Peace of Mind - IMS bearing
 

For those of you sitting on the fence about your IMS bearing, I would advise just going ahead and doing it. I no longer worry about my car every time I drive it and can just enjoy the car. Highly recommended for the peace of mind it will give you. :)

I had my work done at Kraftwerks here in Central Ohio and was really impressed with Jeff, the owner. It's a one man band type of shop so you know exactly who's going to be working on your car. I really appreciated his attention to detail and communication throughout the process. Highly recommended, great labor rate too.
http://kraftwerks.co/

For those that asked, there was some play between the shaft and the bearing and oil was getting past the seal but it still spun smoothly. Definitely starting to degrade so I'm very glad I changed it. Car has 38k on it.

Thanks 4 the info.If I pull the trigger on my first Boxster,I'm really considering the same strategy as I consider it an insurance plan.I really want to enjoy the car and drive it like a real sports car.I's a shame that an engineering giant like P did not catch this during the design phase.Question=was this shaft eliminated from the later motors and if so,when? (Noobie question)

I could not agree more.. Buy a car and immediately have the engine retrofitted.

Or, outfit the car with my new product, the IMS Guardian.

Or do both.

Jake,
I have already replaced/upgraded my IMS bearing with the LN Engineering bearing but tell us about your new product. Is there a web link where we can get information on the "IMS Guardian"?

Thanks
Jager

urban_legand: could not reply to your PM as your PM box is full

IMS Guardian: http://www.flat6innovations.com/shop/product.php?productid=16285&cat=289&page=1

Jake, your website is lite on details. Is this something similar to a knock sensor targeted at the bearing?

how much to replace the bearing?

The bearing itself is ~$600 and normally you would replace the clutch, RMS, and possibly the flywheel since you are in there. Parts a labor add up, but if you do it yourself you can save a lot of money (if you have the tools). You will need the special tools to remove and replace the bearing (a couple hundred more $$) plus other tools (as I learned about the triple square socket). Plus oil, filter, might as well change the transmission oil since you're under there too.

Jager

I'm having Sachs clutch, ln IMS, rms, and all the associated pieces done by a pro for $2300 locally. Good peace of mind plus fresh clutch and hopefully I can get another spirited 100,000 miles. I just did rotors and pads all the way around and feel like the money saved there is well spent on a pro doing this tougher work.

Getting my IMS retrofit done next week by a local Porsche specialist shop that came highly recommended by a forum member. They were just buttoning up an IMS job on two 996 engines and had finished a 996 that had had it done when I went to visit their shop last week, had the owner take my car for a spin and everything. Looking forward to that peace of mind and many more miles this summer. :cheers: