PCA Spotlight: Extending the life of your original IMS Bearing
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
- In our last video, we covered the general subject of what the intermediate shaft (IMS) and the IMS bearing are and the functions they serve in Porsche's first water-cooled flat-six engines from 1997-2008. In our second video, we show you ways you can reduce the wear of an original IMS bearing in the chance that you still have on in your 911 or Boxster.
In our last video, we covered the general subject of what the intermediate shaft (IMS) and the IMS bearing are and the functions they serve in Porsche's first water-cooled flat-six engines. In this second video, we show you ways you can reduce the wear of an original-style IMS bearing in the chance that you still have one in your 1997-2008 911 or Boxster.
Keep in mind that any mechanical part will fail with use over time, and the IMS bearing is no different - even if you take extra care of it. However, if you're in a situation where you cannot or do not want to replace your original-style IMS bearing, watch the video above for some tips on how to reduce bearing wear and extend its life. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
This guy had some good tips - thanks. The more I can learn about my 996, the more confident and happier I am with it.
Right on
I owned a 2001 996 that I sold with 150K. I changed the oil every 6-7K, and drove about 12 K per year, usually 25-50 miles at a time. I did not have an IMS issue.
Knock on wood, my 2003 Boxster S now has 127K miles on it with the original IMSB. I change the oil myself, check the filter every time and have not had metal particles in the filter, have found some brownish colored thin bits in the filter at times. I also bought one of Jake's magnetic drain plugs, always looks good too. I have always used Mobil 1 0W-40 oil and started to add Liqui Moly MoS2 Anti Friction Engine Treatment with every oil change about 2 years ago. I change the oil between 3,000 and 4,000 miles, but I never let it go to 5,000 miles before I change the oil. My Boxster S is my daily driver, even in the winter if the snow isn't very deep. Yes I have different tires for Summer and Winter.
I've also done many mods to my Boxster S. Here is the list of performance mods. 987 Air Box, K&N Air Filter, 76mm Intake Pipe, 996 76mm TB, 997 Distribution T, Secondary Cat Delete Pipes, NHP 200 Cell Exhaust Headers and Borla Muffler. She runs like a champ, I love this car.
Share your passion. Used my '98 986 Boxster now more than a decade. Awesome machine. Now at 225k kms, t'was my daily and fun track car. Not a problem in the world. Doing own services. Requires just basic maintenance and gives just endless joy. Very few people commenting has got any practical experience. Enjoy your Cayman. It's a wonderful machine.
This a great, fact based, educational series. Looking forward to the next one.
Another great Video, keep them coming. Looks like I need to increase my oil changes. I currently drive my 997 a couple times a week on 40-60 minutes drives. Apparently once a year oil changes are not adequate. I also liked the explanation on why one shouldn't let their car set and idle to warm up the engine. Thanks again.
changing thr oil before it becomes acidic (6 months or 10000 kilometers, whichever comes first!) and revving a little higher before shifting gears (as soon as the oil is at operating temperature of course!) to reduce load on the bearing are usually the ways to go and also the reasons why cars which are raced and frequently used on trackevents way less likely to be victim of ims bearing failure. i do most services and partreplacements on my 2003 boxster 2.7 myself, since otherwise i couldn't afford owning and running the car. thank you for your informative videos. great content, keep up the good work.
Stunningly awesome vid on this topic.
Great video! Thank you👍
I like this guy, preventative maintainance is key to all Porsche engines both airl cooled and the newer water cooled. One other thing I don't see a lot of guys on here mention is changing your coolant once every 1-2 years regardless of mileage. It's a bit more involved time wise but not expensive. I recommend Porsche coolant or EVANs life time coolant. For oil Porsche recommended Mobil 1 from the factory but the oil isn't quite as heat resistant as Redline oil. ALL the guys who race these cars run Redline for it's superior heat resistance. I recommend 15w50.
years ago my sister asked me how to keep her engine running for the long time. I said change your oil at 2.5k to 3.5k miles, use good oil, not fast change chain places. I changed the rocker cover seals, at 297k miles, engine has some wear but does not burn oil and camshafts looks great. No sludge. No noise on engine.
Thanks for the education. I have a 99 996 with 12k miles and the second owner bought it with 1200 miles and never replaced anything on it. I’ve had the vehicle stored for a year now and I haven’t done any service to it (guilty I am for neglecting it)
When the temperature gets better here in NYC. Good job on the video.
Wow 12k. Impressive find! I’m too from nyc. With 99 c4 996. Summers here! Getting mine ready to enjoy. Don’t neglect my friend, get it right an ready to enjoy! You won’t regret!
Any questions please feel free to ask. Two cars.....99 996 c4. And 997 turbo
@Thomas Headley who doesn't know that?
The engine oil carries contaminants, with prolonged use. I do agree that when the engine starts (from cold), that there are products of incomplete combustion, such as 'sooty' deposits that get washed down the piston bores, past the piston rings, and then mix with the engine oil, and (although microscopic) these sooty deposits are carbon. The Oil Filter does its' utmost to remove these micro-particles, but we all know that (when the engine oil is changed) it is always black. Acids are also present and other stuff. Remember also that many contaminants can bypass the Air Filter, only to lodge in the engine oil too!
So here is what I would do if I had to change the IMS Bearing. I have done this many times before. You take a brand-new sealed Bearing (I would use steel seals because there is no degradation to steel seals from the engine oil). Carefully prise out the steel seal at one side only. You will instantly be alarmed - and shocked at just how little grease is contained inside! Worse than this, many bearings are factory-lubricated with a medium grease, and I do not believe that a medium grease could survive the high temperatures of an internal combustion engine, under those harsh conditions. It is highly likely that the IMS Bearing is also subjected to temps around 130C (for water cooled engines, including any friction build-up).
So- take your new bearing and thoroughly wash out all of the original grease with aerosol degreaser. Wash a second time in WD 40. Make absolutely sure that everything is clean and dry inside the bearing. NOW - go out and buy some ROCOL HIGH TEMP GREASE. Press this into a new bearing with a clean finger, and ensure that the high-temp grease takes up approx. 40-50% of the volume of the inner raceway. Replace the steel seal by gently pressing the rim of the seal - back into its' groove. The high temp grease will not migrate from the ball bearing, which means that any contaminated engine oil will not easily enter the bearing. I have had great success by 'modifying' new bearings in this way, and it would not be wrong to say that the life of the bearing can be tripled when used in the right application. Hardest part of all, is the removal of the steel seal on the new bearing- without bending it! I wish Bearing Manufacturers would also place one or two spare seals in the sealed package - along with the new bearing! I enjoyed watching your vid, from start to finish. I've just been put off Porsche Boxsters for life by reading this. I will stick with my '71 Beetle. Greetings from Australia.
Couple of years ago I bought a 2006 Cayman S with 65K miles and it still has the original IMS bearing. Since purchase I have followed the recommended guidelines. But I also do a couple of extra items. I used 5/50 Mobil 1 because I drive with a certain amount of vigor, I get a Blackstone analysis with each change and just for insurance, I have an extended drive train warranty. I hope I never have a problem but like all drivers who know the Porsche's (especially the Cayman's) there are some things you will put up with just to have one of the best driving machines available.
Yes sir. I love my triple black 996 c2 cab. Its not a manual 6 speeder but still big fun.
Take care of your car and it will take care of you.
the chance of a 2006 having IMS failure is very low. you are wasting your time and effort for a car thats barely worth 15k. please send me some of that money you are throwing in the garbage
Thank you. Waiting on the next video.
Nice job!
Agreed the message is simple. Change the oil frequently. However I like to understand why and I picked up a lot of background info here.
Good video!
Im changing my oil every 15 minutes now... geez
Good and helpful information about regular oil change and maintenance especially for this kind of engine. (If you don't mind a little advice, you might consider using additional lighting, also remove the screens from the windows to get rid of the distracting Moire patterns.) Thanks for fixing the music.
Daniel O'Donnell ;
Appreciate sharing your experience and personal point of view. On my side I can only reflect on my experience driving my very original '98 986 as a daily driver for just over a decade. The cars is now retired as I'm now an empty nester and on pensioen. It is still immaculate. We belonged to the local Porsche Club and all of us, me and three kids tracked the car flat out (often till break fluid boils) just once or twice a year. I loved giving them that track experience and they enjoyed it every bit. All my kids could use my car whenever it was available.as their hearts desires. We drove it often at top speed especially to or three times per year on cross country runs. The car now has 225000km. I service it myself, using only fully synthetic oil and that at about ~12 to 14000km intervals (instead of the recommended 20k). I have NO problem regarding any IMS issues. Due to the American paranoia via YT, I took it some two years ago to my local South African Porsche dealership. The mechanic confirmed NO problems. He also commented that despite having ,more than a decade years of experience at Porsche, he could count such like issues on one hand. If one is just a little bit mechanically minded, these cars are easy and fairly cheap to maintain thanks to the assistance from E bay, YT and enthusiast platforms. My Boxster is bullit proof, however if you are dependant on professionals, any assistance will be costly and come at a premium. Just interesting. Love from Africa.
Thanks for sharing. And yes, the number of failures are low percentages.
That was a pretty long video to just say, "change your oil ever 6 mo/5,000 mi and try to keep the revs around 3,000".
If you're keeping the car, just change the bearing and carry on with your life.
Most pros now tend to change it when they change the clutch. Just for piece of mind.
Great video again. Informative. I gotta ask, are those "windows" behind them green screen?
Great Video. I have a 2006 CaymenS and do my own oil changes every 5k miles like Jake suggested. I am thinking for my next oil change to use Mobil1 10w60 as i believe it may reduce oil burn off. I have always used 5w40, whats your thoughts? Mick Northern Ireland
Many swear by Joe Gibbs DT40 based on Blackstone Labs regular oil analysis as compared to Mobil1. I wouldn't recommend the 10W60. If you're tracking your car, then you need higher-end racing oil.
Can the use of over-lubricant Mecacyl type prevent the ims failure?
so your saying that a ims bearing that is just starting to go bad will actually give you a warning right
Scary, but well worth watching...... UK Boxster owner...... Better get that oil changed!
so if you look at a used 911 it’s a big chance that the person could have just changed the oil and hides the fact that they was metal in the oil i’m a little nervous
Very good info to keep
I saw a video of IMS failure and this guy ran a oil line sandwiched between oil filter to a bracket that holds the IMS bearing so the bearing gets oil all the time.
To me it sounds like chipping of 3000 USD from the current asking price if the IMS bearing isn't replaced yet, and there is documentation to prove it, or walk away from the car. When shopping around I have asked the sellers if the IMS is new or not...and amazingly I had answers like " You aren't buying a new car, so what do you expect for the money?" Also MB SLK 280/350 is affected by a similar problem, which is the balance shaft...which also drives the timing chains...It's even more difficult to repair...So after all...BMW Z4 seems to be the car to have....If we are looking at german sports cars between 2000-2008
Very sporting of Porsche to design and build engines with this potential problem. It's kind of like driving a ticking time bomb...a very special experience.
If engineers could design everything to be perfect you couldn't afford the product. There is a give and take with design, but the important stuff gets fixed in mid-cycle updates.
I had a Mazda that was originally thought to be a super reliable 300K mile car until they realized it would prematurely break timing belts and kill the engine.
In the 60s up through at least 71 the chain tensioners would collapse and destroy the engine.
This is BS. Don't believe a word of it.
I have a 1995 993. I use to drive it as a daily driver and have about 230K miles on it. But I about 4 years ago I got another job and haven't driven it since then. Should I change the oil first before starting it up again?
No u dont have to if it has good oil (not seriously due)
If the oil is about due soon.. gently warm it up then go on and change it.
If its fresh jus gently warm it up and treat it like a break in... treat it like an old athlete .. once everything gets flowing with no shock itl be good, trust me.
For peace of mind I would
Yes, you should change your oil more often, I agree with that. Change it more often than the factory said too. The ims bearing is a sealed bearing and filled for life at the factory with grease so it wasn't meant to be oiled. The oil may be to keep it cool but not to oil it. The bearings just fail over time. Like new front wheel bearings heat and miles of wear they fail, it's pretty easy to tell if they fail but hard to tell when a bearing in the engine fails. Changing oil more often may help some but like all lube for life bearings it will fail sometime.
It appears i should just get rid of mine...I have grown weary of throwing money at every turn.
Makes my BMW'S and my Cessna look cheap to keep.
Just thinking of buying my first Porsche and it'll most likely be a 996. My question is, how is it Porsche hasn't addressed the IMS bearing problem under warranty
In the real world there is not any IMS issue. More salesman's talk an complete BS. From a old daily 986 owner.
I do partial oil change 7ltr with A40 Porsche certified oil Castrol cheapest use same brand every 3000km.
Looks like garage queens are the ones experiencing this failure.
Is the risk of Boxster S 2000 with 14k miles , more or less ??? If anyone can tell me . Thanks
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So wait..... when the weather is cold (not that it gets very cold in perth) I should jump in the car and drive, rather than letting the car warm up first?
Yes, exactly. The owners manual states that warming up the engine while sitting at idle is NOT necessary. It recommends that the car be started and driven immediately. It also states that the engine should not be pushed past 4,000 RPM “UNTIL” the engine oil has warmed up to operating temperature. The point the gentleman made on the video is that when the car is warmed up at idle, it takes a lot longer to warm up which results on the engine running rich much longer causing a lot more oil contamination. Think of it as running an old car or small engine with the choke on longer than necessary. The longer the time to warm up, the more contamination transferred to the oil. Makes perfect sense to me.
Due to emission regulations set forth by the gov't. All manufacturers have to speed up the process of heating up the catalytic converters in order for them to begin doing their job. One of the main methods for converter heat-up time is achieved by running an engine at higher RPM and increasing injector duration/pulling back ignition timing. This is why you're engine RPM revs higher at colder temps and gradually decreases as engine/converter temps increase. During this process it is inevitable for fuel to enter the crankcase. Even the best emission friendly Honda engines will have contamination during start-ups.
PCM will continue to run injectors rich and contamination will occur regardless if you jump in and drive your car without warming it up. However you are increasing the chances of premature engine wear mechanically by not properly warming up the vehicle.
Yes!
Technically speaking, it has a lot of variables to determine what is best at a cold start, however to let the car idle up for more then 30 seconds is more harmful then to fire the car and start moving slowly. The reason, as the video states, is loading. When sitting at idle and letting it warm, the car takes significantly longer to get to Normal Operating Temperature (NOT) as it has essentially no loading. Therefore, the vehicle shall place more fuel as it doesn’t burn as well when cool, leading to more fuel contaminates into it’s oil. If you cold start the car, idle for say 30 seconds and start moving slowly, you are placing additional loading by running higher RPM’s, resulting in hitting the NOT sooner, leading to less fuel contaminants getting into the oil.
Yes, buckle up and drive gently for the first ~5 minutes, and no high-revving for the next 5-10 minutes. After a total of 10-15 minutes, your oil should then be at operating temp and ready for some spirited driving :)
Pricy Porsche with G.M. alternator bearing in I.M.S.... what is going on??? A.A.
Contradiction: He states " we don't have lubrication problems - we have load bearing problems" but the failure occurs when the bearing seal leaks and allows the bearing
lube to migrate out of the bearing. As long as the lube stays in the bearing there is no failure.
Also by the time you see warning signs of bearing failure - its all over but the crying.
The IMS is complete BS.
6 months or 5 k miles is not that often. The problem i have is buying a used 996 with one oil change a year.. or less
I’m just going to hook up an oil tanker to my car and change my IMS every time the tanker has to go for a refill. Then I’ll just get bore scoring!
"If it runs long enough than it's gonna break", so...why does the IMS bearing failure afects only 5 to 10% of these cars?
"Only"
That's an insane failure rate.
Good engineering understands this fact and makes it easy to inspect and then fix.
That figure came out of the class action law suit years ago. There is no way to quantify current failure rates since there is no reliable data being kept on the 996 survivor cars. That figure is just tossed around forums and such. But the problem is real and needs to be addressed if you own one of these cars.
A buddy of mine races his 248K mile 97 Boxster with the original bearing. He races on a race track and winds it right out but changes the oil every 3k or less.
A bit of fear mongering here by someone who has a lot of $ to gain from IMS fear. A non-defective factory part will last much longer than the aftermarket bearings. At this point, most cars on the road with the original bearings are not defective and failure rates will drop over time- not including those that replace theirs with an aftermarket piece, and never replace the now maintenance part (versus the factory lifetime part).
My IMS bearing and I are as thick as thieves.
5% of the cars suffer, a lot of scar mongering from the people that carry out the repaires
You don't understand the Porsche market. A car without the repair is automatically worth thousands less, all else being equal. Likewise, doing the IMS work will raise the value of an unrepaired car by thousands.
This guy talks like he is an instructor in the National Guard...Situational Awareness, LOL.
I believe Jake served as a helicopter mechanic in a previous life
Always trust a guy who makes a living out of fear of IMS failure and who talk about is ‘’waiting list’’ for replacement... Just sayin
Yes agree, complete BS. There are no IMS issue in the real world. From decade old experienced 986 owner.
Listening to this for the first time. If this is a sealed bearing, it is grease lubricated. The engine oil is not a factor. Can someone confirm that this is grease lubricated?
It’s an oil (not engine oil) lubricated seal, it not grease, search youtube, you can find vids showing the opening up of the old bearing to show what it looks like when in good condition or about to fail.
It is sealed and filled with grease yes. But over time the seals can fail and the oil can get into it. Hence changing oil more regular.
I see, Low engine RPM sometimes sees more wear at the expense of fuel economy because of design. Makes sense to me. Why not design it for low load Rpm instead and that would solve all ailments? Wait. I forgot about performance factors. Its a balancing act isn't it? Yea no its just poor design. Oiling bearings is not that hard to do. Engine oil in todays engine is limited by filtration in my opinion. one should never see suspended matter in oil pans. Settled stuff yea but how many time does the oil in the sump get filtered per minute?
Best drain the oil and just look at your investment. Don’t ever dream of driving it.
I would say it is related to the acidic level of the oil in that particular part of the engine which does not get recirculated. Either way a stupid error by Porsche.
Its easier to just drop the $$ and retrofit the bearing to one that won’t self destruct, then you don’t have to worry!!
True but if your clutch doesn't need replacing, it's gonna cost 1000s just to replace the bearing.
I dont' want to buy a M96 or M97 engine Porsche after watched this video.
Mine has 82k miles. You know what the secret is? Change the oil regularly and DRIVE the car. Keeping that bearing lubricated with clean oil is key. Garage queen m96 and m97s have this issue.
Just make sure the IMS has been replaced or haggle off the price to fix it. And don't take the guys word for it...no receipts, assume it's not been done.
Jeepers cripes....let me save you 15 minutes of your life.....change your oil every 500 miles.......boy can that guy labour a point....
JEEPERS NEIL, THEN YOU JUST TOOK AWAY 600 MINUTES OF MY LIFE, AND $100'S FOR OIL AND FILTERS, THAT YOU DON'T NEED, YOU ADDED 10 OIL CHANGES?? I SAY DRIVE THE SNOT OUT OF THE CAR AND THE MINUTE YOU HEAR IT READY TO GO, SELL THE CAR, PROBLEM SOLVED, KIDDING.
my 2006 CS 987.1 had only 34k miles. in 16 years that's < 2,000 mi per year during prev ownership. I've put on 2k miles in 2 months already. how can someone NOT drive these cars!? it's someone who spent too much bloody money on one and is afraid to lose its value.
well the new ones lose half of their value almost immediately so just drive it for crying out loud... it's better for the car anyway
I just bought a 2001C4 with 37k on the odo. He drove it to the golf club on Sundays only😵! Crazy I know!
Not driving your car to keep the resale value high is like not having sex with your chick to keep her tight for the next guy.
Liqui Moly, no other oil compares.
I used to believe that. Until I read up on amsoil. Check it out on project farm, youtube. That's all I run now.
Driven DT 40 for 987.1
LoL
What is this guy about? Don't drive 50 mph in 6th? What if you have an automatic? Newer PDK versions would keep it in 7th at that speed or even lower. The limit is 70 and you need to drive 120 to keep it at 3000 rpm, or drive in 2nd all the time. Change the oil often blah, blah you've discovered hot water
Oooh, so even if you follow all these recommendations, you still risk having an IMS failure 🤔 Fantastic! 🤦
“… it’s a Porsche, not a Honda or Toyota….”. Wtf!
so, why doesn't Subaru have IMS or bore scoring problems? Answer: better engineering.
@@jean-francoisguignard4669 They don't have a timing belt failure issue. What are you even talking about? Subaru timing belts fail because their idiot owners don't know what "5 years or 100,000 miles" means. lol.
"Not a Honda or a Toyota". You can say that again. They wouldn't have made anything quite as crap as an M96/97. 😂
🤣