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If you had the IMS Guardian and it was triggered what are your options?
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If an IMS Alert occurs within the 5,000 mile service interval the system was developed around, the engine has accelerated wear related to at least one ferromagnetic wear component.
Under no "normal" circumstances would an engine generate the level of ferromagnetic wear material to trigger an IMS Alert.
Through my development time we worked with magnet strength and spacing to create a product that would be sensitive enough to detect failures well before catastrophic occurrences begin, but also desensitized just enough to overt false alarms. To date we have had zero false IMS Alert occurrences and no engines have suffered catastrophic failures when equipped with the IMS Guardian.
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You still have an imminent potential engine failure, I assume they'd just replace the IMS?
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This is the thing... When the IMS Guardian is employed you know if you have an issue, no matter what that issue is, it is not good as there is zero reason for elevated levels of ferromagnetic material to be in the engine's oil supply.
When an IMS Alert occurs the engine can be diagnosed with a sump plate inspection and generally the source of the failure is clearly evident based on the type, shape and color of the material that is found. When IMS Alerts occur we offer free, specialized support to help diagnose the issue and don't forget that we extend a credit toward IMS replacement or any of our services if the car or engine is shipped to our facility for these services.
When an engine features a full IMS failure, or any other primary component failure things get much more complicated. Here are some realities:
-Porsche may not accept your core engine due to failure severity should you choose to buy a new factory engine. Today's core charges for OEM engines start at 10K and can go to 22K with early engines having the most expensive core charges.
-If you do not suffer catastrophic failure engine repair at our level is a reality and can save thousands of dollars
-Any catastrophic failure related to an IMS bearing will always have the greatest collateral damages from foreign object wear debris in the oil supply. These wear metals that are generated by the IMS Bearing begin as early as stage II bearing failure and continue to extend to the point of catastrophic failure at stage IV bearing failure. The key is to know these wear metals exist and shout the engine down before the oil filter becomes clogged and it's bypass opens, sending ferromagnetic material laden oil to the crankshaft, main and rod bearings and creating irreversible damage.
-Elevated costs related to component failure adds a MINIMUM of 2,500.00 to any of our reconstruction procedures or invasive repairs.
-Collateral damage from ferromagnetic wear metals can lead to an engines with all internally lubricated components becoming compromised. In this scenario the reality is the core is not usable at all and nothing can be reused. I have sent engines to the scrapyard because nothing inside was worth using.
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But Ive read that there are also connecting rod bearing failures that can happen on the 986 and 987.1 cars due to oil starvation, It would detect that as well?
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Like this one? Its one of my favorites from my collection :-)
BUT the starvation is caused by other things upstream, not just G forces as many people believe. I just finished this chapter of my M96 Engine Assembly Guide and it is a good read for sure. The answer is yes, the OEM rod bearings are steel laden as part of their composition, so they are monitored by the IMS Guardian before this happens
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Is the IMS replaceable on the 987?
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Yes it is, but not without invasive procedures. Unlike the M96 the IMS bearing cannot be retrofitted without engine disassembly.
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A new engine can cost $12-18k, what is the average cost of a rebuild if caught before any major failure occurred?
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Thats according to who is doing the work. At our level we can perform invasive procedures cost effectively because we are so proficient with the engines. If an IMSB failure is caught by the IMS Guardian the cost of engine repair is the same as a normal elective IMS procure with only a couple of oil system flushes to remove residual bearing material being required. This means a repair can be as little as 3K$ and can save 18-20K.
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Just the engine portion, but I'd guess you'd also want to replace clutch, water pump, belts, hoses, etc while it was all apart to be safe and save extra labor costs down the road.
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Our engine reconstruction processes include all of the above, plus upgrades of every component. These are around 18-24K.
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When I find the right car I think that will be one of my first mods.
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The IMSG should be installed in every one of the cars on the street.. Thats to quote a technical Editor for a well-respected publication.
With the IMS Guardian Jr. on the verge of being released at 1/2 price the current Guardian unit and with it's increased simplicity and ease of install even more cars will be protected. One version of it even plugs into the 12V accessory (cigarette lighter) plug and has a one wire connection.