An engine’s front and back are traversed by a geared shaft called the Porsche IMS, or intermediate shaft. By means of the crankshaft’s mechanical revolution, it indirectly drives the camshafts on either side of the engine. The issue was not with the shaft itself. Since the 911 has existed, the shaft design has been used, and it has been successful as a component of the flat-six engines for which the Porsche is famous. However, the sealed cartridge-style ball bearings that support the IMS were the source of the IMS issue that existed previous until 2009.
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How to Determine If Your Porsche’s IMS Bearing Is Failing
IMS bearing failure is a problem that affects Porsche vehicles quite frequently. The intermediate shaft, which runs the length of the engine, is supported by the IMS bearing (also known as the intermediate shaft bearing). In most Porsches, the issue is not the actual intermediate shaft. The infamous engine issues that beset this antique automobile brand are caused by the IMS bearing.
The IMS bearing in your Porsche could break down from regular wear and tear. However, mechanical errors account for the majority of this feature’s failures. Due to their older designs, the Porsche models 986, 987, 996, and 997 are more vulnerable to IMS bearing failure.
Lack of lubrication causes the bearing to repeatedly overheat, which eventually leads to IMS bearing failure. The only real defense against this is to get your automobile serviced on a regular basis by qualified mechanics and to get an oil change every two years.
IMS bearing failure may not be completely preventable, but any mechanic with expertise in Porsches will be able to spot any little details that might point to this system malfunctioning. To avoid a complete failure, they will give you advice and make improvements while conducting inspections.
How much will it cost to replace my Porsche’s IMS bearing?
bearing replaced. The actual replacement of the ims bearing will take 10–14 hours.
To separate the engine and transmission, the engine and transmission must be dropped.
to have the IMS bearing changed. There are other more things that should be considered as well.
Which Porsche models are susceptible to IMS bearing failure?
All Boxster, Cayman, and 911 vehicles from MY1997 to MY2008, with the exception of Turbo, GT2, and GT3 variants, are susceptible to IMS bearing failure.
But over time, the types of bearings utilized changed, and some of them were more likely to fail than others. According to statistics, the Boxster 986 and 911 models built between model years 2000 and 2005 are the most likely to experience IMS bearing failure, whereas the odds are extremely low for a Boxster 987 or Cayman built after a stronger bearing was introduced in late 2005.
In terms of mileage, there is no clear trend in the failures; some owners were unfortunate enough to encounter IMS issues at less than 20,000 miles, while others assumed they were safe only to have the bearing fail at 130,000 miles. In summary, you should be aware of potential issues if you now own or intend to purchase one of the versions with the weaker bearing that were in use from 2000 until late 2005.
The base engine (3.6) bears the designation “M96,” and depending on your engine number, you may have the smaller IMS or the revised bigger bearing:
Engine (3.6) number M96/05 69507476 has the larger updated IMS bearing, while Engine (3.6) number M96/05 69507475 has the smaller IMS bearing.
The “S” Engine (3.8) is designated “M97” and features a choice of a smaller or bigger upgraded IMS bearing:
Engine (3.8) numbers beginning with M97/01 68509791 have the larger updated IMS bearing, whereas Engine (3.8) numbers up to M97/01 68509790 have the previous IMS bearing.
For a Bearing, $20,000?
Although a high-quality replacement improved IMS bearing does not cost “$20,000,” failing to do so could easily necessitate a significant engine repair or rebuild for your 911 or Boxster, which could cost more than $20,000.
Porsche 911s and Boxsters are an exceptional blend of power, usability, and top-notch German engineering. Because of its reputation as one of the highest caliber automakers, Porsche is adored all over the world. Even when Porsche automobiles have mileage that is up to 2-3 times that of their direct competitors, they nonetheless maintain an exceptional resale value. It is not unusual to find a contemporary water-cooled daily-driven 911 on the market with 150,000km or more with routine maintenance by a Porsche specialist.
Like other vehicles, 911s and Boxsters require special maintenance that must be done with great care. For Porsche, this includes the Intermediate Shaft Bearing, sometimes known as the “IMS” bearing.
Most of us Porsche owners have heard of the IMS bearing, but what is it and why are we interested in it? In essence, it’s a bearing in the back of the engine that needs the transmission to be removed in order to access. We don’t want to get into all of the “since you’re in there, let’s replace more” components, but there are quite a few of them. The two most important ones are that a clutch replacement and a rear main seal replacement can frequently be done simultaneously with an IMS retrofit installation at a low additional labor cost.
The IMS problem primarily affects years 1999 through 2005.
5 Porsche 911 and Boxster models with early M97 and M96 engines. Owners of turbos are not required to apply. In your autos, this problem is not present.
Returning to the IMS bearing now. The intermediate shaft’s main function is to use the crankshaft as an indirect drive for the camshafts. By using an intermediate shaft, the speed of the chains is decreased, improving chain life and the durability of all related components. The six-cylinder aircooled Mezger Porsche engine was built using this fundamental concept from its inception until 1998. The horizontally opposed flat 6 engine that Porsche uses has come to rely heavily on the addition of an intermediate shaft, which powers the camshafts indirectly off the crankshaft.
A dual-row ball bearing was used into the first IMS design, which was in service until 1999. (and included some 2000 and 2001 Boxster models). Porsche started to phase out the dual row bearing in late 1999 and switched to a single row bearing that was smaller but had a much lower load capability. All Porsche 911 models manufactured between 1999 and 2005.5 should have the single row OEM bearing replaced with our improved IMS bearing. The design was once more altered beginning with the 2006 model year to utilize a significantly larger single row bearing with a load capacity equivalent to the early dual-row IMS bearings. For 911 vehicles manufactured from 2006 to 2008, the factory-installed “grease seal” may need to be removed even though the IMS bearing does not need to be replaced. This makes it easier for the bearing to have enough lubrication to ensure a long life. The transmission must be removed in order to remove the grease seal, which is frequently done when the clutch and rear main seal are replaced.
Porsche Single-Row IMS Bearing Is Shown, and Special Installation Tools Are Needed
Porsche stopped utilizing the IMS bearing in what year?
The IMS (middle shaft) of an M96 or M97 engine is supported by a sealed ball bearing. the bearing installed on the intermediate shaft by
Porsche offers an interval, replacement process, or replacement IMS bearing for
It was not able to replace or upgrade the original factory IMS bearing until LN Engineering.
inquiries to find out all there is to know about intermediate shaft bearings
and why the best IMS bearing Retrofit and Solution products are those made by LN Engineering
What model year Porsche has an IMS issue?
The intermediate shaft bearing, commonly known as an IMS bearing, has a significant failure rate in the Porsche 911 and Porsche Boxster from model years 1997 to 2005. Its build and design cause the bearing to prematurely fail, which causes a catastrophic engine failure.
Do the Porsche 997’s IMS suffer problems?
It is important to be aware of the problems with the IMS bearings in the 996 and 997 generations if you currently own or are thinking about purchasing a 911 Porsche model or year prior to 2009. It is commonly known that these vehicles’ intermediate shaft (IMS), which operated the engines’ camshafts, had a flaw.
Why do IMS bearings fail?
The majority of Porsche IMS bearing failure situations are caused by a combination of factors that eventually lead to the bearing’s disintegration. Normal wear and tear is a contributing factor, but that is not always the case. When a heavy load and insufficient lubrication combine to create overheating, it is one of the main causes of bearing failure in the IMS. Pits are left behind as a result of friction and fracture caused by the overheated metal in the bearing. These pits exponentially speed up the cycle of wear and tear, leading to early IMS bearing failure.
What indications point to an IMS bearing failure?
There are three warning signals that a bearing is failing: finding metallic debris in the oil filter while doing an oil change; discovering an oil leak at the rear of the engine; or beginning to hear metallic and knocking noises coming from the back of the engine.
What does it cost to replace an IMS bearing?
Thousands of independent technicians advocate IMS Retrofit ceramic hybrid ball bearing as the best preventive treatment because it is the only long-term fix for IMS bearing issues in M96/M97 engines. IMS Retrofit replacement bearings typically cost more than $4,000 in labor and materials, but they can be installed at the same time as the clutch. Compared to the price of rebuilding or replacing the entire engine, this is a relatively low expenditure. The cost of this repair should be weighed against the minimal likelihood that an IMS breakdown will occur in an older Porsche. You might decide it is worth the risk if you carefully evaluate the possibility of a future failure and compare it to the cost of an IMS Retrofit bearing. This preventative procedure, however, may very well be a worthwhile outlay to avoid future harm and larger spending in the future if you are worried about the health and well-being of your Porsche.