'03 S - Two Mechanics say Yes & One says No - IMS

[Jamesp]

8% of single row IMS bearings fail. They all lose their grease over time (and engine cycles IMHO). Getting it replaced *might* not be or even *probably is not* necessary. Maybe. I bought my Box cheap because of a IMSB failure. I bought a used replacement shaft and have first hand experience with the 03 S bearing. It was in what has been termed the "first" stage of failure. I believe all IMSB are in the "first" stage of failure after the first thermal cycle of the engine. My advice is to replace that sucker ASAP. The only catch is that simply replacing it puts the engine right back where it started. There are vast strings on this board regarding options for other design options. Enter at your own risk. Oh yeah, you might want to start a collection from the folks who sing "don't worry, be happy" to fund your complete engine replacement. There is an 8% chance (likely higher due to lack of reporting) that an M96 engine will pop due to the IMSB. Don't be a statistic, replace it with a new bearing at a minimum, and pick a redesign after that to minimize risk. I'm down my own path on this and I think I've identified and eliminate the root cause of early failure. like all mechanical components, the IMSB will eventually fail, but I believe I have a method to stave that off using the original greased sealed bearing.

[pjq]

Parker 986, WE have cars which Porsche claim are the most vulnerable to this IMS failure, based on who gets what under the IMS class action lawsuit.

I have a 2004 S, was the same bearing as you.

My car had 23000 miles when I bought it in Nov 2010, my car had 43,000 miles on it when the IMS failed with NO warning in Nov 2012. I had the oil changed regularly and the filter inspected. Matter of fact the oil and filter were changed only 5 driving hours before the bearing failed, about 4 days before the failure. My wife and I had been driving for about 4.5 hrs bound for North Carolina when we descided to stop for a break, the car was working great I kept the rev's 3200 +. Upon stopping at the stop sign the engine stopped?? When I restarted the engine it was the "Death Rattle". Scared the s--t out of me, my heart was in my stomach and my stomach was in my mouth. At the time I didn't know what that noice was but it just couldn't be good.
The resultant was a catastrophic engine failure due to a failed IMS bearing.

In 2010 before I bought the car, I did some research and read briefly about IMS. I had a PPI carried out and everything was good. When I got the car home I took it to the local indie shop for oil change and inspection and spoke to him about the IMS. He said just drive it and enjoy it the car was in great shape. Later that summer I took it to the closest Porsche dealership for oil change and inspection and they also told me the car was in great shape IMS was ok, drive it and enjoy it.

Point is my gut told me to change the bearing but others in the know told me otherwise.

I think at the time cost might have been about $2000 for IMS bearing change? Do you have any idea how much it cost to rebuild one of these engines, if it is rebuildable after an IMS bearing failure? Do you know how much a straight used engine cost (junk yard) if you can find one? Do you know how much a Porsche factory rebuilt engine cost? The answer is it starts at $6500 (junk yard) and goes up from there to over $20,000.

So Parker this has been a long rant but the point is, if you are asking the question on this forum you already know what your gut is telling you. Remember its your gut, your car, your research, your descision and the worst part your hard earned money, spend it wisely.

[Jamesp]

You could do this, Bob Marley-Don't worry be happy - YouTube Just watch out for the ganja, or you could be proactive and treat this as a maintnence item. Just like changing the timing belts as has been mentioned before. Ignoring timing belts (on interference engines) has an identical outcome to ignoring the IMS bearing.