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Old 10-22-2009, 11:45 PM   #1
gschotland
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: nj
Posts: 389
Jake replaced my IMS bearing LAST week

With some spare time on my hands, I drove down to Flat6 last week from NJ to have the IMS retrofit done on my '02 S with 69k mi. At the same time the clutch, flywheel and rear main seal were replaced.

Although it might have been the same cost to ship the car (esp. considering the $385 ticket I got going home through NC), I'm glad to have had the opportunity to meet and chat with Jake, his trusty sidekick Dean and the mechanics, see my car on the dyno, check out their impressive shop and some really expensive engines, and discuss and see current and potential problems with my car firsthand. Jake clearly really knows his stuff and obviously loves to share his knowledge, and I enjoy learning.

So what did he find?

- the clutch was original and had ~5-10k miles left on it.

- the center of the flywheel had become loose and needed replacement. I brought a spare with me assuming this to be the case.

- there was a slight bit of looseness between the inner and outer IMS bearing races (hope I got the terminology right) and slight oil leakage past it into the tube. The bearing was very early into failure mode. I believe Jake said I might have gotten 20k more miles before total failure. Bullet dodged.

- the rear main seal was original and still leak free, but it was replaced anyway with the latest seal (Jakes said it's from a Cayenne?), as is standard practice, and the part's inexpensive.

The whole process took three days. Jake was kind enough to loan me his test mule '98 Boxster so I could do a little sightseeing. I was called every afternoon with a progress update. Overall this was a very worthwhile experience that I highly recommend.

Not being a believer in pricey warranty policies, this was my insurance policy. Although I only paid $16k for my car and it wouldn't break me if the engine failed and the body was sold for $6k on eBay, it relieved a lot of anxiety I had about long term engine reliability. In my book, this was so worth it.

I'm hoping Jake can post some pix of my bearing after he cuts it open.

Gary
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