986 3.2S Engine and Gearbox drop out

[Caney74]

Hi all, looking for some advice.
I have a very sorry looking 2002 3.2S that i bought as a project, initial inspection there was suspension work, some electrical problems and the remaining items were cosmetic small hood tear and paint work so nothing too scary. The engine ran reasonably well but was overdue for a service and the paperwork suggested that it had service history,The clutch had been replaced at 65000 with the IMS bearing being inspected then and it currently has 127k on it, thinking that i had been through everything i was further inspecting the underside to ensure i hadn't missed anything to discover a small (damp oil patch on the join between the engine casing and the gearbox housing along with 2 small droplets of oil on the floor. Suspect the RMS seal or IMS bearing
So for the advice:
1: Are there any nasty hidden bits i need to watch out for when disconnecting everything ready for removal
2: I only expect to cover about 3-5000k a year, is it worth the extra expense of the LN Engineering IMS upgrade or would i be safe with the Porsche replacement part.
3: Clutch appears ok but it would be foolish not to do this at the same time, should i do the Flywheel as well.
4:I expect to have to replace the Exhaust as the bolts are all heat corroded so fear it won't come off in one piece, what is the difference in running the engine without the Cats would it need remapping if they are removed and what happens at MOT time doe they have to be refitted (real ballache every year)

looking forward to all your advice and assistance, not looking forward to the job but will have the satisfaction of having completed it myself

Thanks all in advance

[NewArt]

Probably the hardest part of dropping the engine is trying to figure out how all those stupid plastic connectors undo, and then trying not to break them as they become brittle after all those years!

[pjq]

Since you bought it as a project car, get 2 books - Bentley's Porsche Boxster Service Manual and Wayne Dempstey's 101 projects for your Porsche Boxster.
These 2 books complement each other.

[Caney74]

Hi Guys, sorry in the delay in responding to your answers its difficult when your offshore!!!

Thanks for the info, the books are on my Christmas list, in fact i have found an online book dealer in Southport who is doing the Bentley book for the cheapest around so will be paying them a visit when i get back.

Any more advice like special tools or particular place to get part is great Ta.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Caney74

2: I only expect to cover about 3-5000k a year, is it worth the extra expense of the LN Engineering IMS upgrade or would i be safe with the Porsche replacement part.

Porsche does not sell just the IMS bearing, only an assembled IMS shaft and bearing, and only in the last design (oversized). To use this assembly, you need to completely disassemble the engine in order to install it. It also costs one Hell of lot more than the LN bearings.

[Jamesp]

I replaced my IMS bearing with an upgraded fully sealed high temp steel ball bearing.

This is not terribly difficult to do, but there are a series of steps that must be carefully followed or you'll upset the valve timing and have a very bad day. The cause of this is the valve springs are capable of rotating the cams if the engine is not set at TDC. At TDC the lifters are all located on the cam circles and not on the cam lobes so the valve springs cannot rotate the cams.

When changing the IMS bearing, one must loosen the timing chains. It is at this point if the valve springs are pushing the lifters against the lobes of the cams instead of the cam circles, the timing chain can slip over the cam sprocket and valve timing is lost. It made a loud scary noise on the engine stand, then I made loud scary noises.

Lots of very experienced folks (for whom I have a great deal of respect) disagree with going back with a sealed steel ball bearing similar to stock, but for me it is equivalent to changing a timing belt.

Deep groove ball bearings are a standard commodity so one can be easily sourced to replace the one in the car. You will need special tools to remove and install the bearing as well as to perform fine adjustments to the valve timing when you are through.