Really great job communicating the effort and the blown up IMS bearing failure storyline. I have a 1999 911 996 with 131000 miles which I drive 3 times a week or more. I check my oil levels weekly and never have seen any metal shavings or pieces at service times. I think that I am not going to worry as much now that I have watched your video tonight. Thanks!
An excellent series of videos showing the step by step activity of removing the IMS, warts and all! Due to the extensive work required to reach the offending part the videos provide a useful insight into a number of other tasks which we diyers may come across during 986 ownership i.e. clutch, silencer and driveshaft replacement. A very useful resource which must have taken a not inconsiderable time to film and edit - congratulations.
Great Video, enjoyed watching it. I have a 2006 Caymen S with 84k on clock and no problems so far. Was worried about this IMS issue but as you said its blown all out of proportion. Change my oil and filter every 8k so fingers crossed ill never need to worry about this overly exaggerated issue. keep up the great work. Mick Northern Ireland.
Just pulled my IMS bearing out. Wow talk about a lot of force to get it to break free. Glad i went straight to the pilot bearing puller. I can't imagine the center bolt not breaking! My bearing looked great but no grease left inside and lots of oil in the IMS shaft. Great videos!!!
Mike O'Brien you said a very important statement as some people think externally judging the bearing is sufficient, while you mentioned yours looked fine from the outside but was missing the grease internally which is exactly why replacing the bearing is needed. Thank you and I hope more people read your comment
Hi Ben! Your videos are great and full of practical information! They are indeed so good that they encourages me to buy a 2002 Boxster (MY 2003 Facelift) and carry over the IMS issue as well as regular maintenance myself! BTW the car has 317.000 Km on the clock (around 200.000 Mi) and as far as I know is still on the first IMS. The car was well mainteined and regularly serviced, and runs very well and smooth. Anyway I am almost done with the IMS extraction, and I have to say it looks very well, although has a tiny bit of play in it. I am living in Germany, but I would be glad to send overseas to you to add it to your library and inspect it :-) I appreciate very much the time you've spent shooting videos, I am eager to hear from your next project!
That's awesome! I'm glad I was able to inspire you! These Boxsters are great cars. 317.000km on the IMS? I'm impressed, and I would love to add the bearing to my library. Please send me an email (burnerphotography@gmail.com). Thanks!
I have a 2007 Cayman, 2.7L ... It's been an awesome car.. However, shortly after I bought it I became aware of the "IMS issues". Now my local mechanic, (not a Porsche dealer, but Porsche certified) told me as long as I change the oil regularly, it shouldn't be an issue.. Like, at all! He also informed me that the "IMS problems" only affected about 5% of the cars made. Being a Porsche a rather pricy car, there was a lot of hype. Understandable.. A lot of fun to drive and in my past experience, very dependable.. I hope it continues.
Yeah, there are never any guarantees, but I'd say breath easy. My bearing looked pretty good, and the 986 was the most susceptible IMS. I believe your 987 has a larger IMS bearing and should be less susceptible
FYI, a repair shop here in Dallas that performs the IMS bearing replacement on a weekly basis, has several boxes full of perfectly good bearings that they had pulled off of their customers Porsches. That goes to show how over blown this issue has become, I call it the "Porsche Boogie Monster".
Frank Armstrong- any guess on what they charge to replace the "IMS" before failure ? I just about hold my breath during every time I take it out for a drive.
If the bearing was already bad the motor already blew up, so your shop wouldn't have boxes of bad bearings just a blown up motor. Shops that does full overhaul if it did not go to dismantler they see IMS failures, cracked cylinder, cracked heads and all the goodies for catastrophic failures etc.
@@youcanthandlethetruth4553 If you have a manual transmission 97-2001 dual row bearings do it when you need to service the clutch. Lower chance of failing. If you have 01 to 04 single row the have higher failing ratio. How much they charge depends on the shop. Some shops while doing your clutch job the install of IMS is minimal charge. If you're running tiptronic it'll be the cost of transmission removal and IMS install
Great great video, love your down to earth, logical and practical approach. Good to see the bearing in great shape. I also think that all the negative hype over the IMS bearing, is just that "hype", yeah sure there's been some failures, but it needs to kept in perspective! Hence I bought a 2005 997.
Note the black oil which came out the IMS after the bearing was removed, this is engine oil which has travelled across the IMS bearing, diluting the 'sealed for life' grease, and rendering the bearing to have a short life. Therefore it was not a waste tp replace the IMS bearing
The oil that has leaked on the bearing will actually extend its life. Bearings have seals and grease as it is not possible or practical in most applications to re lubericate them oil is always a better lubricant than grease.
I read a statistical report about ims. There was no issue with most IMS. I think the report said that if the car got over 50k miles there was a slim to no chance of IMS failure based on research and statistics . I agree that most of the things I read about IMS issues are based on 'JUST IN CASE '. I have met a few Porsche owners that have replaced iMS just in case. I have not met anyone who has "blown their engine up". Oh, I did hear from a fellow who's neighbor's cousin's brother's' friend's uncle's nephew's class mate's had an engine blow up caused by IMS. Other than that I have not met anyone who changed their IMS because they had to. They changed it because of FEAR. I agree with you, FEAR is the number one driver of this issue.
Your reaction was the same as mine when I saw my IMS bearing that had 65k miles on it...No surprise, It was in perfect shape. I would love to see the true percentages of those who have pulled out their perfectly good ims bearing and found them to be in great shape versus those that actually needed to replace them. I understand it is a real problem and I feel terrible for anyone who has lost an engine from a failed bearing, but I have been saying for a long time the problem is over hyped on the forums, because that's where everyone goes to find solutions to problems, also by those who want to make a $1000 profit on a bearing and also from those who like to bash on Porsches for any reason. It's a shame because the 1st thing non Porsche guys say now is "have you changed the ims bearing? Porsches engines are junk and unreliable". Granted, my bearing was the 1st design double row bearing, which is more robust than the single row bearing that came out 2001-2005 and had the most problems. Either way, I still did it for peace of mind at the end of the day. It's a shame that this fear has gotten to the level it has. I have put 100,000s of miles driving watercooled porsches and they have been awesome with no issues. Thanks again for the video. You get major mechanic bragging rights and points. You will sleep way better at night too!! ;^)
Yep. exactly! I agree 100% Thanks for the confirmation. I feel like if you poll a random sampling of 986 and 996 owners very few have actually experienced a failed bearing. Of course you find examples if you go looking... but in the general population? It seems pretty low. At any rate, you're right. It's nice to know it's solid.
Wouldn't you expect every bearing that you pull out of a running engine to be in perfect or near perfect shape. If it weren't, it would fail quickly and BOOM. Thoughts?
That's an interesting thought. Some say you can hear a rattling noise or a grinding noise quite some time before it fails which gives you time to react. But I think you would need to know what to listen for. In some cases I guess the bearing could suddenly fail with no prior warning. But I guess poorly maintained cars with debris in the oil should be more prone to sudden failures due to debris entering the bearing through a failed seal and causing a sudden stop. Just my thoughts. I am hoping my bearing holds together until its time to change the clutch. I have a -98 996 with 75000 miles on the meter. Dual row bearing.
Quote: "According to information published about the Eisen IMS Class Action Lawsuit, the single row IMS bearing used in 2000 through 2005 model years is reported to have an 8% failure rate, versus less than 1% with the dual row IMS bearing. The 8% failure rate cited by the settlement documents is not far off of the calculated L10 life" More info can be found at LN engineering site. No need to panic if you have a dual row. If I had a 2000 or later I would change it tomorrow.
The Eisen Settlement covered 2001-2005. The bad bearings went into production mid-2000 but 2000 models were not covered in the lawsuit because they looked at total year failure rates and the early 2000s with the older better design failed less often making total 2000 numbers lower. I had a late 2000 car that failed at 22k miles but past 3 years. No factory help, no lawsuit help. I now drive other makes.
Awesome video!!! thanks so much for the detail. I just bought a 2000 black boxster. I really appreciate the detail on how to make the tools to save money. Subscribed!!!!!
great video series. my 1999 986 boxster has about 170k on the odo, no IMS issues. Seems like the more the car is used, the less chance of problems with IMS
Great stuff! Way to think of a simple engineering solution as opposed to paying someone $$$ to extract the bearing! Although I've got to say, youre making it increasingly difficult to stay away from the Boxster marketplace... MUST...NOT...OWN...MULTIPLE...PORSCHES!!!!
Do you know much much yours was driven before you got it (if you weren’t original owner) I just gots 2000 that had an engine replacement and the engine is only at 58k and also I think sat / was a summer weekend car for 5 years. Do you think I should look into ims more?
I don’t understand how you knocked the damage bearing bolt toward the inside past the bearing. Isn’t there a shaft sitting in the bearing? It looked like you reached into an open space to retrieve the bolt.
Burner, Great Videos!! Thanks for your work on them. Like you I am going to tackle my IMS in my 1999 996. I'm not going to pay the crazy money these various IMS solutions are asking. I am going to poke a hole in my allen drive to provide oil to the bearing through the IMS shaft. I'll mill a little channel in the Allen drive at my friends house who has a mill. I'm going to replace the old bearing with a new one and remove the oil seals from it. I think the oil will just flow throught the IMS shaft throught the IMS bearing and just be collected in the sump This should make an effective poor mans oil feed. To extract the old double row bearing I'm going to push the IMS bolt into the IMS shaft (so I don't over stress the IMS bold and can reuse it) I'm going to borrow a pilot bearing puller from my local autoparts store to pull the bearing. I think I can get it all done for less than $100 and an afternoon (I have a lift); that's my goal. A NSK W5204 20mmX47mmX20.6 (double row) bearing cost a whooping $20. I'll need to make some shims to make up for the variation in the with of the original bearing and the replacement. I'll also need a snap ring like burner put together but that should be pretty doable. If anyone knows of a kit that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars for a couple of washers and a snapring please post. Who knows, maybe I'll just blow the whole thing off as the IMS issue seems overblown as you mention. Thanks again for the videos; keep up the good work.
Hi Micheal! TH-cam marked your comment as spam, so I didn't see it earlier (that happens from time to time). I think you have the right idea and the right tools for the job. I'd definitely replace the bearing when you do the clutch... but I don't know that I'd make a special job of it. I think it's totally reasonable to replace the whole thing for under $100. As you said, the original is a $20 NSK bearing. You've got the dual row bearing, those are fairly reliable.
So I just bought a 2000s with 116000 motor is quiet no oil leaks ...my mechanic says he hears a rattle when it starts up. So we sent the oil off to be analyzed. But I still think of 116 I should just go ahead and replace it. Did you check your oil out before you did yours?
If the rattle lasts only about a second or less then it's the cam chain tensioners or guides. You can change your tensioners to the latest version for about $380. It may get better. If not it's the chain guides and requires an engine removal to repair. The rattle is not a sign of a major problem. Just keep an eye out for brown plastic bits in the oil filter. That is the guides coming apart. You might also check your serpentine belt idler pulleys. When those bearings get bad, they make noise too. Mine went bad around 124,000 miles. Cost me about $30 total for all 3 pulley bearings. See Burner's Cars video on how to replace them.
Huh. I don't know why it wouldn't be included. As far as I know, the IMS bearing was unchanged from 1997-2000. Good news is, however, that these cars are the dual row bearing types that are less prone to failures.
I know this is old, but just following up. It seems the lawsuit only covered the single row IMS bearings (2001ish and newer 986 and 996 porsches). The failure rate of the dual row was substantially lower and not considered excessive. From what I've learned dual row failure was about 1% single row was about 8%
I have an 06 boxster and it has 60000 miles.I purchased it 3 years ago and have only driven it 5000 since I purchased it, do you think I might be a canident for a "ims" problem?
Thank you for posting these videos! I just pulled my transmission out of my 996. I have a few questions about the process: 1) Bentley's process is to remove all 3 tensioners, I see you only remove two. The third on looks like a real pain to get to because it requires removal of the AC pump. 2) I've seen some methods where you use set screws in the IMSB flange bolt holes to lock the shaft in place. Once you remove the flange, what keeps the IMS from floating around? I was happy you got the bearing replaced but I would be nervous not having that locked in. Thanks a lot! keep the videos coming!
Back when you were removing the trans, I remember you noticing oil weeping out of the IMS cover. What did you find? My car has 118k miles and was a one owner car before I purchased that was in Bremo's porsche every 90 days from its sale date till I purchased. I've redone things since I've had it but im still wondering if oil weeping through is from storage or if it is normal. Sorry, that thought was a little disjointed.
The IMS cover on my car has the older style o-ring seal that was prone to leaks. Porsche later updated to a 4mm thick flange seal. I suspect this is the source of my problems. So based on that, I'd say it's probably pretty common. The rear main seal is also a common source of oil leaks between the engine and transmission.
Burner's Cars I live in Singapore. here, the mechanics charge exorbitant rates and many do not know enough about Porsche 986s. your videos keep our small community of 986'ers hoping for a better tomorrow. many like me want to drive this car into vintage. thank you and keep making them!!!
hi sir I would like to ask you where can I buy this one and Do you have a part number for the IMS or please let me know what i need to change about ims
yeah, that's exactly what I'd do if I had it to do over again. My first attempt I built something similar to the tool they sell. It threads onto the center bolt directly. It was this that broke the bolt. I didn't put much of that in the video since the pilot bearing tool worked much better.
So working on doing the same job today and we had a heck of a time getting the cover off and when we when to pull the bearing it shifted to the right. I'm afraid to keep pulling it out in fear that we're doing some kind of damage.
So, you may be fine. My cover took a little prying to get it off, and I think this is typical. I also noticed that in my case the IMS shifted a few millimeters to the left and up. Once you remove the cover, the shaft is basically just hanging on that end as far as I can tell, so I think a little shifting is normal. As long as you locked everything down properly, my instinct is to say it's probably ok. (You've removed both tensioners and locked the camshafts?) I should also say that I don't think there's a very high risk of damaging anything by prying on the cover. In my experience, the IMS cover fits tightly into the engine casing, but it's fairly loosely held into the IMS bearing. The main risk is that the intermediate shaft will turn or one of the camshafts will turn and slip a tooth. From what I gathered, that's the only risk. Of course, this is just my hunch / experience from doing it once... I don't want to tell you the wrong thing and have it ruin your engine :/ It is a potentially risky job! I went for it, but I'd be lying if I said this part wasn't a little nerve-wracking!
LOL. Totally agree about the nerve wracking. If this gets screwed up I have a $6k car that needs a $10k engine. To answer your question, yes we did lock the camshaft with the allen screws and both tenioners were removed. Looking at your video, and others, we just need a little more leverage power. We did notice the race of the cover, where the bearing connects, is a little discolored but looks to be in good shape. Also found a few bits of rubber once we got in there. On a separate note, we pushed the IMS seal in at 15mm. Is this too far or should we just do it again and get it to 13mm?
Excellent! It sounds like you're on the right track. When you get the bearing out, let me know what it looks like... and if you don't need it, send it to me! Do you mean your RMS? a couple mm is probably not a big deal, but... it's a cheap seal and one that's prone to leaking, so maybe I'd try again.
I noticed some old oil coming out of your intermediate shaft when you extracted the bearing. This is purportedly the cause of failures as the oil gets cooked and becomes rancid and eats away at the seal causing the grease to wash out. I'm just wondering if the shaft is air tight, would it be a good idea to preheat the shaft with a heat gun prior to installing the bearing so that when it cools there will be a vacuum in the tube? So when the engine is warm, you would have normal pressure inside the tube. Vacuum is a lot easier to maintain than pressure so it should provide less stress on the seals.
Good question and an interesting idea. I'm not sure anyone really knows for sure. (I definitely don't know) I can say that there was oil behind my IMS bearing but the seals were both in good condition. My understanding (and this could be totally wrong) is that a "sealed" bearing is nowhere near air tight. From the research I've done, the seals on sealed bearing is designed to keep out dirt and contamination but not necessarily oil and definitely not air.
My fear is that the first time the car heats up, there is going to be enormous pressure inside the tube. You can hope that the air escapes between the metal to metal contacts, but if the air escapes by breaking one of the seals, then your bearing may be very short lived.
Well, that sounds terrifying (but everything connected with the IMS bearing is pretty terrifying... particularly the fact that no one seems to know exactly what the problem is). Anyway, it's a good thought. I don't see a downside to heating it. It would make it easier to press in the bearing also.
+Burner's Cars Try pulling the seal from your old bearing. If it was truly in good shape, there should still be grease inside. If there is just engine oil inside, then it was a ticking time bomb.
Done, and it was just engine oil. I wonder if that's not typical? I've read up on this and everyone I've encountered also found engine oil in the bearing.
This was studied in detail. This is a sealed bearing. What happens is that engine oil that is dormant in this area becomes acidic and attacks the seals on the bearing. Incompetence on Porsches part ! What is needed here is a bearing with special acid and oil resistant seals.
I was worried about my IMS also. I found some research on the issue. Statically , if your car reaches the 50K mile mark the chance of the bearing "blowing up" is not an issue.
can't assess just on mileage. car use is important- this is a lubrication failure issue. regularly used cars don't fail. cars stood over winter or insufficient oil changes etc. fail
thanks for responding Ben. I recently purchased a 30k mile 2000 C2 Cab that has spent most of it's last 6 years sitting in a friends garage. My friend is no hot-rodder and my concern is oil leakage past the IMS bearing that will cause explosive damage upstream from heat buildup not just bearing failure itself. Would you recommend I immediately change out the bearing or wait until I need a clutch replacement?
Ah... so you have an oil leak between engine and transmission? There's a good chance it's the RMS and not the IMS... but you did mention the two things that seem to accelerate IMS problems--low mileage and easy driving. The dual row IMS doesn't cause nearly as many problems, so my gut says you're probably ok, there. That said, if the oil leak is bad enough, you might want to get in there and fix everything. I don't think you should drop everything to replace it, but you might want to get in there earlier rather than later.
The Oil leak possibility I gleaned from another TH-cam Website that features the oil line lubrication solution. It was one of your $800 'favorite'? options. I was just supposing this could be the case as my car had many of this blogger's symptoms of the real issue he saw of the catastrophic IMS failures ........ burned and caked oil on the engine side of the IMS bearing resulting from fresh oil that leaked in through the seal after sitting idle for long periods of time. I have no idea if my 996 has this condition.
oh, ok. I think I understand. You mean the oil leaks past the seal of the IMS bearing and causes problems, potentially? If it makes you feel any better, all three IMS bearings I've inspected had engine oil on the inside, but the engine oil appeared to be a normal viscosity with no signs of caking (see burnerscars.blogspot.com/2016/08/porsche-ims-bearing-inspection.html). One other factor to consider--how frequent were the oil changes on your C2? With relatively low mileage, the oil should have been changed at least once a year, regardless of mileage.
wow, glad the bolt broke to see how to keep fixing without taking the poison... question ?? you said you raised the car 23 inches?? where is that measured to... ?? I see standard jackstands .. so the frame to the floor was 23 inches ?? sure does not look 23 inches higher than it normally sits.
Can you believe it, my center bolt broke as well and I was using the tool from LN Engineering that I paid $300. How was this possible? I will create the tool you made to get the bearing out. What length 2" pipe did you used? Thanks again for your video series.
Ha! That just confirms what I suspected about the LN tool kit. The pipe I used was about 15cm or 6" long. I would recommend getting the pilot bearing puller and the bolt / threaded rod first. Assemble the puller, bolt, nut and washers. Place the assembly in the bearing, then measure the length and cut the pipe. That way, you'll get it right in the event that the pilot bearing puller or something else is a slightly different size than the one I used.
You are very resourceful. Great job! I can't wait to see you put in the new part. Will it be the LN Engineering ceraminc bearig part or a new Porsche original part.
Thank you! Porsche does not make replacement IMS bearings, but I'm going with something between the LN Engineering bearing and the Porsche part. Details soon!
NSK and Nachi both make a perfectly acceptable replacement bearing. Even Pelican uses a stock, over-the-counter bearing ($10 elsewhere) in their parts kit. The main advantage of the Pelican kit, is the stronger bolt. However, if you know someone with a decent lathe, the can bore out the inner bearing holder, and you can replace it with a quality Grade 8 bolt....tack-weld the head. to the "inside tube" side.
I definitely agree. LN's bearing is supposed to be replaced every 50k or so miles (can't remember the exact number). But it seams the equivalent bearing from any manufacture should last a solid 50k. The center bolt is, as you said, the biggest challenge. I wish someone would sell just the center bolt but they all want to upsell you to their "upgraded" and "lifetime" kits...
Congratulations. I feel your pain, things like this usually don't go right first time! Love that you made your own tools. You gonna put a Porsche bearing back in or a 3rd party one?
Thanks! Unfortunately Porsche doesn't make a replacement bearing. It's my understanding that they redesigned the entire intermediate shaft and sell the complete assembly only, so you basically have to rebuild the entire engine to use a Porsche solution. So, yep, 3rd party it is!
lol. I'd always have gone with 3rd party bearing but just assumed Porsche would sell you one if you asked! About £450 for a EPS or LN bearing here in the UK, ouch.
Here's a tip. If the ims is good after all this time and mileage, I really believe you've got a good one so leave well alone!! Just my opinion. The new bearing could be faulty..
Of course the bearing was ok he had the original double row bearing in his car. The one that gives problems is the next version which is a single row with half the load capacity. Why they changed it is a mystery probably cost cutting.
Thanks so much for the video, I agree the IMS issue is blown way out of proportion, I was concerned to buy a used higher mileage boxster until I saw your videos and did additional research. The 2002 I just bought has 83K. I just drained the oil into a large drain pan with a huge magnet the oil had to pass and it picked up nothing and the filter when I cut it apart had 2 specks of non metallic metal ( aluminum I think) I added a magnetic drain plug and will change the oil every 3000-4000 miles with mobil 1 and check it again. The car has the original engine, so I think it was either well maintained or driven hard, ( both would also be great) If the original engine made it to 83,000 Miles and the filter picked up nothing I think I am safe. Thanks again for the videos, it made boxster ownership possible for me.
I expect that centre bolt failed due to insufficient strength for use as a pulling tool. Ideally one would choose a 12.9 strength bolt for this particular job. (same strength rating as the clutch to flywheel bolts). Beers! HH EDIT: Just realised that thread is part of the IMS bearing. I am talking complete nonsense.. A pilot bearing puller is good idea..
For all those interested in more info.... youtube search or try link. "PCA Spotlight: Intermediate shaft and IMS bearing explained. " This is the first of several vids, but will explain everything you ever wanted to know about ims bearings and how they work. Also explains the different solutions in following vids. th-cam.com/video/i14LKvAW-So/w-d-xo.html
Thanks! When I made this series, there wasn't anything like this detailing every step of the process. I'm glad I made it a diy project. It's challenging, but I found the process rewarding.
I am sometimes easily distracted and when I saw your tee shirt I was thinking "Imaginary number ate some pie" Huh? then it dawned on me the symbol for an imaginary is a lower case I, lol I had to rewatch the video to see what you did with the bearing! lol. I want that shirt!! Where did you find it?
The thing is this, just because it "looks perfect" doesn't mean it is. It is a catastrophic failing part, usually exploding. You cannot tell one thats never going to fail from one that will fail in 5,000 miles. It can look perfect and then fail next year. The IMS ISNT a blown out of proportion problem, it was a design flaw. Engine oil causes the issue, it will always be soaked in oil, thus this problem will eventually happen, its just a matter of time. As these cars age, the fail rate will go up. It's also not something that can be done statistically... It is Russian roulette rules, every trigger pulled can be fatal. It's stupid to ignore the problem, when a $1,500 fix saves your $10,000+ car, why wouldn't you do it? Not only that, but it brings the value up in the car for resale, you'll get that money back if you're selling. Again, this is a design flaw, it will fail, its a matter of time. Change it, dont be a cheap ass, and you'll never have an issue. How cheap do you have to be to want to own a Porsche and not spend the extra money to make sure it will run?? It doesn't matter if its 1% or 10%, you can't know or eliminate your car from the possibility, so its just dumb luck if it doesn't go.
Negative ghost rider. You were lucky in that you had a early 2000 with the double row bearing. Those last longer. The 01-05 had single row and considered the time bomb
+1. Ditto. .Great stuff! My wife's MY00 Boxster we ditched in '04 for a combination of reasons. . Not the least of which was the so called "ticking-time-bomb" IMS bearing failure and subsequent engine replacement potential. . Ditch the Boxster or invest several $ thousand in a re-worked IMS bearing design and installation. . IIRC there was a Class Action lawsuit brought against Porsche NA back in the IMS days. . I suppose the first knee jerk defense for PCNA was .... "were only the distributor of Porsche cars"... go away blown engine customer. . Thanks for your business!. . Edit:... Eisen IMS Class Action Lawsuit.....and settlement details. .. www.imsporschesettlement.com
Yep. Exactly. My thinking: you can easily buy a bearing that is as good or better than the original Porsche bearing for $100-$200. You could go at least 350k miles replace the bearing with every clutch job before you spend what you would on one of these "solutions".
Oh, shit. Did you forget to remove a snap ring? I just watched the Bentley IMS video and it looks like there is a snap ring on the bearing which may explain why you had so much trouble removing it. The bad news is that you probably have broken bits of snap ring in your engine casing. Sorry dude.
I was confused by the Bentley IMS video as well. There is a retaining ring, but it is in a grove cut into the outer race of the bearing--impossible to remove without removing the bearing. Fortunately, it's a thin wire ring, and it didn't damage anything. It is definitely why it was so difficult to remove, however. It's almost like the Bentley video is showing the removal of an after market IMS bearing... either that or perhaps the single row bearings are configured that way? I don't know.
Ah, yep. I just went back to the video. "Dual row IMS bearings use an internal snap ring that will automatically disengage when pulling the bearing". I forgot they said that. What the video shows is a single row IMS bearing.
Exactly... Well, sort of... The new dual row bearings are a little thinner than the wide version Porsche used. LN's single row pro kit, however, is a little wider than the old single row (since it replaces the single row with a dual row). For this reason, the dual row kit uses the type of snap ring that the single row used originally... and the single row pro kit uses the type of snap ring the original dual row used. Confusing, right? What that means is that I will be installing the new dual row bearing the way the old single row bearings are installed.
DR. Smith surprise! You don’t need to be body builder to work on a car as long as you have the right tools for the job and you know what you are doing.
Really great job communicating the effort and the blown up IMS bearing failure storyline. I have a 1999 911 996 with 131000 miles which I drive 3 times a week or more. I check my oil levels weekly and never have seen any metal shavings or pieces at service times. I think that I am not going to worry as much now that I have watched your video tonight. Thanks!
IMS bearing... keeping craigslist Boxsters cheap cheap cheap! I'm about to buy my 3rd (can't help myself). You are killing it with these videos!
Some garages obviously have a commercial interest in scare with the "IMS".
An excellent series of videos showing the step by step activity of removing the IMS, warts and all! Due to the extensive work required to reach the offending part the videos provide a useful insight into a number of other tasks which we diyers may come across during 986 ownership i.e. clutch, silencer and driveshaft replacement. A very useful resource which must have taken a not inconsiderable time to film and edit - congratulations.
Thank you! You are quite right! Most people do not realize the time it takes to film and edit even a simple job!
Great Video, enjoyed watching it. I have a 2006 Caymen S with 84k on clock and no problems so far. Was worried about this IMS issue but as you said its blown all out of proportion. Change my oil and filter every 8k so fingers crossed ill never need to worry about this overly exaggerated issue. keep up the great work. Mick Northern Ireland.
Just pulled my IMS bearing out. Wow talk about a lot of force to get it to break free. Glad i went straight to the pilot bearing puller. I can't imagine the center bolt not breaking! My bearing looked great but no grease left inside and lots of oil in the IMS shaft. Great videos!!!
Awesome! Nice work! Glad I could help! You're right, it does take a lot of effort. I wasted hours with that stupid center bolt method!
Mike O'Brien you said a very important statement as some people think externally judging the bearing is sufficient, while you mentioned yours looked fine from the outside but was missing the grease internally which is exactly why replacing the bearing is needed. Thank you and I hope more people read your comment
Hi Ben!
Your videos are great and full of practical information! They are indeed so good that they encourages me to buy a 2002 Boxster (MY 2003 Facelift) and carry over the IMS issue as well as regular maintenance myself!
BTW the car has 317.000 Km on the clock (around 200.000 Mi) and as far as I know is still on the first IMS. The car was well mainteined and regularly serviced, and runs very well and smooth.
Anyway I am almost done with the IMS extraction, and I have to say it looks very well, although has a tiny bit of play in it.
I am living in Germany, but I would be glad to send overseas to you to add it to your library and inspect it :-)
I appreciate very much the time you've spent shooting videos, I am eager to hear from your next project!
That's awesome! I'm glad I was able to inspire you! These Boxsters are great cars. 317.000km on the IMS? I'm impressed, and I would love to add the bearing to my library. Please send me an email (burnerphotography@gmail.com). Thanks!
Great video! I’m the dummy who spent $836 for the IMS bearing tool set from Pelican Parts.
looks like you had the better double row bearing that porsche used before the single row bearing that had the most failures. great video..
I don’t even have a 911 but I am still watching, don’t ask me why.
because this is a video from a 986 perhaps?, duh
I have a 2007 Cayman, 2.7L ... It's been an awesome car.. However, shortly after I bought it I became aware of the "IMS issues". Now my local mechanic, (not a Porsche dealer, but Porsche certified) told me as long as I change the oil regularly, it shouldn't be an issue.. Like, at all! He also informed me that the "IMS problems" only affected about 5% of the cars made. Being a Porsche a rather pricy car, there was a lot of hype. Understandable..
A lot of fun to drive and in my past experience, very dependable.. I hope it continues.
Yeah, there are never any guarantees, but I'd say breath easy. My bearing looked pretty good, and the 986 was the most susceptible IMS. I believe your 987 has a larger IMS bearing and should be less susceptible
FYI, a repair shop here in Dallas that performs the IMS bearing replacement on a weekly basis, has several boxes full of perfectly good bearings that they had pulled off of their customers Porsches. That goes to show how over blown this issue has become, I call it the "Porsche Boogie Monster".
But who wants to find out the hard way......
Frank Armstrong- any guess on what they charge to replace the "IMS" before failure ? I just about hold my breath during every time I take it out for a drive.
If the bearing was already bad the motor already blew up, so your shop wouldn't have boxes of bad bearings just a blown up motor. Shops that does full overhaul if it did not go to dismantler they see IMS failures, cracked cylinder, cracked heads and all the goodies for catastrophic failures etc.
@@youcanthandlethetruth4553 If you have a manual transmission 97-2001 dual row bearings do it when you need to service the clutch. Lower chance of failing. If you have 01 to 04 single row the have higher failing ratio. How much they charge depends on the shop. Some shops while doing your clutch job the install of IMS is minimal charge. If you're running tiptronic it'll be the cost of transmission removal and IMS install
My 2.7 ims bearing failed was a doner engine for my 2.5, that also failed due the the ims bearing.
Great great video, love your down to earth, logical and practical approach. Good to see the bearing in great shape. I also think that all the negative hype over the IMS bearing, is just that "hype", yeah sure there's been some failures, but it needs to kept in perspective! Hence I bought a 2005 997.
Note the black oil which came out the IMS after the bearing was removed, this is engine oil which has travelled across the IMS bearing, diluting the 'sealed for life' grease, and rendering the bearing to have a short life. Therefore it was not a waste tp replace the IMS bearing
You are CORRECT ! Clean oil in the crankcase , but BLACK around the bearing, due to being a dormant area.
The oil that has leaked on the bearing will actually extend its life. Bearings have seals and grease as it is not possible or practical in most applications to re lubericate them oil is always a better lubricant than grease.
I read a statistical report about ims. There was no issue with most IMS. I think the report said that if the car got over 50k miles there was a slim to no chance of IMS failure based on research and statistics . I agree that most of the things I read about IMS issues are based on 'JUST IN CASE '. I have met a few Porsche owners that have replaced iMS just in case. I have not met anyone who has "blown their engine up". Oh, I did hear from a fellow who's neighbor's cousin's brother's' friend's uncle's nephew's class mate's had an engine blow up caused by IMS. Other than that I have not met anyone who changed their IMS because they had to. They changed it because of FEAR. I agree with you, FEAR is the number one driver of this issue.
Your reaction was the same as mine when I saw my IMS bearing that had 65k miles on it...No surprise, It was in perfect shape. I would love to see the true percentages of those who have pulled out their perfectly good ims bearing and found them to be in great shape versus those that actually needed to replace them. I understand it is a real problem and I feel terrible for anyone who has lost an engine from a failed bearing, but I have been saying for a long time the problem is over hyped on the forums, because that's where everyone goes to find solutions to problems, also by those who want to make a $1000 profit on a bearing and also from those who like to bash on Porsches for any reason. It's a shame because the 1st thing non Porsche guys say now is "have you changed the ims bearing? Porsches engines are junk and unreliable". Granted, my bearing was the 1st design double row bearing, which is more robust than the single row bearing that came out 2001-2005 and had the most problems. Either way, I still did it for peace of mind at the end of the day. It's a shame that this fear has gotten to the level it has. I have put 100,000s of miles driving watercooled porsches and they have been awesome with no issues. Thanks again for the video. You get major mechanic bragging rights and points. You will sleep way better at night too!! ;^)
Yep. exactly! I agree 100% Thanks for the confirmation. I feel like if you poll a random sampling of 986 and 996 owners very few have actually experienced a failed bearing. Of course you find examples if you go looking... but in the general population? It seems pretty low. At any rate, you're right. It's nice to know it's solid.
Wouldn't you expect every bearing that you pull out of a running engine to be in perfect or near perfect shape. If it weren't, it would fail quickly and BOOM. Thoughts?
That's an interesting thought. Some say you can hear a rattling noise or a grinding noise quite some time before it fails which gives you time to react. But I think you would need to know what to listen for. In some cases I guess the bearing could suddenly fail with no prior warning. But I guess poorly maintained cars with debris in the oil should be more prone to sudden failures due to debris entering the bearing through a failed seal and causing a sudden stop. Just my thoughts. I am hoping my bearing holds together until its time to change the clutch. I have a -98 996 with 75000 miles on the meter. Dual row bearing.
Quote: "According to information published about the Eisen IMS Class Action Lawsuit, the single row IMS bearing used in 2000 through 2005 model years is reported to have an 8% failure rate, versus less than 1% with the dual row IMS bearing. The 8% failure rate cited by the settlement documents is not far off of the calculated L10 life" More info can be found at LN engineering site. No need to panic if you have a dual row. If I had a 2000 or later I would change it tomorrow.
The Eisen Settlement covered 2001-2005. The bad bearings went into production mid-2000 but 2000 models were not covered in the lawsuit because they looked at total year failure rates and the early 2000s with the older better design failed less often making total 2000 numbers lower. I had a late 2000 car that failed at 22k miles but past 3 years. No factory help, no lawsuit help. I now drive other makes.
Awesome video!!! thanks so much for the detail. I just bought a 2000 black boxster. I really appreciate the detail on how to make the tools to save money. Subscribed!!!!!
great video series.
my 1999 986 boxster has about 170k on the odo, no IMS issues.
Seems like the more the car is used, the less chance of problems with IMS
Thanks! Yep. Agreed. And, with a 1999, you have the more reliable dual row IMS bearing.
Do you know if my Cayman S 2006 model would have single or dual row IMS bearing ??? Thanks.
I have a 2006 CS. It has 100,000 miles. I will drive it until it fails, then put a 3.8l in until it fails. Great cars, great engines.
Great stuff! Way to think of a simple engineering solution as opposed to paying someone $$$ to extract the bearing! Although I've got to say, youre making it increasingly difficult to stay away from the Boxster marketplace...
MUST...NOT...OWN...MULTIPLE...PORSCHES!!!!
DO IT! DO IT! Out of curiosity, what's your current Porsche?
'87 944 n/a in excellent condition. Great for a family man. But I'm looking to sell another car (MGB) and get into a Boxster or Cayman.
Do you know much much yours was driven before you got it (if you weren’t original owner) I just gots 2000 that had an engine replacement and the engine is only at 58k and also I think sat / was a summer weekend car for 5 years. Do you think I should look into ims more?
I don’t understand how you knocked the damage bearing bolt toward the inside past the bearing. Isn’t there a shaft sitting in the bearing? It looked like you reached into an open space to retrieve the bolt.
Burner, Great Videos!! Thanks for your work on them. Like you I am going to tackle my IMS in my 1999 996. I'm not going to pay the crazy money these various IMS solutions are asking. I am going to poke a hole in my allen drive to provide oil to the bearing through the IMS shaft. I'll mill a little channel in the Allen drive at my friends house who has a mill. I'm going to replace the old bearing with a new one and remove the oil seals from it. I think the oil will just flow throught the IMS shaft throught the IMS bearing and just be collected in the sump This should make an effective poor mans oil feed. To extract the old double row bearing I'm going to push the IMS bolt into the IMS shaft (so I don't over stress the IMS bold and can reuse it) I'm going to borrow a pilot bearing puller from my local autoparts store to pull the bearing. I think I can get it all done for less than $100 and an afternoon (I have a lift); that's my goal. A NSK W5204 20mmX47mmX20.6 (double row) bearing cost a whooping $20. I'll need to make some shims to make up for the variation in the with of the original bearing and the replacement. I'll also need a snap ring like burner put together but that should be pretty doable. If anyone knows of a kit that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars for a couple of washers and a snapring please post. Who knows, maybe I'll just blow the whole thing off as the IMS issue seems overblown as you mention. Thanks again for the videos; keep up the good work.
Hi Micheal! TH-cam marked your comment as spam, so I didn't see it earlier (that happens from time to time). I think you have the right idea and the right tools for the job. I'd definitely replace the bearing when you do the clutch... but I don't know that I'd make a special job of it. I think it's totally reasonable to replace the whole thing for under $100. As you said, the original is a $20 NSK bearing. You've got the dual row bearing, those are fairly reliable.
So I just bought a 2000s with 116000 motor is quiet no oil leaks ...my mechanic says he hears a rattle when it starts up. So we sent the oil off to be analyzed. But I still think of 116 I should just go ahead and replace it. Did you check your oil out before you did yours?
If the rattle lasts only about a second or less then it's the cam chain tensioners or guides. You can change your tensioners to the latest version for about $380. It may get better. If not it's the chain guides and requires an engine removal to repair. The rattle is not a sign of a major problem. Just keep an eye out for brown plastic bits in the oil filter. That is the guides coming apart. You might also check your serpentine belt idler pulleys. When those bearings get bad, they make noise too. Mine went bad around 124,000 miles. Cost me about $30 total for all 3 pulley bearings. See Burner's Cars video on how to replace them.
Kind of late to comment but, is there a way to solve the IMS problem completely? Or do I have to change it for the rest of the time I own the car?
Did you drain the oil before pulling the IMS bearing?
Very well done!!! I have a 1997 2.5 L, this car was not included in the law suit was there a reason for this? My car runs great 110,000.
Huh. I don't know why it wouldn't be included. As far as I know, the IMS bearing was unchanged from 1997-2000. Good news is, however, that these cars are the dual row bearing types that are less prone to failures.
I know this is old, but just following up. It seems the lawsuit only covered the single row IMS bearings (2001ish and newer 986 and 996 porsches). The failure rate of the dual row was substantially lower and not considered excessive. From what I've learned dual row failure was about 1% single row was about 8%
I have an 06 boxster and it has 60000 miles.I purchased it 3 years ago and have only driven it 5000 since I purchased it, do you think I might be a canident for a "ims" problem?
Thank you for posting these videos! I just pulled my transmission out of my 996. I have a few questions about the process:
1) Bentley's process is to remove all 3 tensioners, I see you only remove two. The third on looks like a real pain to get to because it requires removal of the AC pump.
2) I've seen some methods where you use set screws in the IMSB flange bolt holes to lock the shaft in place. Once you remove the flange, what keeps the IMS from floating around? I was happy you got the bearing replaced but I would be nervous not having that locked in.
Thanks a lot! keep the videos coming!
Back when you were removing the trans, I remember you noticing oil weeping out of the IMS cover. What did you find? My car has 118k miles and was a one owner car before I purchased that was in Bremo's porsche every 90 days from its sale date till I purchased. I've redone things since I've had it but im still wondering if oil weeping through is from storage or if it is normal. Sorry, that thought was a little disjointed.
The IMS cover on my car has the older style o-ring seal that was prone to leaks. Porsche later updated to a 4mm thick flange seal. I suspect this is the source of my problems. So based on that, I'd say it's probably pretty common. The rear main seal is also a common source of oil leaks between the engine and transmission.
Burner's Cars I live in Singapore. here, the mechanics charge exorbitant rates and many do not know enough about Porsche 986s. your videos keep our small community of 986'ers hoping for a better tomorrow. many like me want to drive this car into vintage. thank you and keep making them!!!
Singapore? Awesome! I'm glad I can help. I plan to keep my 986 for a long time, too, so I'll be posting many more videos as I have time!
hi sir I would like to ask you
where can I buy this one and
Do you have a part number for the IMS
or please let me know what i need to change about ims
Good deal. I had trouble understanding why the head broke initially. So in reality, you would remove the screw then use the pilot bearing too?
yeah, that's exactly what I'd do if I had it to do over again. My first attempt I built something similar to the tool they sell. It threads onto the center bolt directly. It was this that broke the bolt. I didn't put much of that in the video since the pilot bearing tool worked much better.
So working on doing the same job today and we had a heck of a time getting the cover off and when we when to pull the bearing it shifted to the right. I'm afraid to keep pulling it out in fear that we're doing some kind of damage.
So, you may be fine. My cover took a little prying to get it off, and I think this is typical. I also noticed that in my case the IMS shifted a few millimeters to the left and up. Once you remove the cover, the shaft is basically just hanging on that end as far as I can tell, so I think a little shifting is normal. As long as you locked everything down properly, my instinct is to say it's probably ok. (You've removed both tensioners and locked the camshafts?)
I should also say that I don't think there's a very high risk of damaging anything by prying on the cover. In my experience, the IMS cover fits tightly into the engine casing, but it's fairly loosely held into the IMS bearing. The main risk is that the intermediate shaft will turn or one of the camshafts will turn and slip a tooth. From what I gathered, that's the only risk.
Of course, this is just my hunch / experience from doing it once... I don't want to tell you the wrong thing and have it ruin your engine :/ It is a potentially risky job! I went for it, but I'd be lying if I said this part wasn't a little nerve-wracking!
LOL. Totally agree about the nerve wracking. If this gets screwed up I have a $6k car that needs a $10k engine. To answer your question, yes we did lock the camshaft with the allen screws and both tenioners were removed. Looking at your video, and others, we just need a little more leverage power. We did notice the race of the cover, where the bearing connects, is a little discolored but looks to be in good shape. Also found a few bits of rubber once we got in there.
On a separate note, we pushed the IMS seal in at 15mm. Is this too far or should we just do it again and get it to 13mm?
Excellent! It sounds like you're on the right track. When you get the bearing out, let me know what it looks like... and if you don't need it, send it to me!
Do you mean your RMS? a couple mm is probably not a big deal, but... it's a cheap seal and one that's prone to leaking, so maybe I'd try again.
I did mean RMS. Thanks
The owner of a Porsche repair shop said that the new IMS could fault-out also
I noticed some old oil coming out of your intermediate shaft when you extracted the bearing. This is purportedly the cause of failures as the oil gets cooked and becomes rancid and eats away at the seal causing the grease to wash out. I'm just wondering if the shaft is air tight, would it be a good idea to preheat the shaft with a heat gun prior to installing the bearing so that when it cools there will be a vacuum in the tube? So when the engine is warm, you would have normal pressure inside the tube. Vacuum is a lot easier to maintain than pressure so it should provide less stress on the seals.
Good question and an interesting idea. I'm not sure anyone really knows for sure. (I definitely don't know) I can say that there was oil behind my IMS bearing but the seals were both in good condition. My understanding (and this could be totally wrong) is that a "sealed" bearing is nowhere near air tight. From the research I've done, the seals on sealed bearing is designed to keep out dirt and contamination but not necessarily oil and definitely not air.
My fear is that the first time the car heats up, there is going to be enormous pressure inside the tube. You can hope that the air escapes between the metal to metal contacts, but if the air escapes by breaking one of the seals, then your bearing may be very short lived.
Well, that sounds terrifying (but everything connected with the IMS bearing is pretty terrifying... particularly the fact that no one seems to know exactly what the problem is). Anyway, it's a good thought. I don't see a downside to heating it. It would make it easier to press in the bearing also.
+Burner's Cars Try pulling the seal from your old bearing. If it was truly in good shape, there should still be grease inside. If there is just engine oil inside, then it was a ticking time bomb.
Done, and it was just engine oil. I wonder if that's not typical? I've read up on this and everyone I've encountered also found engine oil in the bearing.
where can I get just the IMS bearing ?
Could I theoretically source a double row hybrid ceramic as a solution
Did you have to lock the cams into place to change the IMS bearing
Yes. Absolutely.
Wait, you didnt have to "lift" the car to get the transmission out?
Atleast high enough to have the transmission space to slide out.
This was studied in detail. This is a sealed bearing. What happens is that engine oil that is dormant in this area becomes acidic and attacks the seals on the bearing. Incompetence on Porsches part ! What is needed here is a bearing with special acid and oil resistant seals.
I was worried about my IMS also. I found some research on the issue. Statically , if your car reaches the 50K mile mark the chance of the bearing "blowing up" is not an issue.
can't assess just on mileage. car use is important- this is a lubrication failure issue. regularly used cars don't fail. cars stood over winter or insufficient oil changes etc. fail
Dude, love your style & videos. What is that internal puller you have used? Most just break apart. What is the brand and spec please?
i need help, i need support to disassemble and assemble a pursche 996 engine hesd and timing chain. please
That's a big job! I've never done it, so I can't give you any tips, but it should be an interesting project! Good luck!
Does the 2000 911 Carrera have the single row or double row IMS bearing?
It should have the double row.
thanks for responding Ben. I recently purchased a 30k mile 2000 C2 Cab that has spent most of it's last 6 years sitting in a friends garage. My friend is no hot-rodder and my concern is oil leakage past the IMS bearing that will cause explosive damage upstream from heat buildup not just bearing failure itself. Would you recommend I immediately change out the bearing or wait until I need a clutch replacement?
Ah... so you have an oil leak between engine and transmission? There's a good chance it's the RMS and not the IMS... but you did mention the two things that seem to accelerate IMS problems--low mileage and easy driving. The dual row IMS doesn't cause nearly as many problems, so my gut says you're probably ok, there. That said, if the oil leak is bad enough, you might want to get in there and fix everything. I don't think you should drop everything to replace it, but you might want to get in there earlier rather than later.
The Oil leak possibility I gleaned from another TH-cam Website that features the oil line lubrication solution. It was one of your $800 'favorite'? options. I was just supposing this could be the case as my car had many of this blogger's symptoms of the real issue he saw of the catastrophic IMS failures ........ burned and caked oil on the engine side of the IMS bearing resulting from fresh oil that leaked in through the seal after sitting idle for long periods of time. I have no idea if my 996 has this condition.
oh, ok. I think I understand. You mean the oil leaks past the seal of the IMS bearing and causes problems, potentially? If it makes you feel any better, all three IMS bearings I've inspected had engine oil on the inside, but the engine oil appeared to be a normal viscosity with no signs of caking (see burnerscars.blogspot.com/2016/08/porsche-ims-bearing-inspection.html). One other factor to consider--how frequent were the oil changes on your C2? With relatively low mileage, the oil should have been changed at least once a year, regardless of mileage.
wow, glad the bolt broke to see how to keep fixing without taking the poison... question ?? you said you raised the car 23 inches?? where is that measured to... ?? I see standard jackstands .. so the frame to the floor was 23 inches ?? sure does not look 23 inches higher than it normally sits.
You have the double-row bearing. It was the small single row bearing that was most prone to failure.
other way around? the earlier single bearing wasn't as strong but failed less because the root cause is lubrication
Can you believe it, my center bolt broke as well and I was using the tool from LN Engineering that I paid $300. How was this possible? I will create the tool you made to get the bearing out. What length 2" pipe did you used? Thanks again for your video series.
Ha! That just confirms what I suspected about the LN tool kit. The pipe I used was about 15cm or 6" long. I would recommend getting the pilot bearing puller and the bolt / threaded rod first. Assemble the puller, bolt, nut and washers. Place the assembly in the bearing, then measure the length and cut the pipe. That way, you'll get it right in the event that the pilot bearing puller or something else is a slightly different size than the one I used.
You are very resourceful. Great job! I can't wait to see you put in the new part. Will it be the LN Engineering ceraminc bearig part or a new Porsche original part.
Thank you! Porsche does not make replacement IMS bearings, but I'm going with something between the LN Engineering bearing and the Porsche part. Details soon!
Thx
NSK and Nachi both make a perfectly acceptable replacement bearing. Even Pelican uses a stock, over-the-counter bearing ($10 elsewhere) in their parts kit. The main advantage of the Pelican kit, is the stronger bolt. However, if you know someone with a decent lathe, the can bore out the inner bearing holder, and you can replace it with a quality Grade 8 bolt....tack-weld the head. to the "inside tube" side.
I definitely agree. LN's bearing is supposed to be replaced every 50k or so miles (can't remember the exact number). But it seams the equivalent bearing from any manufacture should last a solid 50k. The center bolt is, as you said, the biggest challenge. I wish someone would sell just the center bolt but they all want to upsell you to their "upgraded" and "lifetime" kits...
Congratulations. I feel your pain, things like this usually don't go right first time! Love that you made your own tools. You gonna put a Porsche bearing back in or a 3rd party one?
Thanks! Unfortunately Porsche doesn't make a replacement bearing. It's my understanding that they redesigned the entire intermediate shaft and sell the complete assembly only, so you basically have to rebuild the entire engine to use a Porsche solution. So, yep, 3rd party it is!
lol. I'd always have gone with 3rd party bearing but just assumed Porsche would sell you one if you asked! About £450 for a EPS or LN bearing here in the UK, ouch.
Road and Race both of you guys rock
Here's a tip. If the ims is good after all this time and mileage, I really believe you've got a good one so leave well alone!! Just my opinion. The new bearing could be faulty..
Great job. Like the Macgyver-ing on tools...
Of course the bearing was ok he had the original double row bearing in his car. The one that gives problems is the next version which is a single row with half the load capacity. Why they changed it is a mystery probably cost cutting.
Thanks so much for the video, I agree the IMS issue is blown way out of proportion, I was concerned to buy a used higher mileage boxster until I saw your videos and did additional research. The 2002 I just bought has 83K. I just drained the oil into a large drain pan with a huge magnet the oil had to pass and it picked up nothing and the filter when I cut it apart had 2 specks of non metallic metal ( aluminum I think) I added a magnetic drain plug and will change the oil every 3000-4000 miles with mobil 1 and check it again. The car has the original engine, so I think it was either well maintained or driven hard, ( both would also be great) If the original engine made it to 83,000 Miles and the filter picked up nothing I think I am safe. Thanks again for the videos, it made boxster ownership possible for me.
you mean non-ferrous metal? lol
Great video! Thanks!
Well done and yes, grossly over-exaggerated.
Yah that too. They says a car driven "hard" doesn't have an issue.
That bearing isn't the one that fails. That is the double bearing the one that fails is the one that is 1/2 that thickness.
'I ate some pie' - thank you, public education system ;)
I expect that centre bolt failed due to insufficient strength for use as a pulling tool. Ideally one would choose a 12.9 strength bolt for this particular job. (same strength rating as the clutch to flywheel bolts).
Beers! HH
EDIT: Just realised that thread is part of the IMS bearing. I am talking complete nonsense.. A pilot bearing puller is good idea..
I just subbed for the tee shirt, lol.
For all those interested in more info.... youtube search or try link. "PCA Spotlight: Intermediate shaft and IMS bearing explained. "
This is the first of several vids, but will explain everything you ever wanted to know about ims bearings and how they work. Also explains the different solutions in following vids.
th-cam.com/video/i14LKvAW-So/w-d-xo.html
I like your shirt
Great video...contemplating changing my IMS bearing...
Thanks! When I made this series, there wasn't anything like this detailing every step of the process. I'm glad I made it a diy project. It's challenging, but I found the process rewarding.
cool shirt
"i 8 sum Pi and it was delicious" haha
I am sometimes easily distracted and when I saw your tee shirt I was thinking "Imaginary number ate some pie" Huh? then it dawned on me the symbol for an imaginary is a lower case I, lol I had to rewatch the video to see what you did with the bearing! lol. I want that shirt!! Where did you find it?
thank you, sir. Yeah, I'm a bit of a nerd: amzn.to/2rDkeCJ
Yo buddy where do you live, will you come do my 986 in Cincinnati if i pay you & do all the dirty work lol
thats a double row bearing.........yayyyyy im learning.
The thing is this, just because it "looks perfect" doesn't mean it is. It is a catastrophic failing part, usually exploding. You cannot tell one thats never going to fail from one that will fail in 5,000 miles. It can look perfect and then fail next year. The IMS ISNT a blown out of proportion problem, it was a design flaw. Engine oil causes the issue, it will always be soaked in oil, thus this problem will eventually happen, its just a matter of time. As these cars age, the fail rate will go up. It's also not something that can be done statistically... It is Russian roulette rules, every trigger pulled can be fatal. It's stupid to ignore the problem, when a $1,500 fix saves your $10,000+ car, why wouldn't you do it? Not only that, but it brings the value up in the car for resale, you'll get that money back if you're selling. Again, this is a design flaw, it will fail, its a matter of time. Change it, dont be a cheap ass, and you'll never have an issue. How cheap do you have to be to want to own a Porsche and not spend the extra money to make sure it will run?? It doesn't matter if its 1% or 10%, you can't know or eliminate your car from the possibility, so its just dumb luck if it doesn't go.
He has the double bearing not the single one that fails and destroys the engine.
Negative ghost rider. You were lucky in that you had a early 2000 with the double row bearing. Those last longer. The 01-05 had single row and considered the time bomb
+1. Ditto. .Great stuff! My wife's MY00 Boxster we ditched in '04 for a combination of reasons. . Not the least of which was the so called "ticking-time-bomb" IMS bearing failure and subsequent engine replacement potential. . Ditch the Boxster or invest several $ thousand in a re-worked IMS bearing design and installation. . IIRC there was a Class Action lawsuit brought against Porsche NA back in the IMS days. . I suppose the first knee jerk defense for PCNA was .... "were only the distributor of Porsche cars"... go away blown engine customer. . Thanks for your business!. . Edit:... Eisen IMS Class Action Lawsuit.....and settlement details. .. www.imsporschesettlement.com
I also felt it is grossly exaggerated. Another way to infuse fear and take our hard earned money.
Yep. Exactly. My thinking: you can easily buy a bearing that is as good or better than the original Porsche bearing for $100-$200. You could go at least 350k miles replace the bearing with every clutch job before you spend what you would on one of these "solutions".
Check out 'por-ims.com'
Oh, shit. Did you forget to remove a snap ring? I just watched the Bentley IMS video and it looks like there is a snap ring on the bearing which may explain why you had so much trouble removing it. The bad news is that you probably have broken bits of snap ring in your engine casing. Sorry dude.
I was confused by the Bentley IMS video as well. There is a retaining ring, but it is in a grove cut into the outer race of the bearing--impossible to remove without removing the bearing. Fortunately, it's a thin wire ring, and it didn't damage anything. It is definitely why it was so difficult to remove, however. It's almost like the Bentley video is showing the removal of an after market IMS bearing... either that or perhaps the single row bearings are configured that way? I don't know.
Ah, yep. I just went back to the video. "Dual row IMS bearings use an internal snap ring that will automatically disengage when pulling the bearing". I forgot they said that. What the video shows is a single row IMS bearing.
I added a note with clarification to my video. Thank you for drawing my attention to this.
Nice! Yes, I can see what it looks like from looking at the LN dual row kit. Maybe you can show how it works when you put it back in.
Exactly... Well, sort of... The new dual row bearings are a little thinner than the wide version Porsche used. LN's single row pro kit, however, is a little wider than the old single row (since it replaces the single row with a dual row). For this reason, the dual row kit uses the type of snap ring that the single row used originally... and the single row pro kit uses the type of snap ring the original dual row used. Confusing, right? What that means is that I will be installing the new dual row bearing the way the old single row bearings are installed.
With dat "girl like frail looking body" how do you even hold yourself up?! Let alone work on a vehicle !!!?
DR. Smith surprise! You don’t need to be body builder to work on a car as long as you have the right tools for the job and you know what you are doing.