Add me to the pole for a 2001s tip, 140,000 k's not sure what that in miles but it would be getting up there.

No sign of an IMS problem, but as I write this my car is at the Doctors having the new IMS bearing put in. Pick it up tomorrow, couple of other small jobs and quote was $2000.00.

Just chickened out, could have kept driving, but the odd IMS failure stories freaked me out.

Looking at the poll maybe I have panicked for no reason, but....I will now feel more confident when I'm belting around in the country knowing I should no longer have an IMS problem.

$2 g's cheap insurance I guess, although "she who must be obeyed" is not all that happy about it.

2000 box 83787 mi no failure
 

Add me as a no... 2000 986. Just changed mine. Old double bearing has 83787 miles on it and still turned smooth with no side to side movement. It was full of oil. Cheers

I guess some of us have the bearing replaced while the car is getting other engine work done. Or just because we are scared sh#% less that the bearing will go

With that being the case, the poll probably gives a slightly different result as to "what may have been" had these bearings not been replaced for preventative maintenance.

The YES column could have a few more unfortunate souls in it.

I see this was a 2009 pole, be interesting to see what the results may be now that the cars are 3 years older.

2000 S with 63K miles. Fifth owner. Owned for year and half. Put roughly 10K of those miles on myself.

No major problems. One MAF replacement and routine maintenance.

Drivers side window does not go down the desired distance when opening door but have learned to finish the job by hand.

Finish is still great. Interior leather shows small sign of wear on drivers bolster.

Drives great. Handles superbly. Still plenty of power. Clutch firm.

So firm No from me.

2004 Boxster, tiptronic, 20,000 miles. No failure!

2001 2.7 5 speed. Now 123k miles, purchased @ 57k miles in 2006 no failure. Daily drive, tracked once.

Ok guys, add me to the pot! 01 S with 47,000Miles. Inspecting the filter after a nasa event at road atl and gold everywhere. This car was meticulously maintained by the previous owner by the dealer and I have records of the RMS already being replaced twice. Why wouldn't the dealer replace the IMS while in there if they know it's such a weak link!! :matchup: Now I just have to decide what you all have had to...DIY or no. I guess I'm jumping the gun a bit in assuming the IMS but.... Is the debris from an IMS usually copper/bronze color? Am I chewing away at valve guides instead?

thanks,

Chris

The only copper in these engines comes from the main and rod bearings.. Road Atlanta is one of the hardest tracks for these engines. The IMS bearing is comprised only of ferrous material, none of which is brass or bronze or copper in color. We see a ton of track related failures and I'd almost bet that you have main and rod bearings worn into their copper layer. If you schedule a time to come by I can put some of the parts in your hand that have similar failures. Let me guess, you were running Mobil 1 on the track?
I sent you a PM.

That's not what I wanted to hear (welcome to Porsches, right?)! I didn't think there were any gold color parts in the IMS...thanks Jake.

For the other members...yes Mobile 1 on the track. I missed the post about not using it on the track.

Please add me to the survey........Purchased my 2003 Boxster 2.7L Tiptronic with 6400 miles in 2007......the current mleage is 19600. No RMS leak or IMS failure to date - The underside of the engine/trans area is bone dry and shows no signs of previous leaks/oil seepage. Routine oil changes at 5000 mile intervals or every 12 monthe regardless of mileage.

I am seriously considering an IMS retrofit from LN engineering preemptively as others have done. I will be getting a quote from Hergesheimer Motorsports in Lake Forest, CA next week. Will let you know what I find out.

I'm surprised that Jake has not had more to say about oil . . . I regard him to be the ultimate authority on this issue.
A useful correlation would be a comparison between change intervals and failures and a second would be a correlation between oils used (viscosity and brand) and failures. I think that Porsche has contributed heavily to the scope of this problem with both the specification of 0w oil and very long intervals. My 2000 S manual specifies 10w40 ----- before the 0w fad and I suspect that much of the preproduction experience with these engines used similar oil. I also think that high ZDDP content is wise if original bearings are still in use.

2002 boxster S 986. FSH, 79,000miles. I have owned the car for around 7 months and have covered arouynd 2,500miles in it.

***Touch Wood*** No sign of IMS failure and nothing in the history about it.

*Clutch/dual mass flywheel/RMS replaced at 25,000miles in 2007*

Just changed engine oil and filter, no suspect particles found in the filter (after cutting it apart with a saw and laying it out on some paper). Had plenty of trouble with other aspects of the car though! MAF sensor, rear wheel bearing, front lower arm ball joint, rear fork control arms. The starter motor squeals but only rarely. Lovely car to drive, especially with the roof down. handling is sensational!

2002 986 S 52K on the clock. IMSB retrofit installed last week. I was told the old bearing looked fine, but I will reserve judgment until I see it.

Update: After close inspection it appears the the stock single row IMSB in my 02 S was absolutely perfect at 52K.

So far it looks like approx 92% success rate, at what point does one come to the conclusion that this problem isnt as rampant as it seems???

1999 2.5, 75,000miles. no problems so far, but the stories creep me out!
I'm not sure what to do. Is it fair to say tat the single row bearings suffer more than the double row ones perhaps?

1998 No Problem
 

My '98 2.5L with 45,000 miles runs like a champ. Not a single problem since she joined the family three years ago.

IMS related engine failures
 

2000S 43,000 miles, no problems to date.

IMS Failure poll
 

Have a 2002 Boxster S with tiptronic transmission with 76K miles; car is daily driver but is AX periodically and has been driven regionally (20 hour nonstop trips) twice. No IMS failure yet; I have annual oil changes.

Any advise out there as to probability of an IMS failure with this mileage, type of transmission, and oil change schedule?

Any advise as to what I should do to avoid an IMS failure?

Many thanks for any replies. Cabjose.

You should be fine, those 02 motors don't crap out until at least 80k.

:)

On the preventative side, I'd recommend :
1) oil changes every 6k--I like Castrol Edge or Lubro Moly synthetic (both 5W-40)
2) Cut apart the oil filter and see if they contain metal fragments (a small magnet will help with this).
3) Take sample during an oil change and send to Blackstone labs for analysis--about $35--and they will give you a report indicating the kinds of contaminants found and condition of the oil (degredation/flash point).
4) Have a mechanic with the Durametric software do the "Camshaft Deviation test"; if you research that term on this forum it will give you information on what it does and how the information will be helpful.

Wow, there is a lot of wishfull thinking going on here. As long as the wish comes true every thing is rosey.
Its sort of like Russian Roulette, as long as your not the one who pulls the trigger when the bullet is in the chamber, the game is easy and you can keep playing for a long time, but just that once...., just once .....if it were to happen to you, Uhhhh shi......!
We all carry car insurance and house insurance and some may even carry life insurance all because of the "What If situation"! We hope we never have to use that insurance but we still buy it.
Well if you don't believe in the IMS failure hype then think of it as another piece of relatively cheap insurance. If you have it you won't have to read these Sad IMS failure forums wondering what to do after you've had an IMS failure.
The bullet was in the chamber, I did everything I thought possible to avoid it (oil type, Oil change frequency, driving revs, magnetic plug, etc.),except change the IMS. Mechanics told me what great shape my car was in. I had no indication there was going to be a problem. I couldn't find a mechanic that would change the IMSB. The car was running great.
2004 Boxster S 44,000 miles bought 2 years ago with 23,400 miles at the time of purchase. I've enjoyed every mile I've put on that car. Its a hot looking car and a kick ass driving car. You just have to feel great driving this car. I think Porsche made the "Love Affair " commercial with me in mind.
Last week 4hrs into a one week road trip to warmer places, oil filter change completed, I suffered the infamous IMS failure, Uhhhh shi......!
If you have someone to change your IMS just go get it done NOW why wait? Nothing good can come from waiting in this case. Every mile of driving the risk factor can only increase.
An IMS failure hurts!

Sorry to hear about his--a failure at 44K is way too soon.

After reading stories like this, if I bought a used 986 one of the first things I would do would be the cam deviation test, then either the IMS Guardian or just replace the IMS, depending on whether a clutch replacement made sense. The cam deviation test would give you an idea of where you were at the moment and the Guardian--hopefully--would allow you to turn the car off in enough time before the engine was reduced to scrap

On a 987, it's a different proposition--the IMS Guardian would just be signal for you to park the car and gather your finances for an engine rebuild of some degree--a much more expensive proposition.

I have a 2001 Boxster base and don't think too much about IMS failure as I have the IMS guardian installed. I notice the above poster has the 2013 Box on order so that must give a person peace of mind what with no IMS.
I may in several years time get the 2009 Box or newer as it has no ims. In the meantime if my Box blows up, then another engine from a wrecked Boxster or ship mine to Georgia for the upgraded engine.Sorry to hear the first post er having the IMS fail. A real bummer. Did u get a new engine? Where did u get it ?

Also sorry to hear about the 04 Boxster S. Have the same car with 44k miles. Did the IMS, RMS, water pump, 160 stat, clutch, and throughout bearing in July 2012. It was well worth the $4k. The shop showed me the bearing. Maybe could have gotten another 5 to 10k miles before she blew. Anyone just thinking about getting it done, just do it.

IMS related engine failure
 

All: I recently sent an email to the PCA officers asking them to intervene with Porsche for help on the IMS and heard back from Manny Alban, the President. Mr. Alban says that everyone with an IMS failure should write Porsche with copy to PCA; he further stated that PCA's policy is not to interfere with Porsche as it does not interfere with PCA. I had pointed out that the U.S. is Porsche's biggest customer and therefore the PCA should intervene on our behalf--I specifically suggested that Porsche could direct its dealers to offer reasonable extended warranty insurance to cover the IMS since I know that Porsche will never voluntarily do a recall on the IMS.
Maybe the class action lawsuit route is the best way to go since the PCA does not apparently want to help its members.
Thanks, Cabjose.

IMS related engine failure
 

Many thanks for the advice from MikenOhio.
Cabjose.

Test, just a test
 

Hello. And Bye.

IMS failure
 

Add another one to the 'yes' list. '02 Boxster S with 65k miles on it experienced IMS bearing failure. Bearing 'melted' onto bearing race and cannot be removed with out pulling engine and splitting case. Specialty Porsche shop tells me I was the 3rd owner today that reported the failure. He says it has become a rampant problem for this engine series.

I am surprised no one has filed a class action suit given the obvious design defect of this engine series. Porsche is negligent not standing behind this issue.

Adding to the preventative measures, think about the IMS guardian from Flat 6 innovations.
It can alert you to an impending IMS failure. It doesn't fix anything, but it reportedly does give you a heads up that things are going badly and you might not want to drive the car much further --check it out first, though.

FTFY! ;)

From everything I've read, the IMS guardian basically utilizes the same technology that "chip detectors in aircraft turbine engines. Basically a magnetized plug is inserted into the oil system. The plug is designed to be an open circuit. Ferrous metal in the oil is attracted to the magnet. if the metal particles are large enough or in sufficient quantity, it closes the circuit which cause a warning in the form of a caution light or audible warning or both. A failing IMSB may release ferrous particulate into the oil stream, or it may be confined to the IMS tube. The guardian is inexpensive insurance. However, If IMSB failure is a real concern to an owner, I think the money is better spent on a magnetic drain plug and a Durametric code reader. Checking cam deviation regularly is easy and you have a host of other diagnostic tools at your disposal. Magnetic drain plug should be thought of as a back up check at oil change.

Why does Porsche continue to use IMS instead of more direct drive, crank to head?

Porsche doesn't use the IMS design any more.

When did they change it and which model have the newer engine design? Are there any photos of the newer H6 motor w/o the IMS? I'm curious to learn more about these H6 designs.

2009 models for Boxster marked the IMS-less design introduction. Maybe grab one of the car mags reviews from that time period for descriptions of what changed.

Cool! It appears that the 997 (2nd gen) 2010 has the IMS deleted also.

Just called a local garage to ask the price of ims bearing . £900 for a seal. Not a ceramic bearing or a oil fed one. Just a seal replaced. More if the bearing needed replacing. He said he had a 986 and a 987 inshop for ims bearings now !

^I assumed w/ labor, then it's a fair pricing.

How many times to do see an aircraft engine fail with good results? The warning lights flash and a siren goes off, then its bang ! I think the gurdian is a waste of money

I disagree because when there is sufficient metal in the oil plug sensor then the light/aural warning will come on to warn you of more disastrous results that could result if you kept on motoring....

True damage may have been done at that point but I believe it is worth it to save the engine block.

No
1998 base. 83,500
Put in LN IMS ceramic with clutch at 78,000.
The original IMS was in good shape, but"while you are in there....."