[Homeboy981]

I wanted to re-post this under a new thread so it does NOT get lost….

Feeling like I should buy a Lottery ticket - after catching the IMS bearing BEFORE IT ACTUALLY DIED I thought it would be a good day to INSTALL the new LNE IMS bearing!

I tried to install the LN Engineering bearing and IT FAILED in a way NO ONE HAS SEEN BEFORE!!! Lucky me, pioneering new ground!

The LNE bearing, where the bearing race is press-fit onto the post came off during installation!!! I followed the instructions to the letter - maybe too close! Where is says, "INSTALL NUT FINGER TIGHT ONLY" onto the installation tool….is just NOT descriptive enough! IT DOES NOT MENTION IT NEEDS TO BE FULLY SEATED AGAINST THE TOOL. I believe that is where this installation went bad (although I did not know it at the time).

Apparently, the threads were marred or something which caused the nut to NOT SEAT ALL THE WAY DOWN ON THE INSTALLATION TOOL and it POPPED the press fit APART!!!

I was happily installing my NEW, supposedly better, bearing…I was ALMOST ALL THE WAY IN, when after tapping it, the installation tool moved a little to the side, it seemed to have come loose. WTF!

I backed off the installation tool and it went LIMP (and so did I). The post and bearing were now IN 2 PIECES!!

I phoned LNE for help right away (since the bearing was thawing out in the bore) NO ONE COULD HELP - went through 3 people! I was told to "send an email that's all we can do - no one here has experience with the installation". What? No installation experience?

I am not entirely sure this was NOT A GOOD BEARING either. I mean, who would think to check the press fit? I looked for rust, out of roundness (of the bearing), and proper tolerances - all TIPS I picked up from this Forum about LNE failures.

Well, add CHECKING THE PRESS FIT TO THE LIST of ways this bearing can fail! I have my doubts IF LNE's QC Department didn't fail me like their phone support did! So here is another surprise…NO INSTALLATION HELP FROM LNE IF YOU RUN INTO A PROBLEM EITHER! They can help you order - not INSTALL! Very dissatisfied at this point with them. I AM SICK ABOUT THIS!

Now I am stuck. So I called John, Boxster guru at Boardwalk Porsche, he said he had never seen a failure like that either. But that I could, "Fish out the bolt and try to 'press fit' it in there using the install tool". There was NO WAY to remove the bearing at this point. I applied as much force as I could but I am unsure IF it is all the way popped back in.

Hard to explain but now I have the bearing fully seated, the threaded press fit post is questionable, it may NOT BE IN ALL THE WAY. I have the IMS cover on and have approx. a ¼" of thread showing…is that how much is supposed to be protruding from the outside of the IMS cover?

The car will remain on lock down until this gets solved….Needless to say my opinion of LNE plummeted. Just wanted to share my experience with them and I must say I am surprised…maybe you will consider this next time you are presented with a similar decision.

I have put many hours and tons of money into this car. It is more than a car to me...I miss my friend on jack stands!