Poll:IMS related engine failure

[MikenOH]

Tim:
As the other member mentioned there is a ton of info available here on that subject.
Since you're new to the car, a few general observations:

-The condition can affect all engines--save the turbo/GT3 motors--used in all 986/987/996/997 model cars my 1997-2008.

-The reported frequency of IMS failure seems to vary by model year, depending on which bearing assy. is in the car. The early cars 1997-2000 and the 2005-2008 models reportedly have low rates of failure rates (1-2%?) while the prime years for this-- 2001-2004-- had significantly higher rates of failure (5-10%?) reportedly due to the switch to a single row bearing in those years. My own experience with a '99' and 06-- driven each about 45K miles and used extensively at auto-x and DEs--was problem free.

-Having said all that, there are members on various forums that have driven cars well over 100k with he original bearing. Frequent oil changes along with driving the car regularly--as opposed to rarely--seem to enhance longer bearing life.

-If I were in your shoes, I'd get the car to an indy that is very familiar with this motor and do a camshaft deviation check via a computer hook up. This will give you a clue as to how stable this assy is. Likewise opening up the filter and doing an oil analysis will provide additional info.

From this and other boards, it seems that a lot of people have treated pulling this bearing and doing the replacement as preventative maintenance. I think this makes sense, given the big price tag if the bearing goes.

Best of luck with what ever you decide.

[timlawton]

Mike,
thanks for your response. I feel a little better with those stats and that the car is well maintained. my indy did say first off he would do the oil analysis and a thorough inspection. I plan to follow his suggestions to the letter. he also said the same thing you and others have said, and that's some years were worse than others. he said most failures he saw occurred by 60,000 miles. I'm out of that window for my car.

originally, I never really liked the boxster and was holding out for a 911sc. it didn't happen and this car just appeared softly calling to me....I had to have it. it damn sure handles better than a 911...I don't miss the dreaded over steer of the 911's, which of course once you learned the car it pretty much became a non-issue....

thanks again to all...

tim

[imon_2nd]

I bought a 2004 Boxster S yesterday that has 98K miles on it and lots of service records. However the previous owner was pretty certain neither the IMS bearing nor the clutch had ever been replaced. Having researched these cars extensively, I've decided to have both done soon. My local Porsche expert at Schatz & Krum, Sacramento, CA, suggested using an oil-fed IMS bearing replacement, which would raise the cost of the combo job from about $2,800 to $3,400. The oil-fed bearing is supposedly a "life of the car" piece, as opposed to 40K miles on the ceramic bearing. Does anybody here have experience with the pressure-oiled IMS bearing?

[thom4782]

Nothing lasts forever.

If you're referring to the IMS Solution, it's probably the most bullet proof option out there because its a plain bearing. There's nothing to collapse, which leads to all sorts of other havoc.

The question to ask yourself is whether the $700 extra is worth the perceived risk it offsets. If you plan to keep the car a long time, say more than 100K, it's probably worth it.

BTW: the LN folks are saying to expect 75K miles on their IMS retrofits.

BTW2: I put the Solution in my 125K car b/c I didn't what to think about the IMS issue and its risks ever again.

[imon_2nd]

Just an update on my 2004 Box S...
Apparently, the engine failed at less than 47K miles while the first owner had it. Porsche replaced the motor under warranty. This was discovered last week when the indie shop removed the trans to do the clutch and IMS bearing. They found the motor is an M97, in which the cases must be split to replace the bearing.