which ims bearing upgrade

[Xcellr8]

The bearing had come apart and the filter was production based, so yes, I'm sure metal is everywhere, thus, its toast. But the question was, "is removing the plug to investigate the interior of the shaft a good idea?" Clearly, it would only be a good idea if the bearing failure is caught before becoming catastrophic (no reason to investigate further if rebuild is inevitable), even then however, only if the plug is "serviceable", i.e. a replacement is readily available. Is it?

[Gelbster]

Here is a parts diagram -tell us which part number you are calling a "plug".
M96.20 Camshaft M96.21/22 Driving Mechanism M96.23/24
or:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/14-ENGINE-Intermediate_Shaft_Bearing/images_small/Pic019.jpg
Reluctantly I did what Jake asked. Mine had an LN ceramic IMSB that had less than 1000 miles on it when #6 c/s bearing was damaged.No fault of the LN part.

[Jake Raby]

Some people say "the debris was really small, its not a problem".

well, let me tell you, if you think that, you'll learn fast. the smaller the debris the WORSE it is! The heavy stuff sits at the bottom of the sump, it doesn't splash all around inside the engine as it is suspended in the oil.

I'll take chunks any day over the small, fine stuff, thats microscopic in size.

If the bearing begins to fail, unless its caught at Stage 2, or prior, take the whole damn engine apart. Do it now.

[Xcellr8]

Originally Posted by Gelbster

Here is a parts diagram -tell us which part number you are calling a "plug".
M96.20 Camshaft M96.21/22 Driving Mechanism M96.23/24
or:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/14-ENGINE-Intermediate_Shaft_Bearing/images_small/Pic019.jpg
Reluctantly I did what Jake asked. Mine had an LN ceramic IMSB that had less than 1000 miles on it when #6 c/s bearing was damaged.No fault of the LN part.

Thanks for the parts diagram, but I do not see the "plug" in the diagram, nor is it included in the Pelican's parts photo. Attached are a few photos of the plug I pulled. The photos show what you would see if you were inside the intermediate shaft looking out towards the shaft bearing. You are seeing the back of the "plug" which is pressed inside a steel sleeve, which is pressed into the bearing end of the shaft before the bearing, thus "sealing" the hollow shaft from the bearing.

Now, most of the destruction on the other end was caused by my welding a nut to the sleeve to use a slide hammer puller to get the plug out of the shaft.

[Jake Raby]

That plug isn't from the factory. The center portion appears to be a metric expansion plug.

Factory IMS shafts are not plugged, which is why we have to supply a specially manufactured plug with the IMS Solution.

[Gelbster]

Xcell,
Aren't you glad I asked about the plug a.k.a. Freeze plug?
Looks like an 'interesting' previous diy job. How much damage has been done to the IMS tube? Reuseable?
If you need a replacement plug,try here:
Freeze Plug Size Chart « freezeplugfactory.com

[Xcellr8]

Thanks, Jake and Gelbster for staying with me long enough to figure out what this was. I appreciate the information.

It now appears to me that this failure is just what Jake has warned against. On this car it appears that the original IMSB failed and during replacement, the plug was installed. We don't know what caused the second bearing to fail, but it wasn't because of rancid oil in the shaft, the plug did it job there. So we can only guess that the second bearing most likely failed from debris left behind from the first failure.

Now the question becomes, should we all be using a plug when replacing an IMSB that hasn't failed as a preventive measure?

Thanks again,
Live, read, and learn,
Joe

[Gelbster]

Posts like #109 are very helpful and need to be cited in future when we read of people just slapping in a replacement IMSB and flipping the car.
There are lots of draconian directives and pre failure directives published by some vendors.Now we have an example(perhaps) of why they are so insistent of specific conditions before they will warranty an IMSB replacement .
Pre-failure Directives
My car failed less than 1000 miles after an IMSB replacement by the P.O..
The freeze plug :
what if you distort the thin-wall IMS tube during insertion? Pin it & bearing+Loctite sufficient?
what if it becomes loose
Drill a small vent hole in it?
Which type of freeze plug and why? Many different types in the link I posted #108 .Cup style in s/s ,I presume?
Here is some Melling info on deep cups:
http://www.melling.com/Portals/0/Size%20Charts/Expansion%20Plug%20Dimensional%20Listing.pdf