How many have NOT changed IMS bearing on their 1997-2000 Boxster?

[schnellman]

A '98 with 45,000 miles and nothing but normal maintenance. Not one dime for any repairs.

[j.fro]

Great thread!
2000 986S, 160,000 miles, original IMS
Original clutch replaced at 142,000 miles, along w/ trans rebuild because of 2nd gear synchro issues. IMS had no signs of leakage, RMS was "velvet" but dry, so no replacement there either.
Will be autocrossed this weekend!

[Fnred98]

Thks for asking the question. I have a 98 with 35000 miles original clutch and IMS. Using a magnetic drain plug, change oil around 3000 miles and inspect oil filter for derbies. So far I have had no problems and still enjoy the car !

[twoodinc]

'99 bought 6 years ago with 70k miles and now have 111k on it and haven't changed IMS. I don't know if it was done prior to buying it or not.

tw

[Soetekouw]

I am of the opinion of "if it isn't broke, don't fix it." You may have an IMS that lasts100K miles, or you may have an new IMS that will break 1 week after you installed it. Who knows. There are probably more folks here who left things alone than those who have been proactive replacing 'good' parts. Don't fret over things that may, could, or might happen. Enjoy and drive your car.

[audisnawb]

Bought a 1999 2.5 Boxster Auto on Monday, 57,000 miles. No bearing has been replaced to my knowledge. I will not do it. The Boxster is a cheap car... Im not going to worry if something goes wrong with it. The number of failures is so small. All you hear about is the people who HAVE had the engine failure due to the bearing. This whole topic is so over rated (knock on wood). I will not replace... if it happens it happens....

Originally Posted by Meat Head

Like every other Porsche owner I'm concerned about IMS failure. I by no means am a expert on this topic but from the information that I have gathered the 1997-2000 Boxster 2.5 engine has a double row bearing system. Though this system is flawed, they seem to be much less likely to fail. I'm asking all early Boxster owners on this forum to give their experiences/opinions on the subject.

Most importantly I would like to know if you have or have not changed out your IMS bearing?

How many miles on car before you replaced bearings?

If you have not changed your IMS bearing how many miles do you have on your Boxster now?



Please state the..........Year of Boxster,.............Motor size,...........Number of miles,.............Any other info you feel is pertinent.

[Johnny Danger]

Time and time again, I've waxed back and forth on this issue. To my way of thinking, if I don't do the IMSB upgrade, the thought of failure will always remain in the back of my mind. However, I'm convinced when I finally commit to doing it, it will be revealed that I had a perfectly good bearing.

2002 S with 20k original miles.

[McDuff]

Just a dumb question, does the IMS bearing issue also involving tiptronics, or is it just a standard tranny issue? McDuff

[Taipanic]

Originally Posted by McDuff

Just a dumb question, does the IMS bearing issue also involving tiptronics, or is it just a standard tranny issue? McDuff

From what I have read, the issue seems to be less on the Tip cars. I had my Tiptronic fail in December, two months after buying it (98 Base, 108k). It would have foolish not to replace the IMS/RMS at that time, which I did with the Pelican kit. I will probably replace it again in another 50-60k with whatever the best solution is out there at that time, hopefully without having to rebuild the tranny.

[EssexPorsche]

I was just like JD. This issue plagued me. I bought the car without any knowledge of and IMSB, searched the internet for a totally unrelated question and stumbled across 'the issue'. From that moment on the seeds of doubt were sown and every drive felt like a roulette wheel spinning behind me rther than a sweet engine. No i am one of life natural worriers, if there is something to worry about.... i'll worry about it good and proper.
So sleepless nights were had, i truely mean that! I lost weight thinking that if it grenaded i would have an expensive lawn ornament but not knowing whether or not i could justify the cost for a 5% failure rate. Over and over - really put alot of pressure on my wife as well. sad times for a toy that was meant to make me happy.
Anyway - i decide, bang for buck, i totally love my 3.2s so two wwek ago i pulled the trigger. LN upgrade, new clutch, and RMS.

Guess what a 75k single row bearing looked like??? that's right....like new!!!
Clutch less than half worn.
So did i need to do it - well no in reality but in my mind i am at peace. I'm not being dramatic. I have slept so well since doing it and everytime time i drive the car i truely feel happy. I know other things can go wrong and will. But i expect that. So for me it was money well spent - and if i had to i'd do it again.
That just because of the way i am - its not the right path for everyone.

2002 3.2 S 75K (full history)

[McDuff]

I get that! enjoy the ride.

[mnc-i]

Hello,

I have a 1999 Boxster with the automatic.

As far as I can tell, it has the original IMS Bearing.

I purchased it with 104,000 miles in Sep 09. It now has 183,000 miles.

I change the oil and filter every 10,000 miles.

Only issue I have is with the recommendations to change out water pumps every 60,000 miles, per Excellence Magazine.

I believe I am correct in stating this: Concerning most used Porsche automobiles, Excellence Magazine recommends purchasing the best condition lowest mileage Porsche you can afford. This applies to 928s, 924s, 944s, 914s, air-cooled 911s, Porsche SUVs and 968s. But Excellence recommends you stay away from low mileage 986s and 996s because the IMS Bearing may fail and since it is already out of warranty Porsche will not give you a new engine.

Just my two cents.

MNC-I

[san rensho]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Time and time again, I've waxed back and forth on this issue. To my way of thinking, if I don't do the IMSB upgrade, the thought of failure will always remain in the back of my mind. However, I'm convinced when I finally commit to doing it, it will be revealed that I had a perfectly good bearing.

2002 S with 20k original miles.

Hmm. Single row bearing with low mileage, you have probably the two biggest risk factors for failure.

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by san rensho

Hmm. Single row bearing with low mileage, you have probably the two biggest risk factors for failure.

Thanks. I'll sleep better tonight knowing that.

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Thanks. I'll sleep better tonight knowing that.

I did the LNE upgrade myself in my garage on a 2002 S with ~38k miles. Pulled the original bearing, it was as tight as a drum or otherwise perfectly fine.

[Jager]

Originally Posted by Johnny Danger

Time and time again, I've waxed back and forth on this issue. To my way of thinking, if I don't do the IMSB upgrade, the thought of failure will always remain in the back of my mind. However, I'm convinced when I finally commit to doing it, it will be revealed that I had a perfectly good bearing.

2002 S with 20k original miles.

JD,
Don't worry, if your IMS bearing fails I will personally buy you a new LNE bearing.

[dmairspotter]

2003S. about 40k miles, with regular servicing since new, not done (yet)

[runjmc2]

I have a '97 with 99K miles and original IMSB. Only when I need a new clutch will I replace the IMSB and then with a Pelican, not LN. My logic is based on my situation and view on the incremental value between the options.

To start, doing nothing with the IMSB has no value, the condition of the current bearing remains unknown.

The incremental cost (over just a clutch job) for a Pelican IMSB (Yes, I know it's a single row with a spacer) is about $250. The value is:
- Peice of mind (I will know the condition of the old and know I have a new bearing)
- Confidence that the new bearing will outlast the car.
To me, the value is worth the cost for this option....supporting doing nothing is not an option.

The other option is the LN, which will add around $500 over the Pelican option. The incremental value over the Pelican option is the difference in probability of failure between the Pelican and LN parts over the expected remaining life of the car (I estimate 50K miles). I beleive this difference is negligible. I know $500 is not a lot of money, but let's put that into real terms. For me $500 buys a set of tires, short-shift kit, and a cup holder.

In summary, a set of tires, short-shift kit and a cup holder are more valuable than the difference between a Pelican and LN bearing for 50K miles. It was close but the cup holder clinched it. Maybe that's why Porsche left out cup holder in the early years....

[Penland]

97 with 45k,(bought with 34k 2 years ago) stock imsb.

[don330]

I have a 1999 tiptronic boxster with 100k miles. I bought it not quite a year ago, and it's my everyday driver. I did some research before buying and read about the IMS issue. I was going to get a warranty when I bought the car or have it replaced, but I decided not to. At first, I was a worried that it could happen but now I don't think about it. I really haven't had any problems with my boxster (knock on wood). The small dealership I bought it from replaced the convertible plastic window after it was revealed taking off the hard top that it was ripped, I've changed the oil, and had a tire replaced after I ran over something (not quite sure) on a highway. My boxster has been super reliable, and I could tell when I bought it that it was well taken care of by the previous owner. Stop worrying and enjoy it!