Swapping engines

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

LN Engineering: "The Porsche M96/M97 engine is wet sump (not dry sump). This means the intermediate shaft is submerged in oil, allowing the Porsche IMS bearing to be bathed in and lubricated by the oil in your engine's sump. No forced oiling or direct oil feed is required to lubricate any ball or roller IMS bearing when an open bearing without grease seals is used."

https://lnengineering.com/products/the-definitive-guide-and-faq-for-porsche-ims-bearings.html?limit=all (Fact 9)

LN thereby seems to corroborate Grant's contention that just removing the seals ensures adequate lubrication. And yet, LN beats the drum for the Solution, touting its pressurized direct oil feed. Isn't that unnecessary according to their own statement?

To answer your question, Jake Raby actually ran an IMS Solution for a prolonged period with the oil feed line disconnected during the system development and testing; Jake noted that the IMS Solution survived this without issue on just the oil mist inside the engine. But knowing that Jake is a decided "belt and suspenders" type engineer, he kept the oil feed line, which delivers a slow, controlled amount of oil, because he knew that a lot of the Solutions would end up in track cars where heat build up in the bearing is more severe. He also wanted this product to be a "life of the engine" answer to the original bearing's short comings.

Having had the opportunity to see IMS Solutions after hours of track time on dedicated tract rat cars, I think he did the right thing; these Solutions looked like they just came out of the box.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

To answer your question, Jake Raby actually ran an IMS Solution for a prolonged period with the oil feed line disconnected during the system development and testing; Jake noted that the IMS Solution survived this without issue on just the oil mist inside the engine. But knowing that Jake is a decided "belt and suspenders" type engineer, he kept the oil feed line, which delivers a slow, controlled amount of oil, because he knew that a lot of the Solutions would end up in track cars where heat build up in the bearing is more severe. He also wanted this product to be a "life of the engine" answer to the original bearing's short comings.

Having had the opportunity to see IMS Solutions after hours of track time on dedicated tract rat cars, I think he did the right thing; these Solutions looked like they just came out of the box.

JFP, I don't doubt that you are absolutely correct about the Solution. I always listen carefully to the Big Dog. Which is not to say that Jake Raby isn't price gouging. As I said to another forum member, if he'd priced the IMS Solution at $999 it would probably sell like hotcakes, and I would undoubtedly convince myself to buy it. But pricing it at almost two grand — that's out of line, if you ask me. That said, your point that a Porsche is an expensive car to own is well taken. I guess it could be worse, though. I could be working on a Bugatti Veyron.

[LoneWolfGal]

A little interlude while I agonize over the IMS decision...

Back in the olden days when I was just a kid, we lived in Reno and I owned a vintage Honda motorcycle, a twin, which I'd bought for $150. As it happened, our house was only a couple blocks from Bill Rudd Motors, a speed shop and Honda motorcycle dealership. I decided to rebuild the Honda's engine, so I bought all the parts from Bill. He and his mechanics, greatly amused by this girl would-be motorcycle mechanic, indulged me.

I spent the entire winter rebuilding that DOHC engine, and when I was finished I pushed the bike over to Bill's so they could help me if it wouldn't start. The whole crew gathered around and I pressed the starter button... and it fired right up and idled smoothly. Bill and his guys all applauded.

What I didn't know then and only found out years later was that Bill Rudd had been a famous Ferrari Team Racing mechanic, worshipped in racing circles. But he was such a humble, unpretentious guy, he never talked about it. At least, not when I was hanging out there, and I used to hang out a lot with Bill and the guys.

Anyway, folks, although I couldn't appreciate it at the time, I rubbed shoulders with racing royalty!

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

JFP, I don't doubt that you are absolutely correct about the Solution. I always listen carefully to the Big Dog. Which is not to say that Jake Raby isn't price gouging. As I said to another forum member, if he'd priced the IMS Solution at $999 it would probably sell like hotcakes, and I would undoubtedly convince myself to buy it. But pricing it at almost two grand — that's out of line, if you ask me. That said, your point that a Porsche is an expensive car to own is well taken. I guess it could be worse, though. I could be working on a Bugatti Veyron.

Jake doesn't make or sell parts, but he does own the patent(s) rights to the Solution; the actual product is made by LN Engineering, Jake just takes a cut off the top on every sale, which is his right as he spent all the design and testing to destruction time of the various iterations of the Solution before settling on the final design and then patenting it.

As for the price, you get a lot of beautifully engineered stuff in the kit, all of proven to work; and what no one seems to take into account is that it will never need replacing, unlike every other IMS retrofits, including the LN units. So it is once and done as long as the engine lives. And even then it could be transferred to another engine. We have a customer that got a single row Solution at around 60K miles; the car is now approaching 200K miles and it is still in there doing its thing. The only thing we ever replaced on it was the braided SS hose that carries the oil from the filter housing to the Solution after a tire kicked up something the smacked it pretty hard, and even then, it wasn't leaking, just ugly; so we replaced the line as preventative maintenance.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Jake doesn't make or sell parts, but he does own the patent(s) rights to the Solution; the actual product is made by LN Engineering, Jake just takes a cut off the top on every sale, which is his right as he spent all the design and testing to destruction time of the various iterations of the Solution before settling on the final design and then patenting it.

Interesting. In that case, if all references to Jake are replaced with LN Engineering, I stand by what I said about price gouging. After all, we're not discussing an interocitor here, just a relatively common bearing with a direct oil feed.

As for the price, you get a lot of beautifully engineered stuff in the kit, all of proven to work; and what no one seems to take into account is that it will never need replacing, unlike every other IMS retrofits, including the LN units. So it is once and done as long as the engine lives. And even then it could be transferred to another engine. We have a customer that got a single row Solution at around 60K miles; the car is now approaching 200K miles and it is still in there doing its thing. The only thing we ever replaced on it was the braided SS hose that carries the oil from the filter housing to the Solution after a tire kicked up something the smacked it pretty hard, and even then, it wasn't leaking, just ugly; so we replaced the line as preventative maintenance.

Doggone it, JFP, you're making this decision really tough! If cost were no object I would just fork over the $1900, because the 39K M96 deserves the very best. But alas, cost is an object. And then there's the uncomfortable feeling that cost-wise I'd be getting fleeced by LN, which certainly factors in. The second point falls under "general principles."

But it sure would be nice to never have to worry about the IMS again... Doggone it, JFP!

[LoneWolfGal]

I'm giving Pedro's technoFix DOF another look.

From Pedro's site, describing his product: "[O]ur oil supply to the DOF uses oil which has passed through the filter and then through the cooler, before it goes onto the IMS bearing. ... This oil feed is supplied by the factory, so there is no drilling or tapping on the engine, simply screwing on a (supplied) adapter."

https://pedrosgarage.com/site-4/dof-info.html

If it's true that cool, filtered oil lubricates the bearing then Pedro's technoFIX is equivalent to LN's Solution for less than half the cost. The price for the technoFIX is $800, which doesn't include the bearing, $50 for single row or $100 for double. (At this point I don't know which one my new engine has. I'll need a bearing extractor and the doohickeys to lock the cams and remove the timing chain tensioners before I can find out.)

I emailed Pedro and asked for a better description and/or photo of the aforementioned screw-on adapter for the oil feed. The other end of the oil line is connected to the flange, like LN's Solution.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

I'm giving Pedro's technoFix DOF another look.

From Pedro's site, describing his product: "[O]ur oil supply to the DOF uses oil which has passed through the filter and then through the cooler, before it goes onto the IMS bearing. ... This oil feed is supplied by the factory, so there is no drilling or tapping on the engine, simply screwing on a (supplied) adapter."

https://pedrosgarage.com/site-4/dof-info.html

If it's true that cool, filtered oil lubricates the bearing then Pedro's technoFIX is equivalent to LN's Solution for less than half the cost. The price for the technoFIX is $800, which doesn't include the bearing, $50 for single row or $100 for the double. (At this point I don't know which one my new engine has. I'll need a bearing extractor and the doohickeys to lock the cam chains and release the tensioner before I can find out.)

I emailed Pedro and asked for a better description and/or photo of the aforementioned screw-on adapter for the oil feed. The other end of the oil line is connected to the flange, like LN's Solution.

It is your car and your money, but both statements are wrong, the oil feed for the DOF comes from the cylinder head, one of the hottest and dirtiest sources of oil in the engine, the Solution takes it from the oil filter area, which is just after the oil cooler and after the oil has just been filtered. It isn't even remotely close to what the Solution is

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

It is your car and your money, but both statements are wrong, the oil feed for the DOF comes from the cylinder head, one of the hottest and dirtiest sources of oil in the engine, the Solution takes it from the oil filter area, which is just after the oil cooler and after the oil has just been filtered. It isn't even remotely close to what the Solution is

I agree, the cylinder head would be about the worst source of oil, definitely a dealbreaker. But I wonder where "screwing on a (supplied) adapter" comes into the picture? That could describe LN's Solution's method. Curious to know what Pedro has to say about this matter? I am, so I'll ask him. And hey — good looking out.