Boxster 2.5 1998
 

just got back to the car after shopping and found a large oil leak with out it even running once started had engine noise so turned if off oil still leaking then tried to start it again but would not start called for recovery and by the time i got it home it had all but lost all of its oil could this be IMS failure

Or maybe a RMS (rear main seal) failure. Very common. This area between the tranny and engine should be monitored every so often. When a small leak is discovered probably time to think about replacing the RMS sooner rather than later.

no oil leaks before this

If the IMS failed it would be very loud and then the engine would seize. You probably had the rear main seal give out and when towed all the remaining oil came out.

Hope this helps and let us know how things turn out.

thank you i will let you know may be awhile as busy at the moment with work

Yes it does sound like IMSB failure due to the center mounting stud breaking off, leaving a hole at the bottom rear of the engine for oil to leak out between the engine & transmission. If you search this forum you will find many examples of this happening. Remove the oil filter housing & search for metal debris in the oil filter.

I assume you are in the UK so read Hartec engineering & Autofarm websites.

RMS is too high in the engine to lose that much oil without the engine running. His engine was probably on the verge of seizing.

sorry been awhile just dropped the sump cover and loads metal debris so looks like IMS bearing gone

Yikes. Can I ask how many miles on your Boxster?

113k with full history

Time for a motor swap. :(

IF and that's a big IF, it's the IMSB
Then at 113k/70k miles for what is presumed to be a Double Row IMSB, reinforces that none of us are immune
I am sorry to hear of your troubles. This, happening to any of us, hurts all of us where it counts

Good luck

None are immune. Expect to pay 3-4k for a running 2.5L motor with clean oil from a dismantler and I suggest putting a fresh IMS and water pump into it. Bad news but not the end of the world as we know it. The guy with a 911sc and 114k who has to do a full rebuild due to failed head bolts will cough up around $20k to get road worthy again. We gotta pay to play.

Have you determined for a fact that it is the IMSB itself? A few things could result in metal in the sump. Did you check to see if the metal particles were magnetic?

Yes but... does it even matter at this point? "loads metal debris in the pan" means game over for that motor, IMS or not. It is now reduced to a metalic sausage grinder.

Yes. You are correct and I understand that but I was just curious what the final verdict was on cause of failure. Didn't want to just call wolf and chalk up another one, although it is probable.

can an engine be repaired after an ims failure would a strip down be worth while too take a look

The whole engine would need to be dismantled flushed to remove all metal fragments. There are probably seized parts in there so looks like a total rebuild :(

Is this on a manual or Automatic Transmission Boxster?

it has a manual transmission