LN IMS retrofit
 

I'm in the process of installing the LN single row IMSB retrofit in a 2004 S.
Living in Perth Australia, the closest approved shop is in Sydney or Melbourne, the equivalent of LA to NYC. So I basically have no option but to do it myself or at a shop with no approval.

Having read almost every comment written on all the forums, I can see thorough preparation & research is a necessity, so I've opted for the DIY.

It's a shame LN provide no support, yet charge a premium for their ceramic bearing. My first choice would be to instal the double row bearing, however the faultless tool cost rules this out.

So far my factory single row bearing has lasted 11 years or 80,000km, yet the LN bearing I bought has a 4 year or 40,000 miles service life, though I'm sure it will go longer.

My question is, as I only do 3000 miles a year, why is there the 4 year service life? Do I really need to change it again in 4 years or 12,000 miles!

The only time life item on the LN bearing I can see is the outer seal? I also change my oil each year with Joe Gibbs DT40 (3000 miles or 5000km).

My thanks to all the contributors, once you sift through all the threads on this and other forums, the information gained for DIYers is invaluable.

I can't speak to the 4 year service life on the bearing, my guess would be protecting against the possibility of corrosion. If you do it yourself one the most key things to do is rotate the crankshaft manually to top dead center. Failure to do this leaves the cam lobes loaded by the valve springs making them want to rotate when the IMS bearing is loose. If the cams do rotate (i.e. the timing slips) the job becomes extremely complicated.

From experience, the LN single rows are capable of more than 40K miles, so consider that number a conservative estimate. The newer Pro dual row replacement does require the use of the Faultless tool, which while expensive, could be purchased for the project and then resold to help recover some of the expense.

If you are looking to only do this once, I would not hesitate to consider going with the IMS Solution, which is a permanent fix. Yes, it cost more than the ceramic bearing up front, but the real savings come from never having to do it again, plus being able to sleep every night.

The 4/40 is a conservative estimate placed on the single row design. If it were like a wheel bearing and initial failure just means it gets noisy I'm sure that would be extended. However considering the quiet, catastrophic nature of ims failure a very conservative expected part life is a wise choice to protect product reputation

I totally agree that for a DIY the purchase of the two row upgrade requiring the faultless tool makes no financial sense to the end user. That money would buy the ims solution and not leave $700 gathering dust in your tool box

I would only add that the single row ceramic is surely better than the OEM.

Thanks for the advice.

My Boxster has an undersize underdrive pulley without a TDC hole or marking. Unfortunately I don't have the original so I'll have to lock the back of the engine.

I've found a few threads where others had this problem, I plan to rotate the engine until all 4 cams have the slots "vertical" with the smaller half moon facing away from the crank, fit the cam locks (I have 2) then lock the fly wheel side of the engine.

Any other suggestions as to how to find TDC with my configuration would be welcome.