Bar code on valve cover?

[PSID6]

Does anyone know what kind of info can be had from the bar code label on the driver side valve cover?

 

[longball]

I don't recall seeing that, but that was a couple valve covers ago.................

 

[novaderrik]

probably not much unless you have access to the barcode database that was in use at the time.. it just told the guys in the factory what what it was and which car it was supposed to go into..

 

[INEEDAGN]

Get one of those bar code scanners for you smartphone and tell us what it reads.

Probably comes back as a 20oz. Mountain Dew....

 

[dynoman]

Barcodes on automotive components are for part tracking & identification. Tracking tell exactly when the part was made and when it was installed. After the barcode is put on the part it is scanned all the way through the build process at each station until the completed part passes all tests. For example a fuel injector we receive from our clean room has a 2D bar code laser etched on it . After testing and it passes it gets sent to the injector presses to be pressed into the fuel rails and before it is pressed it gets scanned again to #1 check it's a good part & #2 it's the right injector for that rail. If everything doesn't agree it will not build the parts. That is just a small example of parts tracking & ID with bar codes, but it is the one of the main reasons that quality has improved . We call it idiot proofing at work cause it's difficult to make a complete part with bad pieces even if you tried to. Sam

 

[PSID6]

Thanks Sam that did help. I looked at it a little longer and if you read the numbers from right to left a date reveals itself 78529 which would be 9/25/87. This is a guess,but I think it's cool it gives my car or at least my engine a birthday!

 

[dynoman]

If you ever wondered how they knew how many cars they had to recall because of "part X" was bad this is how it's tracked. On laser etched bar codes build time is accurate down to the second of any given day. Glad I could help . Sam