Has this M97 engine single or dual row IMS?

[BertoneP]

Hi again,

Just noticed that the original title of this post was wrong....should be M96 not M97....

Anyway....found some more info on how to decode 986 engine numbers.
Here is an example for a 2.5 engine....

20 is 2.5l engine; 6 is 6 cylinder; 5 is engine version; V is model year; and 00224 is sequential serial number.

Model years: v w x y z

v = 1995
w = 1996
x = 1997
y = 1998
z = 1999
0 = 2000
1 = 2001
2 = 2002


So according to above, this engine is 21 (3.2?), 6 cylinder, version 7, year 1998 and sequential number 11040.

Hence if single row ims bearings were installed starting sometime during year 2001...then this is a dual bearing engine.


Engine Number Model Bearing Type
Up to engine # M 651 12851 Boxster 2.7L M96.22 Double Row Bearing
Up to engine # M 671 11237 Boxster S 3.2L M96.21 Double Row Bearing
Up to engine # M 661 14164 Carrera 996 3.4L Double Row Bearing
From engine # M 651 12852 Boxster 2.7L M96.22 Single Row Bearing
From engine # M 671 11238 Boxster S 3.2L M96.21 Single Row Bearing
From engine # M 661 14165 Carrera 996 3.4L Single Row Bearing
All 2005 Boxster 987 (maybe some 2006 models) Single Row Bearing
All 2005 Carrera 997 (maybe some 2006 models) Single Row Bearing
Maybe some 2006 Cayman models Single Row Bearing