IMS - First Time Buyer Question

[Homeoboxter]

I replaced my IMS bearing when I did the clutch. I honestly wish I hadn't. with 147k miles on mine, it was still PERFECT. But as another member commented: once removed, it's junk. But I took out a KNOWN-TO-BE-GOOD bearing and replaced with a giant question-mark. (Yes, there are some instances where the replaced IMS, and even the "solution" have failed)

What did you replace it for? Just curios..

[maytag]

Originally Posted by Homeoboxter

What did you replace it for? Just curios..

I succumbed to the paranoia. haha.
Seriously: I'm sitting there looking at the IMS bearing and the Rear Main Seal. I had ordered parts for both, because everything says "do them while you're in there", which of course makes sense, right?
So I'm sitting there looking at them. No reason to suspect either have any problems whatsoever.... but BOTH are destroyed by pulling to inspect. So I did it.... and now I worry about it sometimes while I'm out driving. I worry more now than I did BEFORE I replaced it, without a doubt.



Whatev'..... sometimes I drink the cool-aid too.

[AlanR]

I wonder why the IMS Guardian never took off? That would seem like a decent middle ground. Give you some peace of mind but without having to do any immediate expensive upgrade. Can't find one for sale anywhere.

[78F350]

Originally Posted by AlanR

I wonder why the IMS Guardian never took off? That would seem like a decent middle ground. Give you some peace of mind but without having to do any immediate expensive upgrade. Can't find one for sale anywhere.

There were some issues with the durability of the IMS Guardian, but I think that the main reason that it didn't take off is that by the time it triggers, the engine will need to be torn down for a rebuild anyway. It is too late to just replace the bearing.

Info is scattered across many threads, but here's some discussion: Does the IMS Guardian work?

[paulofto]

Originally Posted by AlanR

I wonder why the IMS Guardian never took off? That would seem like a decent middle ground. Give you some peace of mind but without having to do any immediate expensive upgrade. Can't find one for sale anywhere.

I posted this in another thread a couple of weeks ago.

"Just to throw a wrench into the mix, I owned 2 LN IMS Guardians. Not only did both leak (yes they were torqued to 19 ft/lbs per instructions) but both failed where the electrical wires enter the Guardian. Without proper stress relief they simply worked their way into fraying and becoming useless. I thought the first fail was a freak thing and ordered a replacement but it too leaked and failed in the exact same way. Neither lasted a full driving season.These units are a great idea but poor execution doomed them. So I'm 2 for 2 with LN drain plugs/Guardians. So far my LN IMS bearing is fine, I hope, after putting ~15,000 miles on it."

BTW, my wife and I spent 3 weeks in your beautiful country last May. We loved it. You should have great miles and smiles in your Boxster on those amazing back roads!

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by maytag

I succumbed to the paranoia. haha.
Seriously: I'm sitting there looking at the IMS bearing and the Rear Main Seal. I had ordered parts for both, because everything says "do them while you're in there", which of course makes sense, right?
So I'm sitting there looking at them. No reason to suspect either have any problems whatsoever.... but BOTH are destroyed by pulling to inspect. So I did it.... and now I worry about it sometimes while I'm out driving. I worry more now than I did BEFORE I replaced it, without a doubt.



Whatev'..... sometimes I drink the cool-aid too.

Haha, it`s crazy, right? The more you read this stuff the more anxious you get for no reason.. Sorry, sometimes I forget to speak English: the question I wanted to ask was what you replaced the old bearing with?

[thom4782]

Here's the deal...you're never going to be 'safe.' 986 engines will eventually wear out. Replacing the IMS bearing is one way to avoid a premature, catastrophic engine failure

The math is simple. Either pay to replace the IMSB as a preventative measure to avoid one failure mode or pay $3000+ (DIY) to $6000+ (shop swaps engine) to recover from a catastrophic engine failure.

Bottom line is this. One day you'll pay for a major engine rebuild, an engine replacement, or preventative repairs. It just a matter of which and when that should drive your planning.

[BoxMann]

Originally Posted by thom4782

The math is simple. Either pay to replace the IMSB as a preventative measure to avoid one failure mode or pay $3000+ (DIY) to $6000+ (shop swaps engine) to recover from a catastrophic engine failure.

Is the $6,000 "shop swap" a used engine or a fresh rebuild with an upgraded IMSB?

[thstone]

Originally Posted by BoxMann

Is the $6,000 "shop swap" a used engine or a fresh rebuild with an upgraded IMSB?

$6K would be a used engine with a shop doing the engine swap. A 2.5L used engine swap by a shop can be done for $4,500 (had this done last year for the 5th time).

A professionally rebuilt S engine is $8K-$10K for the engine alone.