ims bearing

[box 986]

hey guys, I have a 1999 2.5 986 with 75,000 miles on the clock, and recently i started reading lots of thing about the ims bearing issue and how catastophic it could be. The thing is that it's not exactly cheap to upgrade the bearings and my clutch is giving me no problems till now, so removing it now to get to the ims would seem like a waste, since i'd might as well do a new one when i remove it.
what do you guys think, anyone ever suffered an ims bearing on your boxsters? any suggestions please?

 

[wysri9]

My 2000 986 has now done 128k miles on original clutch and with no squeek from the IMS. My feeling is that the more you use it the better as far as the IMS is concerned! SR

 

[gazrawly]

A brother of a customer of mine has a 2003 Boxster S which suffered an IMS bearing failure but mileage is unknown. Another customer of mine had an engine failure at 20,000 miles caused by a lifter which broke up, Porsche would only replace the engine as they failed to locate the broken piece of the lifter. That said, there are plenty of others driving around, most owners have no clue what an IMS bearing is. I am now under the impression that the risk of failure is ultra low. I remember someone mentioning a 2% chance of an IMS bearing failure by the time the engine had covered 100K miles or so. If this is true, then it seems your just as likely to have a cylinder head crack. If your hands on with your car, remove the oil filter and carefully inspect it for shiney flakes of metal on a regular basis. There is an IMS guardian available if your really worried. It should give you a warning when the bearing is breaking down That said, I will have the IMS bearing replaced when the clutch is being replaced.

 

[box 986]

2 of my mates have boxsters and one of them has had it longer than me and both of them had never heard of the ims before i told them about it, and their attitude is that they dont care much about it,just drive the car and enjoy it. Me on the other hand, i'm constantly worried about this bloomin' ims tot the point that every small knock that i hear makes me think the ims is about to fail! My mechanic told me that with that reasoning i should worry about other things too that could kill the engine. But it seems that there is seach a big deal about this ims bearing on the internet that makes you wonder. Ive heard that early boxsters like mine have a dual row bearing and the later ones have a single row. Any of you guys know if one is more prone to fail than the other?

 

[gazrawly]

There have been cases of all engines fitted with the IMS bearing failing. Porsche continued using various types of these bearings until around 2008/9 I believe. I really wouldn't concern yourself too much as it will only dampen the experience of driving the car. There are problems with every car on the market. Have a read of this http://www.pedrosgarage.com/Site_5/Kaboom!.html Do a search on the website for pricing on replacing the IMS bearing. It's not a colossal amount of money to replace and may give you the piece of mind you require. If you decide against having it replaced, just be sure to enjoy the car [8D]

 

[Glyn]

Your mates are right in what they say about driving it and not worrying about it, There are usually no signs of impending IMS failure- when they let go the engine is destroyed in seconds, however i wouldnt think the chances are even 2% - its less than that. On the forums everyone talks about IMS, there may be one or two cases in which a member has suffered IMS - but there is a lot more talk than failures. Of course, if you are the one that suffers the failure then i imagine you would be a little annoyed, however, I had two Boxsters over ten years with no major issues at all, but if you drive it worrying about what could happen you will spoil the enjoyment of the car - all you can do is keep up the service schedule or decide the worry outweighs the enjoyment and get rid of it - but if you choose the later course of action you will be doing yourself no favours. If the very worst happened you can pick up a 2.5 power plant for less than 2K - with fitting and a new clutch at the same time perhaps another 1K - so for 3k ish that would be your total risk. The 2.5s were pretty much bullet proof so dont dwell on what could happen otherwise you will never enjoy the car - and if that happens what would be the point of keeping it. Drive it, enjoy it and welcome to the forum

 

[box 986]

yep you guys are right. I really like the car, I cant afford another porsche at the moment, so might as well enjoy this one whilst i have it. sometimes ignoriss is bliss! i didnt worry about this problem before i knew about it! I know the amount to replace it might not be that bad, but ity seems like a pitty to change the clutch now whilst its still good, and most probably flywheel as well whilst youre at it! next time im at the mechanic ill tell him to inspect the oil filter well, and hopefully ill just forget about it then! thanks guys

 

[gazrawly]

ORIGINAL: box 986 yep you guys are right. I really like the car, I cant afford another porsche at the moment, so might as well enjoy this one whilst i have it. sometimes ignoriss is bliss! i didnt worry about this problem before i knew about it! I know the amount to replace it might not be that bad, but ity seems like a pitty to change the clutch now whilst its still good, and most probably flywheel as well whilst youre at it! next time im at the mechanic ill tell him to inspect the oil filter well, and hopefully ill just forget about it then! thanks guys

When my 986 S was in for service, I cut the oil filter plastic ends off with a hacksaw and pulled the filter apart like an oriental paper fan and closely inspected it for any flakes of metal. Nothing was found, the car is now on close to 80,000miles and an 02 plate car. No history of IMS being replaced, only the RMS (rear main seal) at 25,000miles in 2007.