[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by BobRickel

My local indy mechanic has been working on these cars for years. His fix is to pull the engine, center punch a hole from the front oil pressured side of the IMS and put in a roller bearing with no seals. The oil comes through the IMS shaft from the front pressurized side and flows through the roller bearing and out the rear side thus constantly lubricating the bearing with pressurized oil. He charges $1400 to do this on cars with Tiptronic, which includes all parts

The part he is center punching is the only thing holding the oil pump drive key from falling into the IMS shaft during operation. I see these failures occur without the assistance of a center punch.

It helps to understand the anatomy of the patient before performing the surgical procedure.