As close as it gets: IMS Save!

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by BTfd2e93

do we know if any further analysis/stats have been taken about how the LN retro has been standing up? last time i checked, when i install mine - i think the highest mileage on the retrofit of their customer was 50K miles? (since no sample was available for 50K+ on an LN retro ...... ) has one been checked further on?

Well the premise to your question assumes that you should keep any serviceable bearing in a car for longer than 50k miles. For single row bearing cars at least, I definitely recall reading that this is not best practice.

[Steve Tinker]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Well the premise to your question assumes that you should keep any serviceable bearing in a car for longer than 50k miles. For single row bearing cars at least, I definitely recall reading that this is not best practice.

True, as per BTfd says BUT if the recommendation from LN is to replace the ceramic single row bearing every 50k miles, I wonder if anyone has actually done that yet - installed the bearing, ran it for 50k miles, replaced it and sent the old bearing to LN for analysis?

Has LN inspected any removed bearings and quantified the wear characteristics with enough evidence to confirm that the predicted 50k mile lifespan is correct ??
I'm not talking about LN / Flat 6's dedicated test mule engines but the bearing upgrades bought by actual M96 engine owners "off the street" .

[Jake Raby]

To date we have had 4 of our early retrofit customers reach the 50K mileage with their single row retrofits and have the IMS Solution retrofit update applied..

We've been doing these retrofits longer than anyone, I have several dual row IMSBs with well over 100K miles on them in the hands of the owners that we did the work for.

[BTfd2e93]

hi jake ... so to answer my question, you've inspected "several" dual row LN retrofits ... which have over 100K on them? how are they holding up?

i have a dual row retrofit, so thats why im particularly interested.

[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by BTfd2e93

hi jake ... so to answer my question, you've inspected "several" dual row LN retrofits ... which have over 100K on them? how are they holding up?

i have a dual row retrofit, so thats why im particularly interested.

The key to making a retrofitted engine live is following the directives and only retrofit a known healthy engine. If the engine has issues, rectify them and then retrofit. A retrofit is not magical.

Service every 5K miles/ 6 months (at max) and use Joe Gibbs DT40 oil.Follow the Mfr's directives concerning the interval that the retrofit bearing should be proactively replaced.

The Classic Dual Row has a 75K mile service interval. The Clasdsic Single Row has a 50K mile service interval. Neither should be operated past this mileage point.

See here:
Service Intervals

[trimer]

I just had my bearing done on 996 with the pro bearing. Am I supposed to send you anything to log my vin and bearing id Jake?

[Jake Raby]

Originally Posted by trimer

I just had my bearing done on 996 with the pro bearing. Am I supposed to send you anything to log my vin and bearing id Jake?

Nothing should be sent to me.. Follow the details on the LN Engineering website to register your unit.

[Steve Tinker]

^^^^^ me too ^^^^^
Mine was one of the earliest to be fitted here in Oz in 2010 (Australians are a sceptical lot), again a dual row retrofit but with less than 30,000km now completed on the installation.
A summary of what JR has found in the 100k bearings might quieten the (still ongoing)naysayers.....

[Perfectlap]

Seems to me that telling people what is probably the case (that the bearings all look A+ after 100K miles) would only encourage people to treat a serviceable-bearing as the final bearing. A better question might be is it cost effective to have the retrofit bearings "core-exchanged" with fresh internals come at least clutch replacement time. This might encourage people be good boys and girls and maintain what is probably a spotless record on engine failures providing that they service the IMSB on a regular interval. A practice which might have prevented this from becoming an issue in the first order since the root cause seems to be oil starvation leading to degradation and contamination. The LNE bearings seems to raise the bar of how much punishment the part can sustain but the need for servicing doesn't go away.