Dup Post - Looking for 'IMS' peace-of-mind
 

The '04 Boxster Spyder I just purchased came thru the PPI with flying colors, boosted by the fact that a new engine was installed by a Porsche dealership in June 2012. The reason for the new engine was a catastrophic IMS Bearing issue at 36,085 miles.
I recently read that all engine replacements after 2006 had the IMS issue addressed and therefore should be a non-issue going forward.
I've been able to acquire the service records of this work and it reads 'replaced with a remanufactured.'
But, in the back of my mind, this issue is still wearing on me a tad.
What do you guys think?
Any and all input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

There is no new information available. Search the forum & read as long as you want.

There are so many topics it would be impossible to put a link, and while it may seem overwhelming at first once you get on here and start reading it will come together.

Here is a link to some information that summarizes the three IMS bearing types:

IMS 101

97-99 Double row bearing
2000 Some double, some single (this may overlap into 2001 too?)
2001 - 2004, and some 2005? single row bearing, most likely to fail
2005-2008 - larger single row, not replaceable unless you disassemble the engine.
[Edit: looks like I am off on some of these years but the two linked articles have a lot of good info]

Typically when Porsche would replace an engine with a new engine, it would come with whatever bearing that was in style at the time.

Because yours is a remanufactured engine, there may not be/probably is not a way to tell without physically inspecting the IMS Cover, as the cover is different for the different types of bearings. This article describes one way to check to see what type of bearing you have.

Pelican Technical Article: Boxster Intermediate Shaft Bearing Replacement and Upgrade (IMS) - 986 Boxster (1997-04) - 987 Boxster (2005-06)

I sent you a Private Message.

Take with a grain of salt since its your car. But worry not! Drive drive drive!!! Pay no attention until you feel your clutch slipping. When clutch is being replaced take a look at what you have. Engine should have a warranty on it for two years or 24k miles. Your in a better situation than others on this forum.

The best way to keep that IMS bearing well lubricated and healthy is to drive the car vigorously and frequently.

Don't be afraid to hit the rev limiter now and then on upshifts.
No over revs on downshifts though as the rev limiter cannot protect your engine in that situation.

Do regular oil changes twice a year and/or every 5-10k miles.

Get a Magnetic Oil Drain Plug and inspect the Filter paper for magnetic ferrous metal particles that could indicate the beginning/advanced stages of a failure when the IMS ball bearing cage starts to disintegrate.

The statistics say about 6% of the engines with an IMS bearing will experience the failure during the cars lifespan and it seems that these are mostly the cars that have not seen frequent use or don't get much high reving.

The racers, Daily drivers etc don't seem to experience these failures at all.

There is a device by LN that installs pretty easily that will let you know when something's out of the ordinary down there. If I had a non-serviceable bearing I would install this just for peace of mind. Perhaps the direct oil feed options can work? It seems from what I've read that the root cause of nearly all of the IMS failures has been oil starvation.

Thanks guys, appreciate the advice and references.