IMS Bearing Replacement

[_Tony]

Thanks Amanda, I dont know the previous owner and there is nothing in the servicemanual. Looks like I am up for a new bearing KIt plus fitting.   Does anyone have a suggestion on which IMS kit is the best??

Cheers Steve

 

Many use the LN Engineering replacement.. i think they are around the $2k mark for the kit and fitting

[tazzieman]

Gday all, please excuse my ignorance but my mechanical aptitude is in the lower category!!  Seeing as my new baby is an auto is it still fitted with an IMS bearing?? I have seen lots of posts regarding changing the IMS when doing the clutch. Am I to assume that only manuals have the IMS bearing. 

Thanks Steve.

Some bedtime reading for you 

http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/996-forum/545929-tiptronic-clutch-and-ims.html

[espskk]

Thanks for the input.   Does anyone know if the porsche service centre computers are linked??    If I contact the Melboure Porsche Centre are they going to be able to tell me if the car has had an IMS bearing replacement at a Porsche dealership in Australia? 

Cheers Steve

[JustJames]

The IMS bearing replacement worth doing is a non-Porsche part, so it's unlikely to be recorded on any Porsche dealership database.

It usually works something like this: While a car is covered by a Porsche warranty, the risks associated with IMS bearing failure are Porsche's risks, and fitting a non-Porsche part would in any event invalidate the warranty.

When a car falls outside the Porsche (extended) warranty, risk-averse owners fit the uprated IMS bearing at the next available opportunity.

If they've used the L&N Engineering bearing, it is supplied with a serial number sticker which should have been affixed to the car's service record. There should also be a service receipt in the car's history folder. If it's not there, it's prolly safe to assume that the replacement hasn't been done. It's a bit of a big deal, so not the sort of thing that an owner would not bother to record.

[AndyS]

Hi Steve,

 

I think our cars were siamese twins separated at birth.

 

Niko and I both did ours at roughly the same time. His at Jocaro and mine at Autoart. Both about 2K with service. Mine was about $150 cheaper to do but mine is 6 speed man and Michael from Autoart said manuals are a slightly easier / quicker job.

 

We both have the little black serial number sticker proudly displayed in our service books, I would expect that if it has been done the previous owner would have done the same. Plus the work would appear in the previous service records / invoices (if the old owner kept them)

 

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss further.

[espskk]

Hi all, very interesting stuff. I am not game to even start the car now until it is done!!!  Andy I can only assume that your and my cars are exactly the same, except ofcourse that yours isn;t a ticking time bomb.  Do you know andy what brand of bearing was used in your car??

Cheers Steve.

[JustJames]

Steve, there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence out there that driving M96 engined cars regularly and enthusiastically is the best thing for them.

 

 

[AndyS]

^{Hi Steve,}

 

^{I was never overly panicked by it, mainly because all available evidence showed 5-10% (closer to 5 depending on which article you read) of engines would die a premature death and I had the ability to do a rebuild if needed. Remember your engine is now 14 years old on the original bearing. It was more about understanding the risks, potential for a problem, preventative measures (ie changing oil, warm up, warm down and driving with spirit when appropriate) then making a calculated decision based on cost of bearing and potential cost of rebuild. I had my car 5 years before changing it and the duel row bearing that came out was fine. But that's the roll of the dice. Mine was replaced with the LN engineering ceramic bearing. It is probably the most commonly used and with heaps of them out there being installed for quite a while now you start to get better data around any IMS failure with the LN bearing in place which from what I could find was next to zero. Don't freak out too much. 95% of 996 and Boxter drivers out there would never have heard of an IMS bearing and happily drive to work every day, that's the beauty of this forum. Having the knowledge means you can make a more informed decision about preventative maintenance. And although 2K could be potentially better spent elsewhere I have seen many weird and wonderful repairs needing to be done on many makes and models that cost similar and more. As a performance car they provide a very rewarding driving experience but if you think this will keep you up and cause you to enjoy your car less, I'd change it.}

 

^Regards

 

^{Andy S}

[espskk]

Gday Andy,

Thanks for that, knowledge is a wonderful thing. As for changing, well that aint gonna happen. I have owned everything over the years from an XY GT to a Merc SLK and I never been as impressed with a motor vehicle as I am with this car.  I will change the bearing at some point, until then I am off for a drive!!

Cheers Steve