Heat-tab photos, before
One shot per tab, taken on the day the engine arrived, before anything was fitted.
Installation protocol · seven steps
Engine Pre-Installation Checklist
A used engine gives back exactly what the installation puts in. Work through these seven steps in order before the first start — every one of them is a condition of your 180-day warranty.
Written for the installing shop
Ten minutes to read, once
Keep it with the repair order
00
Steps to finish before the first start
0
Days of warranty on every engine we ship
0
Miles between oil changes, 5,000 absolute maximum
0
Hours to report freight damage, photos on the bill of lading
What's inside
Jump to the step you're standing at.
Step 00 · two minutes
Find the heat tabs. Photograph them.
Before the engine goes anywhere near the vehicle, find the heat tabs on the block and take one photo of each. They are small metal buttons, about the size of a shirt button, with a soft alloy centre that melts and runs out if the engine is ever overheated.
They are a temperature witness, and they work in your favour. Intact tabs prove the engine was never cooked — that is the strongest evidence you can hold if you ever open a claim. Overheating is not covered by any used-engine warranty, ours included, so a photo taken before installation records the condition it arrived in rather than the condition somebody assumed later.
Can't find them? Photograph the area where they should be and tell us. Say so in writing — never guess.
Intact — centre full
Never overheated. Photograph it and keep the file.
Melted — centre gone
The engine has been overheated. Stop and call before fitting.
- 1One photo per tab, square-on, from about a hand's width away, with a light on it.
- 2Look high on the side of the block — most engines carry two or three.
- 3Shoot them again after the first proper heat cycle and file both sets with the invoice.
The seven steps
Do it once, and do it right the first time.
Work through them in order. Each one exists because we have seen what happens when it is skipped — and skipping any of them can damage the engine and end your coverage on the same afternoon.
Where the line sits
What keeps your warranty, and what ends it.
No small print games. This is the whole of it, on one board.
Six conditions
Do these and you stay covered
- ✓Installed by a licensed repair shop, with the invoice kept on file.
- ✓New timing components and external seals fitted during the swap.
- ✓New water pump and thermostat, cooling system flushed and pressure-tested.
- ✓Fresh oil and a new filter before the first start, then every 3,000 miles.
- ✓Heat tabs photographed before installation and after the first heat cycle.
- ✓Any fault reported to us in writing before further work is carried out.
Six exclusions
These end coverage, whatever the paperwork says
- ✕Overheating. Melted heat tabs are the record, and they are not disputed.
- ✕Damage from debris carried over from the failed engine or its intake.
- ✕Accessories that arrived bolted on — sensors, brackets, pulleys, belts, mounts.
- ✕Labour, fluids, towing, rental or downtime — the unit is covered, the job is not.
- ✕Engines opened, modified or dismantled without our written approval first.
- ✕Racing, off-road or overloaded commercial use, and self-installed units.
Short version: we stand behind the engine, you stand behind the installation.
Read the full warranty terms
Keep these four things
A claim is only as good as the file behind it.
Four items, one folder, five minutes of effort. If you ever need us, this is what turns a conversation into a decision.
The install invoice
From a licensed shop, dated, showing the engine, the labour and the parts replaced.
Oil change receipts
Every one of them, with the mileage written on. This is your maintenance history.
Delivery paperwork
Signed bill of lading plus crate and pallet photos, taken within 48 hours of delivery.
Take it to the bay
The tick sheet, ready to print and sign.
Tick as you go on the screen, or print it and hand it to the technician. Printing gives you the sheet on its own — nothing else on this page comes with it.
Engine pre-installation tick sheet
American Motor Supply · complete every line before the first start
Vehicle / VIN ______________________________ Order no. ______________ Installing shop ______________________________ Date ____________
Technician
Shop name and licence
Vehicle / VIN
Date completed
Before you turn the key
Not sure about a step? Ask us.
Every engine bay is a little different. If anything on this checklist doesn't line up with the unit in front of you, talk to a specialist first — we would far rather answer a question today than process a claim next month.
Call
+1-844-658-5789
A specialist, not a queue
Text
+1-859-209-6146
Send the VIN, get a straight answer
Email
support@americanmotorsupply.com
Written record, same day
Hours
Mon–Sat · 8am–8pm CT
Closed Sundays
This checklist is a condition of coverage on every engine supplied by American Motor Supply LLC. It does not replace your vehicle manufacturer's service procedures — where the two differ, follow the manufacturer. Last updated 1 September 2026.