Just finished IMS bearing replacement!

[Mike_Yi]

Originally Posted by rakowski21

well i bought this car 2 months ago( 79k miles with no service records but very clean inside and out) with no knowledge about ims problem on boxster engines so i decided to do it as a preventive repair(after reading so much about it), also clutch was kinda slipping a bit,
i was surprised how good the bearing was both seals in very good condition no play at all , but know im gonna have piece of mind that i have done 4 things to make my car last longer

I replaced the one in the replacement (used) engine that went into my car. It had a surprising amount of play in the bearings. Just for chuckles, I removed the flange from my failed engine. That one was in really good shape. Both engines are Porsche Factory Replacment engine. The one coming out - with the good IMS - had about 65k on the chassis. The one going in had about 97k on the chassis. Of course, since they are both replacment engines, I have no idea how many actual miles were on the engines, but it would be less than the chassis.

[blackbox]

I'm also starting an IMS bearing R&R. I was going thru the 2nd gear grind in my transmission for about 6 months, when new years weekend the shaft on the side shift lever broke inside the transmission.

I chose to source a used low-mileage transmission instead of a total rebuild. This will get me rolling faster and I can still rebuild my original transmission later(hopefully with a Quaife ATB diff).

I new that I had an oil leak, but I hoped it was the RMS (even though it was replaced about 2000 miles ago under warranty). No such luck. After pulling the tranny, there it was. IMS Leaking.

I got my kit from LNE today. Hopefully all goes well. I'm also going replace the inner CV joints while I'm at it.

[wanna986]

Originally Posted by blackbox

I'm also starting an IMS bearing R&R. I was going thru the 2nd gear grind in my transmission for about 6 months, when new years weekend the shaft on the side shift lever broke inside the transmission.

I chose to source a used low-mileage transmission instead of a total rebuild. This will get me rolling faster and I can still rebuild my original transmission later(hopefully with a Quaife ATB diff).

I new that I had an oil leak, but I hoped it was the RMS (even though it was replaced about 2000 miles ago under warranty). No such luck. After pulling the tranny, there it was. IMS Leaking.

I got my kit from LNE today. Hopefully all goes well. I'm also going replace the inner CV joints while I'm at it.

If your IMS seal is leaking, it's just the seal that needs replacing, no?

[clickman]

Originally Posted by wanna986

If your IMS seal is leaking, it's just the seal that needs replacing, no?

Where have you been hiding? Welcome to the tale of horror otherwise known as the M96 IMS bearing.

The bearing is supposed to be sealed for life; i.e. grease, not oil. If oil is leaking out of it, the seals have failed, the grease has been washed out and bearing is likely failing.

Search IMS and you'll find WAY more on this than you want...

[blackbox]

Leaking is a sign of wear. This is not like tire or shock wear. This is the catastrophic kind of wear that you may not have a chance to repair if it completely quits on you.

My car has about 78K miles on it. If you're anywhere close to that and haven't replaced yours, you should definitely inspect it (hopefully around clutch R&R time).

My dealer replaced my RMS this summer. When I asked about the IMS bearing, the mechanic said " if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Of course a few months later, it started leaking. I don't recommend Moffit Porsche in Shreveport, La. They wouldn't install a Sachs clutch kit that I already bought because it didn't come in a Porsche box. We all know the OEM clutch kits are made by Sachs.

That said, I know they wouldn't replace the IMS bearing with a LNE retrofit kit.