IMS Chronology for prospective buyers

[Perfectlap]

Here is a chronology of the IMS bearing "updates" for all you prospective buyers or recent purchasers posted by LN.

p.s.
If you are in NJ I recommend having the IMS swap done at R.O.C.S. in Belleville (15 mins from Newark Airport).

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"97-early 2000= Factory Dual Row

Mid year 2000 some engines began using the single row bearing, 2000 model year cars can be either single or dual row, there is no rhyme or reason to these and directives that state what the engine is equipped with have proven to be less than accurate. Until a visual inspection of the flange is carried out there is no way to determine which bearing is installed.

Post 2001-early 2005= Factory single row with the standard outside diameter. These bearings were not an upgrade at all and they have the highest instances of failure with the most radical damage since the bearing is 1/2 as large as the earlier dual row bearing.

2005 Model year- Can be either the standard single row bearing or the later, larger diameter "upgraded" bearing. Like model year 2000 these cars require a visual inspection to determine which bearing is installed.

Late 2005- end of M97 production= The "upgraded" bearing that is generally referenced. These are the bearings that can't be extracted.

In reality there was only a single upgrade, the larger bearing applied in 2006. These also fail and I have one at the shop now that beings to a client who has experienced two failures in the same car.

The 97-99 dual row bearings are the most robust. All generations of the bearing fail, 01-early 05 are
by far the worst. "