General IMSB issues - making lemonade of it

[southernstar]

Gentlemen, calm down and consider this rationally. You have both purchased incredible cars at incredible prices, in part because of the publicity and yes, paranoia surrounding failed IMS bearings. I am going to suggest that the facts do not support this paranoia and that, as a result, you were the beneificiaries, rather than the victims of the issue.

The failure rate released by Porsche as part of the discovery process during the recently settled class-action suit make clear that these cars are not all ticking timb-bombs: dual-row bearings had a failure rate of much less than 1% and single-row bearings between 8-10%. Obviously a dual-row bearing is much less of an issue than a single-row: indeed, the plaintiff's made use of the reliability of that bearing in making out their case regarding the negligent design of the subsequent single-row bearing. Understandably, it is only the single-row bearing that was the subject of the class-action suit settlement: a failure rate of much less than 1% of any engine component, regardless of mileage/maintenance, can hardly be considered surprising.

So what should you do? ATX, since your 3.2 is a 2000 model year, you should check out the last 5 digits of your engine serial number - if they are 11237 or lower, you are (subject to the IMS having been already replaced) in luck. For those with dual-row bearings, most are prepared to wait until a required clutch replacement before replacing the bearing. Regardless, you should change your oil more regularly than the factory recommends - depending upon type of use, every 3-5,000 miles. You should also install a magnetic drainplug (available at Pelican Parts) and, after each oil change, cut open the filter to check for excessive metal (and other) particles.

Hayden, if a failure rate of 8-10% (and remember, that was regardless of oil-change frequency, etc.) is still causing you to lose sleep, as has already been suggested, upgrade the bearing! You will still have this incredle car that you so clearly love and you will have eliminated your one real concern.

What other factors may contribute to IMS bearing failure, apart from design (single versus dual row)? There have been many theories over the years, but it seems that all agree (and common sense dictates) that longer periods between oil changes is a contributing factor: apart from deterioration of the oil, it allows any particulate matter a longer opportunity to accumulate and do addiitional damage to the engine.

A large amount of stop and go, city driving, is also known to be harder on the oil and the components of any engine, not just these, than longer runs at varying speeds.

In the past it has been suggested that winter storage can contribute to failure, but the numbers released by Porsche do not support this proposition. The highest failure rate (10%) came from the state of California, where one would not expect to see cars stored for the winter. The average mileage for a car in North America is typically reported as being 12000 miles annually. It is probably safe to assume that cars that are stored for half a year would accumulate only half of that - lets say 6000 miles a year. If the owner followed Porsche's recommendations for oil changes - every 10,000 miles or once a year, the winter stored cars would have much more frequent oil changes than the daily drivers. What is more, it is safe to assume that those who stored their cars for the winter have at least one other vehicle which can take up much of the stop and go-to-the mall type driving, even during the summer months.

Owners who store their cars for the winter are showing that they wish to preserve their cars and this, in and of itself, should be a good sign for prospective purchasers. Cars with extremely low mileage, even if not winter stored, are also less likely to have been used principally for day to day, stop and go driving. Again, a positve factor. Hayden, you indicate that your car has virtually flawless original paint and this too is an indicator that the previous owner/s tended to avoid the shopping malls and public parking lots that would be inevitable for a car that was used frequently for stop and go, in-town driving.

It sounds to me as if both of you purchased great cars that you love to drive. Don't let paranoia get in the way of your enjoyment as it isn't necessary and ultimately, it is a relatively easy fix, should you choose to do so.

Cheers!

Brad

[recycledsixtie]

Well said Southernstar. If those who worry about it still you could have the IMS Guardian installed for about half the price of a new ims replacement. Or you could do it yourself for a lot less. I have had the IMS Guardian installed and really don't give it much thought. Ims will be replaced when the clutch goes and that could be another 3-5 years or about another 20k miles. I enjoy my car year round and could not imagine driving anything none Porsche. Life is for living!

[Troutman]

Originally Posted by southernstar

Gentlemen, calm down and consider this rationally. You have both purchased incredible cars at incredible prices, in part because of the publicity and yes, paranoia surrounding failed IMS bearings. I am going to suggest that the facts do not support this paranoia and that, as a result, you were the beneificiaries, rather than the victims of the issue.

The failure rate released by Porsche as part of the discovery process during the recently settled class-action suit make clear that these cars are not all ticking timb-bombs: dual-row bearings had a failure rate of much less than 1% and single-row bearings between 8-10%. Obviously a dual-row bearing is much less of an issue than a single-row: indeed, the plaintiff's made use of the reliability of that bearing in making out their case regarding the negligent design of the subsequent single-row bearing. Understandably, it is only the single-row bearing that was the subject of the class-action suit settlement: a failure rate of much less than 1% of any engine component, regardless of mileage/maintenance, can hardly be considered surprising.

So what should you do? ATX, since your 3.2 is a 2000 model year, you should check out the last 5 digits of your engine serial number - if they are 11237 or lower, you are (subject to the IMS having been already replaced) in luck. For those with dual-row bearings, most are prepared to wait until a required clutch replacement before replacing the bearing. Regardless, you should change your oil more regularly than the factory recommends - depending upon type of use, every 3-5,000 miles. You should also install a magnetic drainplug (available at Pelican Parts) and, after each oil change, cut open the filter to check for excessive metal (and other) particles.

Hayden, if a failure rate of 8-10% (and remember, that was regardless of oil-change frequency, etc.) is still causing you to lose sleep, as has already been suggested, upgrade the bearing! You will still have this incredle car that you so clearly love and you will have eliminated your one real concern.

What other factors may contribute to IMS bearing failure, apart from design (single versus dual row)? There have been many theories over the years, but it seems that all agree (and common sense dictates) that longer periods between oil changes is a contributing factor: apart from deterioration of the oil, it allows any particulate matter a longer opportunity to accumulate and do addiitional damage to the engine.

A large amount of stop and go, city driving, is also known to be harder on the oil and the components of any engine, not just these, than longer runs at varying speeds.

In the past it has been suggested that winter storage can contribute to failure, but the numbers released by Porsche do not support this proposition. The highest failure rate (10%) came from the state of California, where one would not expect to see cars stored for the winter. The average mileage for a car in North America is typically reported as being 12000 miles annually. It is probably safe to assume that cars that are stored for half a year would accumulate only half of that - lets say 6000 miles a year. If the owner followed Porsche's recommendations for oil changes - every 10,000 miles or once a year, the winter stored cars would have much more frequent oil changes than the daily drivers. What is more, it is safe to assume that those who stored their cars for the winter have at least one other vehicle which can take up much of the stop and go-to-the mall type driving, even during the summer months.

Owners who store their cars for the winter are showing that they wish to preserve their cars and this, in and of itself, should be a good sign for prospective purchasers. Cars with extremely low mileage, even if not winter stored, are also less likely to have been used principally for day to day, stop and go driving. Again, a positve factor. Hayden, you indicate that your car has virtually flawless original paint and this too is an indicator that the previous owner/s tended to avoid the shopping malls and public parking lots that would be inevitable for a car that was used frequently for stop and go, in-town driving.

It sounds to me as if both of you purchased great cars that you love to drive. Don't let paranoia get in the way of your enjoyment as it isn't necessary and ultimately, it is a relatively easy fix, should you choose to do so.

Cheers!

Brad

Extremely sound information and advice. I would have said something similar but there are so many similar posts on here and I couldn't type that much.

Mine is a double row bearing and it doesn't worry me at all. If it blows I get it fixed or sell it, simple.
The video of it blowing does bring it home as to just how quickly this can happen and with lack of warning but just imagine the thousands and thousands of journeys similar to this where there has been no drama and returned home with no issues other than fond memories.

Nice car by the way.

[southernstar]

Troutman, I couldn't agree more. Yes, this has been hashed over many times before - but as these are new owners (and I assume new to the site) and, since many of the threads pre-date the numbers released during the class-action suit, I spent the time to write the post. As the owner of a double-row bearing car, I am exactly the same as you - I am putting off replacement of the bearing until I need a clutch replacement and I am not losing any sleep over it. In general, the odds of failure of a double-row are very slim and my car has had annual oil changes each spring, on an average every 4000 miles. If I am so unlucky as to have a failure in those circumstances, I should also be watching for things falling out of the sky!

As to the video - yes it is frightening. But one must keep in mind that it was a single-row bearing and that the owner indicated that he changed the oil every 15,000 km (about 10,000 miles), as recommended by the factory. We don't know when his last oil change was prior to the failure, or if he made use of a magnetic drain plug and/or inspection of the filter after each oil change. We do know that he did not have a guardian installed ( a very good idea, especially with a single-row bearing). We also know that he took this unfortunate experience in stride and, in spite of the cost of rebuilding the engine, has expressed every intention of keeping his car. I mean, if someone who experienced the worst that can happen still loves his car enough to want to keep it, it should say something to the vast majority of us who have not and will not experience the same thing. These are incredible cars that are a sheer joy to drive. If you want something reliable and cheap to maintain, you can always buy a Toyota Corolla.



Brad