changed engine number into official documents, it is imperative to correctly carry out the procedure for disposing of the old engine if the new one was imported into the Russian Federation from abroad.

This information is indicated in Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 605, in paragraph twenty-four.

In order to go through the entire registration process correctly, after replacing the engine with another one, you must pay a recycling fee (the rule applies only to those engines that were delivered to the Russian Federation after September 1, 2012).

P.S. Replacing the engine in a car in 2019 with a different one, more powerful or with an increased volume (relative to the previous unit) is a process that does not only involve specialists installing a new unit.

In addition, every car owner who updates his vehicle in this way is obliged to register and legitimize the changes made in accordance with the legally established procedure, permission for which is given by the State Automobile Inspectorate. The same applies to those drivers who replace the engine with a serviceable, but used engine.

Any car periodically needs replacement of auto parts. As a rule, all this happens without any marks in the vehicle’s passport or other bureaucratic delays. However, more global replacements may occur, for example, installing a new engine. How to arrange for an engine replacement and do you need to contact the traffic police for this?

Do I need to arrange for an engine replacement?

The rules for state registration and registration of vehicles state the following: when installing an identical engine with the same displacement, weight and power, there is no need to re-register the car. But it still wouldn’t hurt to call the MREO. There you can find out if this engine was removed from a stolen car.

Is it possible to replace the engine with another one that differs in volume and other parameters? Of course, you have the right to install another unit, but in this case the replacement will have to be agreed upon with the State Traffic Inspectorate. First, the department will consider whether in your case it is technically possible to convert the car, and then issue a permit. After this, you will need to contact the MREO, where a different engine size will be recorded in the new technical passport.

If you are still using the old vehicle registration certificate, which contains the engine number, then when installing any engine, the certificate will have to be changed. According to the new rules, the engine number is no longer recorded on the vehicle registration certificate. Therefore, if you do not replace the document, problems may arise. After all, you will have one number indicated on your registration certificate, but the car will have an engine with completely different numbers.

Collection of documents for vehicle engine registration

So, in order to arrange an engine replacement, you need to prepare the following documents:

technical equipment passport - original and copy;
vehicle registration certificate;
original and copy of passport;
car insurance policy;
certificate-invoice and customs declaration for the engine;
a document that evidences the transfer of the car from the service center where the engine was installed. This paper must indicate that all changes comply with GOST requirements;
The service center must also give you a copy of the certificate indicating the operation performed to replace the unit.

Having collected all these documents, you will need to come to the registration and examination department, where you can write an application to replace the engine. After this, the unit numbers are verified, and finally you can give the application and all the documents collected in advance to the traffic police inspector.

Important Notes

How to replace the engine so that there are no problems in the future? Replacement must be done at a service station that has the necessary certificates. If the engine was delivered recently and is not registered in the city, it is sent to the city traffic police for examination. There, specialists will issue a document stating that the number was actually manufactured at the factory and has not been subject to any changes.

And most importantly, the engine must be purchased only legally. You can purchase it both in a store and from a private person. But in any case, the seller is obliged to provide you with a certificate-invoice or draw up a purchase and sale agreement. Any of these documents must be certified by a seal.

Replacing the engine in a car does not always happen as part of tuning procedures; sometimes it is a necessary measure, and sometimes the only possible one in terms of repair. What does the law say about registering changes? Are any documents needed to record the changes? Is it mandatory to register the replacement of a unit with the state inspection?

Engine replacement without registration

To answer this question, it is necessary to separate two key points, namely, the engine replacement scenario.

First scenario: instead of a faulty engine, the car owner installed exactly the same one, but new or working4
Second scenario: instead of the old engine, an alternative is installed, that is, an engine different from what was originally installed.

Identical

Replacing the engine with an identical one

Let's look at the first scenario, in which you installed a new, but exactly the same, identical unit instead of a faulty motor. The new engine has the same number of cylinders, a similar volume, and is identical in power, environmental class and other parameters. In this case, it is not necessary to register the replacement with the inspectorate, as the commentary of the traffic police representatives on their official website explains to us:

The serial number of the power unit is not the main reporting detail of the vehicle. Changes are made to registration documents only in case of changes in the environmental class of the engine and its power. The eco class affects the tolerances, and the power affects the tax base; the rest of the data, including the engine number, is unimportant.

Nevertheless…

Even though there is no need to make changes to the registration certificate, you must have documents for the engine itself. That is, you must, if necessary, be able to prove that the unit is really yours and you purchased it legally. In addition, the document must show all the characteristics of the new engine, the main ones (power and environmental class) the same as the previous unit. So, when purchasing an engine, even a used one, a contract one, be sure to request all necessary documents.

Is it necessary to register an engine replacement?

Alternative

If you are replacing your old engine with a more advanced one, which has different power and environmental class characteristics from the previous unit, then it is necessary to register the changes in the registration documents. According to current legislation, registration is required if, even with the same volume, at least one important parameter has changed: either the environmental class, or even slightly the power. Moreover, it does not matter in which direction the changes occurred.

In addition, if you are going to install an engine that is not provided for this model by the manufacturer, that is, the new unit is not standard for the machine, then before carrying out work, you must agree on all procedures and obtain approval from the relevant authorities. NAMI representatives explained that when installing the unit provided by the manufacturer for this model, it does not eliminate the need to register the changes made. Everything will have to be documented.

Replacing the engine with a more powerful one

Increase power without registration?

The answer here is unequivocal - it is impossible to officially install a more powerful unit or increase the output of an old engine without documentation and registration. Any change to this parameter must be registered.

But this is in theory, in practice, craftsmen practice chip tuning, in fact, this is a kind of bypass of the limitation. After such tuning, almost no one participates in the tests and does not register the changes, although, according to the letter of the law, they seem to be obliged. This is where the defense of formality comes into play: the engine actually and documented remains the same, it has not changed. So, the only way to get a more powerful engine without registering it is to purchase a similar one that has undergone chip tuning. But remember, chip tuning does not always equal improved engine performance.

Let's start with the fact that many owners, for one reason or another, decide to put more money on their car. This phenomenon is called engine swap. It is noteworthy that the replacement of a power unit with a more productive one is not always carried out within the framework of special projects, when, for example, a unique racing track or rally car is created.

In other words, a more powerful engine is often installed on an ordinary civilian car, which is then used in the usual way on public roads. At the same time, not everyone knows that it is possible to change the engine to a more powerful one, however, such a replacement of the engine is associated with certain difficulties and difficulties not only in technical terms, but also in legal terms. Let's look at this issue in more detail.

Read in this article

History of the engine swap

Some believe that installing a more powerful power unit, which is different from the one that was originally installed on the car at the factory, is a modern round of evolution in the field of car tuning. In fact, engine replacement has been practiced for a long time. For example, with the introduction of Prohibition in the United States in the 1930s, cars that delivered illegal alcohol began to be equipped with more powerful ones.

This was done in order to be able to evade police pursuit if necessary. Then in the 50s, hot-rod cars came into fashion, which were an old car with a powerful modern engine and a package of serious modifications to the chassis, etc.

This fashion subsequently spread throughout the world, while for car enthusiasts from the USA and a number of other countries, no special problems arise, since the main task is only to correctly install the new engine, which then does not need to be separately registered.

As for Europe, Japan, CIS countries, etc., engine swap is not limited to just replacing the power plant. If the engine has been replaced, registration of such replacement is a mandatory procedure. This is the only way to be able to fully use the car legally. At the same time, replacing the engine with a more powerful one, of course, is not as common as in the USA, but it is still very popular among car enthusiasts.

Engine swap for a more powerful one: features

The reasons why a motor is replaced can be very different. If everything is clear with representatives of motorsport and the creators of exhibition exclusives, then ordinary car enthusiasts often change the power unit in the following cases:

When the existing engine is seriously damaged and the cost of repairing it is higher or comparable to buying another one with better performance;
Refusal of the available options for an existing engine (so-called “iron tuning”, installation on an atmospheric engine, etc.) and replacement of the unit with a more powerful ready-made analogue;
Installing a more productive modern version of the internal combustion engine instead of an outdated engine on a specific car model (for example,);
There is a desire to get a powerful car, while the power of the old engine will remain in the title. This will reduce the well-known "power tax" of the engine.

So, in any case, such a procedure will require financial investments (often quite large), and you should also be prepared for certain difficulties with further registration. At the same time, the costs of work and the difficulties of further registration in different situations may differ, and significantly.

Everything will directly depend on the amount of work and the degree of intervention in the factory design of the vehicle. In other words, the swap can be different. For example, if you change the engine to a more powerful one, and such a unit was installed at the factory on a specific model, then there will be fewer alterations. For example, many car enthusiasts practice replacing a 2.0 engine with a 2.5 engine, while both engines were installed in this body at the factory.

It’s another matter if you need, for example, to install a Japanese 2jz on a German BMW of the third series or replace the Mazda RX-8 rotary engine with a more conventional piston power unit. In this case, you will need to redo the engine shield, calculate the mounting points for the engine supports, combine the engine and gearbox, etc.

Taking into account a number of features, replacing with a motor that is more powerful, but was installed on a specific model from the factory, is the most popular. Moreover, many do not register the new engine with the relevant authorities, and only an expert can visually distinguish the replacement. This means that a car that is already registered can continue to be used for its intended purpose after the swap, and problems can only arise when re-registering the vehicle, traveling abroad through customs, etc.

As a rule, for a more powerful engine, a standard gearbox suitable for the engine is also installed on the car; all this is mounted on factory or slightly modified mounts. In some cases, it may be necessary to replace the subframe, wheel drives, cooling system, as well as the wiring of the electronic control system and (motor “braid” and block).

Most often, such alterations are carried out taking into account the fact that there is a so-called “donor”, that is, a machine from which all the necessary parts are removed. If you buy the internal combustion engine and other elements new or used separately, then this operation will require serious financial expenses. The fact is that you may need to replace an expensive instrument panel, etc.

From all of the above, you can understand why modifications with a minimum amount of rework are the most common in the CIS. To solve this problem, the internal combustion engine and components are separately “selected” with the expectation that the optimal power ratio will be obtained, while maintaining the vehicle’s architecture as much as possible. It is also preferable to use factory gearboxes paired with a new engine.

As a result, on some car models it is possible to implement a swap in such a way that the engine and gearbox are installed on factory supports and mounts. The end result is a more powerful car with virtually standard weight distribution and the absence of major alterations in the engine compartment. Most often, this result can be achieved if you install a forced version of the same or similar engine that was originally installed on the car.

Engine design after replacement

As you can see, the answer to the question of whether it is possible to change the engine to a more powerful one will definitely be positive. Technically, almost any project can be implemented, and everything will depend only on the financial capabilities of the customer and the qualifications of the specialists who will directly implement the plan.

However, if we talk about how to legalize engine replacement, everything is much more complicated. It should be borne in mind that difficulties often arise even if. This situation may arise when the car owner simply replaced the block with another as part of the repair or installed a contract engine that is exactly the same in power, model, displacement and other parameters.

In other words, it is important to understand that the engine is a serialized unit, that is, it is not just a spare part. And in the case of swapping an engine for a more powerful one, you should also add independent changes to the design of the vehicle. It turns out that the problem of modifications is added to the mismatching engine number.

For this reason, you should always monitor how engine replacement is treated in accordance with the letter of the law at the time. For example, in the Russian Federation, a situation arose when the procedure for registering a vehicle was first significantly simplified, determining that traffic police officers should not check the engine number with that indicated in the documents for the car, that is, only the VIN code and body number are checked. However, later amendments were made, after which the mismatch of the engine number again became the reason for refusal of registration, etc.

It is also important to take into account that the documents indicate the engine model, so when checking, they may also pay attention to this if there is a completely different motor. It is for this reason that it is recommended to separately study the question of how to officially replace a car engine and the procedure for completing such a procedure.

We also add that replacing the engine with a less powerful one has become an equally popular solution, taking into account the constant increase in power tax. Such a swap is extremely unprofitable for the state itself, as a result of which one should constantly expect stricter rules and the emergence of new laws regarding the issue of engine replacement.

Finally, we note that you need to be careful when buying a new engine for a car, since the unit can be removed from a stolen car, sold illegally, etc. If this fact is later established, the owner of a car with such an engine will automatically have additional problems.

Let's sum it up

Taking into account the above information, it becomes clear that at the initial stage the first step should be to resolve the issue of finding specialists who are able to professionally install an engine to replace the old one, taking into account the individual characteristics of such an installation and the wishes of the customer himself.

Next, it is necessary to approach the choice of one or another power unit on the secondary market with all responsibility, since a certain number of contract engines turn out to be in such a state that after several thousand kilometers they will also have to be repaired. The possibility of costly overhauls to return such a unit to service cannot be ruled out.

At the same time, from the very moment of purchasing an internal combustion engine and ending with its installation, you need to take into account all the nuances regarding the legal side of the issue. In other words, if you need to register a replacement motor, you need to have documents confirming the legality of purchasing a used motor, as well as documentary evidence of installing the unit in a service center that has the right and permission to carry out such work.

Finally, we note that it is optimal to do an engine swap where such operations are carried out regularly and professionally. In this case, qualified assistance can be provided in drawing up a preliminary estimate, searching for a suitable engine, gearbox and other parts. If we are talking about global modifications of the vehicle as part of the installation of a new engine from a different model and brand of car, then it is advisable to make sure that a tuning studio or similar organization has previously successfully performed such work.