IMS Solution... Price?

[Joe B]

JFP in PA, the installer says he thinks they would have put a 2003 engine in a 2003 Boxster, even in 2006. I wonder if maybe he just wants to work on the engine. Sounds like I need to get the engine number and try to see if Porsche can tell me if it is a 2006 engine, or an older one that would have the single row bearing. Can you tell me where the engine number is?

[mikefocke]

The installer doesn't know Porsches like he says he does.

See Jake's post of yesterday where he says the only way the car got a second-gen IMS engine was if someone somewhere someone had squirreled away a engine for several years as all the engines even for several years prior to when yours was done were third generation IMS setups.

And they didn't tend to sit around as they were used as replacements pretty quickly. No one wants an inventory of $10k+ engines sitting around. And I recall that even the US Porsche distributor usually had about 10 several years ago so they were moving them out at a pretty good clip.

Jake knows, he is inside these engines more than anyone around. He has seen all the surprises.

[Joe B]

Thanks guys. I'll check the serial number, but it sounds like an M97 engine is probably in there.

[Joe B]

OK. I got the serial number off the engine. It's M96/24AT67465645. So my (last?) questions are: there is really no way to know by the serial number if that is a single row bearing or not, correct? Or were all M96 engines single or double row, and all M97 engines non-removable (without splitting the cases) IMSB? I just hate to have the tranny, clutch and flywheel removed to know (I don't need a clutch). Or is that the only way to be sure? As I mentioned the engine was replaced in October of 2006. Thanks all for your help and patience !