diff --git a/pkg/cli/start.go b/pkg/cli/start.go
index 5b968187acea..ca84d6e80ea7 100644
--- a/pkg/cli/start.go
+++ b/pkg/cli/start.go
@@ -417,12 +417,12 @@ func initTempStorageConfig(
 // a store wasn't found).
 func resolveStorageEngineType(engineType enginepb.EngineType, dir string) enginepb.EngineType {
 	if engineType == enginepb.EngineTypeDefault {
-		engineType = enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB
+		engineType = enginepb.EngineTypePebble
 		// Check if this storage directory was last written to by pebble. In that
 		// case, default to opening a Pebble engine.
 		if version, err := pebble.GetVersion(dir, vfs.Default); err == nil {
-			if version != "" && !strings.HasPrefix(version, "rocksdb") {
-				engineType = enginepb.EngineTypePebble
+			if strings.HasPrefix(version, "rocksdb") {
+				engineType = enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/cmd/roachtest/synctest.go b/pkg/cmd/roachtest/synctest.go
index e79fd5b9034a..b5915bc45ad3 100644
--- a/pkg/cmd/roachtest/synctest.go
+++ b/pkg/cmd/roachtest/synctest.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ fi
 `
 
 	r.Add(testSpec{
+		Skip:       "#48603: broken on Pebble",
 		Name:       "synctest",
 		Owner:      OwnerStorage,
 		MinVersion: "v19.1.0",
diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvserver/below_raft_protos_test.go b/pkg/kv/kvserver/below_raft_protos_test.go
index 38b3d2a4db4c..b7df7bf75a47 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvserver/below_raft_protos_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvserver/below_raft_protos_test.go
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ var belowRaftGoldenProtos = map[reflect.Type]fixture{
 }
 
 func init() {
-	if storage.DefaultStorageEngine != enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB && storage.DefaultStorageEngine != enginepb.EngineTypeDefault {
+	if storage.DefaultStorageEngine != enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB {
 		// These are marshaled below Raft by the Pebble merge operator. The Pebble
 		// merge operator can be called below Raft whenever a Pebble Iterator is
 		// used. Note that we only see these protos marshaled below Raft when the
diff --git a/pkg/server/config.go b/pkg/server/config.go
index 7d31f5695226..2bd9146e5730 100644
--- a/pkg/server/config.go
+++ b/pkg/server/config.go
@@ -437,13 +437,13 @@ func (cfg *Config) CreateEngines(ctx context.Context) (Engines, error) {
 
 	var cache storage.RocksDBCache
 	var pebbleCache *pebble.Cache
-	if cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypePebble || cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeTeePebbleRocksDB {
+	if cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeDefault ||
+		cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypePebble || cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeTeePebbleRocksDB {
 		details = append(details, fmt.Sprintf("Pebble cache size: %s", humanizeutil.IBytes(cfg.CacheSize)))
 		pebbleCache = pebble.NewCache(cfg.CacheSize)
 		defer pebbleCache.Unref()
 	}
-	if cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeDefault ||
-		cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB || cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeTeePebbleRocksDB {
+	if cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB || cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeTeePebbleRocksDB {
 		details = append(details, fmt.Sprintf("RocksDB cache size: %s", humanizeutil.IBytes(cfg.CacheSize)))
 		cache = storage.NewRocksDBCache(cfg.CacheSize)
 		defer cache.Release()
@@ -518,7 +518,7 @@ func (cfg *Config) CreateEngines(ctx context.Context) (Engines, error) {
 				UseFileRegistry: spec.UseFileRegistry,
 				ExtraOptions:    spec.ExtraOptions,
 			}
-			if cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypePebble {
+			if cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypePebble || cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeDefault {
 				// TODO(itsbilal): Tune these options, and allow them to be overridden
 				// in the spec (similar to the existing spec.RocksDBOptions and others).
 				pebbleConfig := storage.PebbleConfig{
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ func (cfg *Config) CreateEngines(ctx context.Context) (Engines, error) {
 				pebbleConfig.Opts.Cache = pebbleCache
 				pebbleConfig.Opts.MaxOpenFiles = int(openFileLimitPerStore)
 				eng, err = storage.NewPebble(ctx, pebbleConfig)
-			} else if cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB || cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeDefault {
+			} else if cfg.StorageEngine == enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB {
 				rocksDBConfig := storage.RocksDBConfig{
 					StorageConfig:           storageConfig,
 					MaxOpenFiles:            openFileLimitPerStore,
diff --git a/pkg/storage/engine.go b/pkg/storage/engine.go
index eeee56507943..1addbc79b1d2 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/engine.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/engine.go
@@ -564,7 +564,7 @@ func NewEngine(
 		}
 
 		return NewTee(ctx, rocksDB, pebbleDB), nil
-	case enginepb.EngineTypePebble:
+	case enginepb.EngineTypeDefault, enginepb.EngineTypePebble:
 		pebbleConfig := PebbleConfig{
 			StorageConfig: storageConfig,
 			Opts:          DefaultPebbleOptions(),
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ func NewEngine(
 		defer pebbleConfig.Opts.Cache.Unref()
 
 		return NewPebble(context.Background(), pebbleConfig)
-	case enginepb.EngineTypeDefault, enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB:
+	case enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB:
 		cache := NewRocksDBCache(cacheSize)
 		defer cache.Release()
 
diff --git a/pkg/storage/in_mem.go b/pkg/storage/in_mem.go
index dda9617f6709..93e38aeab8df 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/in_mem.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/in_mem.go
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ func NewInMem(
 	switch engine {
 	case enginepb.EngineTypeTeePebbleRocksDB:
 		return newTeeInMem(ctx, attrs, cacheSize)
-	case enginepb.EngineTypePebble:
+	case enginepb.EngineTypeDefault, enginepb.EngineTypePebble:
 		return newPebbleInMem(ctx, attrs, cacheSize)
-	case enginepb.EngineTypeDefault, enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB:
+	case enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB:
 		return newRocksDBInMem(attrs, cacheSize)
 	}
 	panic(fmt.Sprintf("unknown engine type: %d", engine))
diff --git a/pkg/storage/temp_engine.go b/pkg/storage/temp_engine.go
index 86065ec844c5..ba05d9bd17ec 100644
--- a/pkg/storage/temp_engine.go
+++ b/pkg/storage/temp_engine.go
@@ -35,9 +35,9 @@ func NewTempEngine(
 	switch engine {
 	case enginepb.EngineTypeTeePebbleRocksDB:
 		fallthrough
-	case enginepb.EngineTypePebble:
+	case enginepb.EngineTypeDefault, enginepb.EngineTypePebble:
 		return NewPebbleTempEngine(ctx, tempStorage, storeSpec)
-	case enginepb.EngineTypeDefault, enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB:
+	case enginepb.EngineTypeRocksDB:
 		return NewRocksDBTempEngine(tempStorage, storeSpec)
 	}
 	panic(fmt.Sprintf("unknown engine type: %d", engine))