You'all scare me...................

[JFP in PA]

I have to agree with some of your points Mike; I don't think the IMS failure rate is anywhere near 50%; or even 25% for that matter. Problem is that we are never going to know the real failure rate; that said, I know for a fact it does happen, and at some rate that is high enough to be discomforting to anyone with an M96/7, including the post 2006 units with the "last attempt" large diameter IMS bearing. The biggest issues are that it often gives little, if any warning; and the results are catastrophic, both mechanically and financially. And, yes, there are sevaral examples of very high mile cars with the OEM IMS in them.

Fortunately, there are ways to deal with it. So rather than sit around and endlessly debate it, perhaps it is time for those concerned to become pro-active.

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

I have to agree with some of your points Mike; I don't think the IMS failure rate is anywhere near 50%; or even 25% for that matter. Problem is that we are never going to know the real failure rate; that said, I know for a fact it does happen, and at some rate that is high enough to be discomforting to anyone with an M96/7, including the post 2006 units with the "last attempt" large diameter IMS bearing. The biggest issues are that it often gives little, if any warning; and the results are catastrophic, both mechanically and financially. And, yes, there are sevaral examples of very high mile cars with the OEM IMS in them.

Fortunately, there are ways to deal with it. So rather than sit around and endlessly debate it, perhaps it is time for those concerned to become pro-active.

Game, Set, Match.

[Jake Raby]

Percentages are worthless to discuss, everyone wants a "number" to either scare them to death or make them feel all warm and fuzzy inside.. Fact is, no one knows exactly how many engines were built, and without that data no percentage can be figured.

Pedro's engine had only been IMS Retrofitted for a couple of months before it snapped a rod in half. Last time I talked to him he was looking for another used engine and I recommended that he just remove the IMS bearing from the scattered engine and use it again in the replacement. I have no idea if he did this or not.

How good is your luck? Thats just about what it equates to and thats no joke.

Taking your chances with this engine is like Russian Roulette, instead of a revolver holding 6 rounds, the engine has 6 cylinders. Sometimes you hear a bang, sometimes you don't.