How to decode a 1998 Mercury Villager VIN
Characters 1-3 of a 1998 Mercury Villager VIN
A World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) is a unique sequence of characters assigned to every vehicle manufacturer to distinguish their vehicles on the global market. For the 1998 Mercury Villager, the WMI is “4M2”, indicating that it is manufactured by Ford Motor Company, specifically, under its Mercury brand. This multipurpose passenger vehicle, built in the United States with its manufacturing plant located in Dearborn, Michigan, falls within the model years 1993-2002. The WMI forms the first portion of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), which serves as a vehicle’s unique identifier, providing essential information about its make, production year, and manufacturing details. Understanding the WMI is crucial for identifying vehicles accurately and tracing their history.
List of WMI Codes for a 1998 Mercury Villager
WMI: 4M2
- Model Years Covered: 1993-2002
- Example VIN: 4M2ZV1110WDJ19829
- Manufacturer Name: Ford Motor Company
- Vehicle Type: Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV)
- City: Dearborn
- State or Province: Michigan
- Country: United States
Characters 4-8 are the Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) of a 1998 Mercury Villager VIN
These characters correspond to components like:
- Engine type
- Transmission
- Model or trim
- Body style
- Gross vehicle weight range
Below find the known vehicle descriptor codes for a 1998 Mercury Villager:
| Known VDS for a 1998 Mercury Villager |
|---|
| ZV111 |
Auto manufacturers have some discretion to decide how they want to code this section, but its contents and decoded results are generally consistent.
Character 9 is the “check digit” in a 1998 Mercury Villager VIN.
Based on a formula developed by the US Department of Transportation, it helps reduce fraud by ensuring the validity of the VIN.
10th Character in the 1998 Mercury Villager VIN — Year Code
| Year Code | Year |
|---|---|
| W | 1998 |
11th Character in the 1998 Mercury Villager VIN — Plant Code(s)
Known 1998 Mercury Villager Assembly Factory VIN Code(s)
| Plant Code | Plant City | Plant State | Plant Country | Plant Company Name | Example VIN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | Avon Lake | Ohio | United States | 4M2ZV1110WDJ19829 |
VIN Characters 12 - 17 of a 1998 Mercury Villager
The final 6 characters in a 1998 Mercury Villager’s 17-digit VIN are its serial number, which will be unique to every vehicle.
Check your Mercury Villager’s VIN below:
How to find a 1998 Mercury Villager’s VIN?
Locating the VIN number on your 1998 Mercury Villager is key for identification. Here’s how to find it:
- Look at the dashboard on the driver’s side of your 1998 Mercury Villager. The VIN should be visible through the windshield on a small plate near the corner.
- Open the driver’s side door and check the door jamb for a sticker or plate that may contain the VIN for your Mercury Villager.
- Examine the engine block of the Mercury Villager for the VIN, as it is sometimes stamped onto the engine itself.
- Inspect the rear wheel well on the driver’s side of the vehicle; sometimes the VIN can be found stamped above the tire.
- Look at the vehicle’s firewall, inside the engine compartment, for a plate or sticker containing the VIN of your 1998 Mercury Villager.
What info can a 1998 Mercury Villager VIN reveal?
- Model Year: The VIN can reveal the vehicle’s model year to be 1998, indicating the potential age and market value of the vehicle.
- Manufacturing Location: The VIN also provides insight into the vehicle’s assembly location, in this case being Avon Lake, Ohio, United States, suggesting specific manufacturing origins and times.
- Make and Model: The decoded details indicate that the vehicle is a Nissan Villager minivan, providing information about the specific make and model.
- Engine Specifications: The V-Shaped engine arrangement with a displacement of 3.0 liters (182 CI or 3000.0 CC) offers insights into the vehicle’s power capacity and design.
- Drive Type: The VIN suggests a 4x2 drive type, which can help understand the vehicle’s handling characteristics and drive configuration.
- Engine Performance: The VIN decoding reveals an engine producing 151 horsepower and equipped with a hydraulic brake system type, providing insight into the vehicle’s operational and performance framework.
- Fuel Type: The VIN indicates a gasoline fuel type and Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) system, which could point to the vehicle’s fuel efficiency practices and emission standards.
- Safety Features: Safety provisions are implied through the mention of front airbags for both driver and passenger, suggesting a basic level of occupant protection.
- Body Class and Weight Class: The VIN reveals a minivan body class with a gross vehicle weight rating from Class 1D: 5,001 - 6,000 lb, aiding in understanding the vehicle’s size, capacity, and potential utility roles.
- Additional Details: Features such as a manual seat belt type and the specific body style of a wagon provide deeper layers of vehicle specification, contributing to comprehensive insight into user safety and vehicle functionality.
Don’t have your 1998 Mercury Villager’s VIN handy? Try our license plate lookup instead!
Sample VIN Decode Report for a 1998 Mercury Villager
| Vehicle Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Body Class | Minivan |
| Brake System Type | Hydraulic |
| Displacement (CC) | 3000.0 |
| Displacement (CI) | 182 |
| Displacement (L) | 3.0 |
| Drive Type | 4x2 |
| Engine Brake (hp) From | 151 |
| Engine Configuration | V-Shaped |
| Engine Manufacturer | Nissan |
| Engine Number of Cylinders | 6 |
| Front Air Bag Locations | 1st Row (Driver and Passenger) |
| Fuel Type - Primary | Gasoline |
| Gross Vehicle Weight Rating From | Class 1D: 5,001 - 6,000 lb (2,268 - 2,722 kg) |
| Model | Villager |
| Model Year | 1998 |
| Other Engine Info | EFI: Electronic Fuel Injection |
| Plant City | Avon Lake |
| Plant Company Name | |
| Plant Country | United States |
| Plant State | Ohio |
| Seat Belt Type | Manual |
| Series | GS |
| Series2 | Wagon body style |
| Vehicle Descriptor | 4M2ZV111*WD |
| Vehicle Type | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle |
| Sample_VIN | 4M2ZV1110WDJ19829 |
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