The ims waiting game. I'm a winner!

[RBrummer]

Originally Posted by Taipanic

I was smart and got my girl her 98 Tip before I got my 2002 S. Unfortunately, I had to rebuilt the Tip six months after buying it - $3600.00 for that and IMS/RMS, which I thought was a good deal.
The Tip is OK but really geared for economy driving - starts in Second, short shifts ASAP to get to 5th. Even when driving aggressively, it is nowhere near as fun as a stick. It is good for being in traffic and in cruise mode.

I beg to differ
I keep my 2000 S Tip in manual mode 50% of the time and have a ball with it.

[Rob175]

I have a '98 Boxster (5 speed) with 74,000 miles. After reading the various posts about the IMS failures I contacted my independent Porsche shop that I've done some business with in the past to express my concerns about this issue. (btw...a very well run shop with a great reputation)

The owners told me to NOT be concerned. They have only seen a couple in all the years they've worked on Porsche Boxsters. They asked if there were any signs of oil on ground under the car. When told no oil is ever on the ground they suggested I bring the car in so they can put it on the lift to confirm there is no oil under the car and also listen to the bearing with a stethoscope.

I appreciate their expertise and their suggestions. They did say that they have seen a few more IMS failures on the 911's but as I wrote, they seldom have seen them on Boxters. It's somewhat curious that the Class Action Suit covers Porsche cars starting in 2001 instead of a few years earlier, like my '98. Perhaps that indicates that I'm somewhat out of danger.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Rob175

The owners told me to NOT be concerned. They have only seen a couple in all the years they've worked on Porsche Boxsters..
.

We yes you have dual row bearing and those last longer than single row bearings. So much so that they were left out of the IMS litigation and settlement that focused only on single row bearings cars (2001-2004).

But all bearings will eventually fail, and sooner than later if they are run with contaminated oil or are starved of oil. Your mechanic has seen very few IMS failures simply because for most owners these are not daily driven cars until the second or third owner comes along and starts ramping up the mileage faster.
The IMS bearing, dual or single row, should be replaced after a certain amount of mileage, the problem is no one knows this amount of mileage because it changes dramatically depending on the sort of driving you do, the oil you use and the frequency in which you change the oil. Some forum members here have put 30K miles a year on their cars for 10 straight years and are still on the same IMS bearing (although this particular owner maintained strict mainteance standards). While others have had failures at a fraction of that time with barely 1K miles per year.

A dual row bearing basically has a longer shelf life than a single row if both are equally absued over the same period of time.
But the root cause of the issue is still present (the fact that there is a sealed bearing in there at all). The best remedy is to remove the bearing completely with a no-bearing design alternative, replace it with a fresh bearing or replace it with a fresh bearing in combination with a direct oil feed modifcation. In the last four years on this and other forums since remedies became available, I can't remember a single person ever indicating they had a failure after one of these three things was performed.

[Rob175]

Great reply PerfectLap....thanks.

My Boxster is only driven on sunny Chicago summer days, never in the winter with road salt and snow so I only put about 5,500 miles a year on the car (I'm the second owner...I bought it with 29,000 miles already on it) ....as a matter of habit I change the oil every other year so it gets a fresh load of Mobile One every 10,000 miles.

I still think I may have my expert check out the bearing as best he can without pulling it.

[crod]

Originally Posted by Rob175

I have a '98 Boxster (5 speed) with 74,000 miles. After reading the various posts about the IMS failures I contacted my independent Porsche shop that I've done some business with in the past to express my concerns about this issue. (btw...a very well run shop with a great reputation)

The owners told me to NOT be concerned. They have only seen a couple in all the years they've worked on Porsche Boxsters. They asked if there were any signs of oil on ground under the car. When told no oil is ever on the ground they suggested I bring the car in so they can put it on the lift to confirm there is no oil under the car and also listen to the bearing with a stethoscope.

I appreciate their expertise and their suggestions. They did say that they have seen a few more IMS failures on the 911's but as I wrote, they seldom have seen them on Boxters. It's somewhat curious that the Class Action Suit covers Porsche cars starting in 2001 instead of a few years earlier, like my '98. Perhaps that indicates that I'm somewhat out of danger.

Many moons ago I posted a reply to an IMS thread showing all the production numbers (how many 986 Boxsters were produced since their debut) and that considering how many were known to have failed (reported) the numbers were more like 98.5% chances you will never have an IMS problem. Even lower. Of course no one has the real numbers, not even Porsche as many that have failed were probably junked and never reported. But for sure the numbers are very low considering how many were produced.

What I can tell you my own experience. Last year we rebuilt the engine on our 986S (I will update the thread I started - at the end it was nothing serious) and I got a new IMS bearing from LN. I will post pictures of the one I took of the car, at 56,000 miles. It looks new, no play anywhere, seal intact and so on. Could certainly have lived for another 50,000 miles.

The key thing is to simply add the IMS bearing as another maintenance item. Every time you do the clutch, throw in a new bearing. At $600 it is nothing compared to the peace of mind.

CR