Ims replacement life
 

I noticed the warranty on a LN ims retrofit is 75k or 6 years. Is the 6 years a real estimate of how long one of these will last before deteriorating just from age or is it just to put a time frame on a warranty, so it is not indefinite? I don't mind dropping the 2k for 75k miles but there is no way I will hit that # in 6 years. Also, are they superior to the porsche original or just a replacement?
Thanks

Getting out the popcorn....

Hmmm. My LN bearing is at about 60K in four years. I hope I don't have to get a new one next year :eek:

I appreciate any feedback. Just trying to get some educated opinions versus the ads I read.

I thought the service life was 50k miles for at least some of LN's bearings...?
I guess it's different for different bearings.

I have a double row, so it'll stay in there until or if I see signs of wear (metal in the filter). When I get to that point, I will be replacing it with an OEM double row ;)
Have you had a look at your flange? You may have a double row.

The current LN recommended replacement is 6 years or 75K miles. That said, many of the installed single and dual row LN bearings have exceeded 75K miles with no apparent problems. To date, I have not heard of a correctly installed LN bearing failing at any mileage level from age or wear.

If you are that concerned about possibly having to replace it, install the IMS Solution instead. With no moving parts and a pressurized oil feed, it will outlive your engine and is considered the only permanent retrofit.

Thanks, for the info JFP. I had read about the solution but unfortunately it is a bit out of my league. Not complaining, just saying. Either way, sounds like the 6 year number is not a definite. Thanks again.

Regarding double or single, I have no idea. It's a 2000 S.

And you won't know until you pull it apart and look at the flange. 2000-2001 cars can go either way, and the only way to know is to pull it apart.

The transition happened in 2000-2001, so you have a 50/50 chance. The only way to know is to look at the flange. I've read that you can do it with a borescope (cheap $5 eBay cable cameras work fine) without removing the tranny, but I've never looked into it. If you have a double, rest easy. ;)

The life expectancy of any bearing is influenced by how well it was installed. SO if the LN bearing was badly installed ......Hopefully yours was installed correctly.
The history of the LN installs is rather boring -nothing happening - good.
The 'competitotrs with all sorts of variations on the theme may be a much more interesting story?
I mean DOF, roller bearings and other often unspecified replacements.

The way I looked at it was this... If I have to replace it every 75k, it's not a permanent solution, so I'm going to install an OEM bearing and at least be able to determine if the bearing is on its way out via debris in the filter, and my physically checking the bearing at an interval in-between.

From what I can tell, you can't detect a failing ceramic bearing in the same way because it is obviously not magnetic, and perhaps much worse for the engine and running surfaces if the balls start to deteriorate to a much finer ceramic particle, if not all out fracture immediately and take out the engine in a few revolutions.

Also worthy of note is that FACT that LN bearings do fail regularly, but every time someone posts online about it, Jake Raby and a few of his minions immediately attack the poster and blame him, the engine or the installer. Sometimes to the point that the poster removes the post completely. Over the years, I've witnessed this behavior on at least half a dozen occasions. Very shady stuff...

I'll never buy an LN bearing.

I would, and did.

In fact, most of the failures were from cars where the old bearing had failed and there was debris in the engine that damaged the new bearing.

Not to say there were not bad bearings.

I think the IMS Solution is the best idea, hands down. It's just so expensive, otherwise I would have gone with that and never worried about the IMS again.

I had a new LN bearing fail.But it had debris from a recent sloppy IMS replacement job done by the P.O. What do I mean by sloppy ? The old IMS failed and spread debris into the oilways. It would have failed the LN pre-qualification tests. But the P.O. went ahead anyway.
He should have replaced the engine with a good used one or had his engine entirely rebuilt correctly. Instead , I got to rebuild it and deal with collateral damage.
But I would not say this was an LN Bearing failure. I never even mentioned it to Jake when discussing other subjects. Fortunately I knew the whole story about the bearing and the engine so I did not mistakenly blame the innocent parties.
Also remember LN do not manufacture the deep groove ball IMS bearing , they researched,tested and then specified it.

If you see metal particles in the oil its too late to change the bearing.

There are also other solutions available. For example this one from Germany. Maybe interesting for guys inside Europe.

Single row (ceramic):FVD Onlineshop - FVD10590103 - Reparatursatz Zwischenwelle "M96.Einzel Lager" CERAMIC -

Double row: FVD Onlineshop - FVD10590104 - Reparatursatz Zwischenwelle "M96.Doppel Lager" -

Toolkit: FVD Onlineshop - FVD10590109 - Werkzeug für Zwischenwellen-Lager (ZW) Reparatur -

They recommend to change it every 100.000 Km or with every clutch.

Regards, Markus

If that were the case, then why would LN sell the IMS Guardian? By your statement, it is completely worthless marketing hype garbage. Not even close to true, but I see that you drank heavily of the JR brand kool-aid, so no point in further discussion. :p

I feel confident with the choice I made. The 119k mile bearing I pulled from my engine was as tight as the replacement I installed so that's proof I need that the bearing design and my specific engine and vehicle usage will lead to another 119k on a plain 6204.

The ultimate solution is to eliminate the bearing altogether. As I said, Raby's IMS solution/plain bearing design is the best option for the M96. The only remaining problem is that you still have the rest of the M96 to deal with...