Finaly taking the IMS plunge
 

Hello Boxerphiles,

as we emerge fro 8 months self isolation due to the virus and I have recovered from some significant home maintenance expenses just prior to lockdown, I am going ahead with having an LN engineering DOF IMS solution fitted by my local independent technician who has a good reputation with the Porsche Club.

I have been agonising over this decision for th 4 years I have owned the car (2003 986 2.7 tip) the car has only travelled under 90,000 kms but it is 17 years old and I am hoping it will stay in the family when I can't use it anymore (I turned 80 years old last May)

No more worrying about driving an un- exploded bomb. In the event that we do sell it I think the conversion will increase the value of the car and its saleability.

Cheers, stay safe from the out of control Covid situation in the U.S and Europe.

Good choice, Alan! If it were mine I wouldn't do it, but if it gives you piece of mind, then that's all that matters and it's well worth it.

Cheers!

I had the "Solution" installed on my car soon after I purchased it.
I now have piece of mind...... and the plain bearing has pressure fed oil.

I've owned my 2003S since it was new. I upgraded to the IMS Single Row Pro, a dual row ceramic bearing, at 43k miles and that failed at 77k miles. I now have the IMS Solution, which I originally thought was overkill. You are making the right choice, and anyone thinking of changing their IMSB should only go for the IMS Solution in my opinion!

If we wanted to have some fun here, we'd comment about only NEEDING a "piece of mind" to go all-in with the "Solution". But do you now also have PEACE of mind?

:dance::cheers::matchup::D:rolleyes::cool:

While I went with this solution as well, I recommend that you wait to inspect existing bearing, mine looked great @ 117K miles. As I had the kit in hand I replaced it.

Likely I wasted the money.

David

To properly inspect the bearing, you have to remove it, and that will destroy it.

I had mine replaced at 148K miles, and there was just the slightest of grease residue left on the bearing, so it was only a matter of time before it went. That said, the peace of mind was worth having it done regardless.

I just bought a 2000 Boxster with 37,500 miles on it 3 months ago. Dropped it off yesterday for the IMS bearing replacement (LN Eng.). Didn't go the Solution route as I have many other things that I want to get done. Once I get ~40,000 miles more on the car (if I still have it) then I might put in the Solution. For now, it's IMS, RMS, clutch, water pump, thermostat, belt, etc so that I can get at least 5 worry free years of driving!

How much is a peace of mind worth? I spend $73 a year on synthetic oil changes (Mobile-1) after driving about 2K miles during the summer before winterizing. Going on 5 years of ownership, but have no plans to change/upgrade IMS.

Yes, extracting the bearing requires a lot of force to free up the snap ring and the bearing is not designed for that, so it`s not a good idea to pull it out and then replace it. But I think it`s sufficient to inspect the bearing in situ in the IMS. I never really understood this proper inspection thing that requires removal. Why would you have to pull the bearing for inspection? Or, what additional advantage would you have if you can hold the bearing in your hand vs if it`s sitting in a tube but you can rotate the inner ring freely? In both cases, all you can check is the extent of free play and the smoothness of running. You won`t be able to inspect the races either way so you won`t have a better idea about the wear just because you pulled it out. If you cut it apart and inspect the races and the balls then you may see some signs of wear, but then the bearing is not reusable because of the extraction...

I removed mine at 100K and there were no traces of grease in it. I`m pretty sure it had been long gone probably during the break in period and replaced by engine oil. It was still flawless though :)

HAHA!! I just realized I made the same mistake myself!! "Well, Sir, let me give you a PIECE of my mind about the IMS 'Solution' and the so-called PEACE of mind it gives you!" HAHA

I guess it was well past my bedtime! LOL

It's nice to have a good chuckle at your own expense! Thanks, bud! :cheers:

The grease seal were intact, so there was no engine oil in the bearing. It spun freely, but it was certainly time to replace it, due to the lack of grease.

So it was running dry? Great that you caught it in time! :cheers: Out of curiosity, was it a single or dual row bearing?

My 99 was the same. Seal was intact. The tech opened it up and it was semi dry ? Dual row.
Anyway piece of mind.

About to dive in on the IMS this weekend on my 2001 Boxster S - clutch is getting sticky/stiff, and ordered the full kit from our host, and found the Pelican IMS for only $199 plus the cost of the LN tools at $299. Not an LN, but since I only drive ~1500 miles/year, it seems like cheap insurance, even if it is a maintenance item down the road. I'm a capable DIY'er but admit the replacement process makes me a little nervous in getting it right. Going to do an inspection and if a double row is in there I may choose to leave it alone if the seal looks good and the bearing freewheels nicely. I'll have the replacement in hand to make the call when I get in there...

Anyone have any tips on how not to screw up the install of the IMS? I'll be following the Tech Article, but advice is always helpful!

Even if your engine has the dual row bearing, the Pelican IMS kit should include a spacer of some sort to make their bearing adaptable to your situation.

As far as replacement tips, make sure to put the new bearing in a freezer for a while, and heat up the receptacle to insure a relatively easy, and accurate, fit.

There are plenty of threads/videos outlining this process. Google is your friend here.

Just sayin’.......

TO

agfours, if you are that far in, just do it. Not that tough a job.

Single row.

My advice is do not follow Pelican's Tech article. Use LNE's method. There are several threads where Pelican's method has caused a lot of grief.

Good to know. I've been studying sources from Pelican, YouTube and this forum, but will do a review of their method. I'm surprised there would be issues with the Tech Forum approach. I've seen folks talk about parts being in the wrong bags for Single/Dual row installs, but there is good enough photographic example in the 100+ pics to sort that out. I suspect the complexity of instructions and the amount of disparate sources of truth have been a detractor for some taking on this challenge. It certainly is a daunting amount of information. The process may take 12 hours end to end, but the research is taking just as long...

Interesting. Two of the bearings I had a chance to open up were both dual rows, and were filled up with engine oil, at lower mileage than yours. Perhaps the vacuum/pressure that builds up inside the IMS at every warm up cycle can better escape at the single row bearing? Just wondering.. :confused:

Pelican's IMS retrofit methodology has led to more heartaches than I can count. LN's procedure, on the other hand works perfectly if it is followed to the letter.

If you decide to leave it, an alternative is to remove the seals so the bearing will be oil lubricated. This is what I did on my blue Boxster while doing a clutch job. My reasoning is in post #9 of this thread.
http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/74142-my-blue-boxster-refurb.html

My 2000 Boxster is back from getting the IMS Retrofit done. It had a dual row IMS bearing and aside from a bit of grease coming from one seal, the old bearing still feels "as new".

When I got the car it only had 37,500 miles on it (now at 40,000 after my 3 months of ownership). The prior owner had only done 2,000 miles in the last 4 years.
https://i.imgur.com/IOCCcryh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8IySZj2h.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/osNG9qQh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/8Q11Zonh.jpg

I'm with Ciao........(and my Porsche shop experts)
I summer drive my 98' and yearly have Mobil One oil changes done. My car is 20+ years old and has 89,000 summer only miles on it and runs (and looks) perfect. But, IF I become one of the 1% that have a failure I'll say "it was tons of fun while it lasted" and then go shopping!

Was the IMS filled with oil? Just curious.