Quote:
Originally Posted by boyt911sc
(Post 9104594)
Duc,
What would be a typical budget to fix or repair the IMS in 996 cars? I have rebuild more than a dozen 911 engines but never been near a 996 engine. Would DIYers be able to perform this repair at home? What special tools are needed? Thanks.
Tony
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Tony,
$2-3K as a very rough guideline, depending on shop labor rate, which bearing kit is used, and potential for other "while you're in there" jobs. IMS bearing replacements are a bread and butter job for indy garages right now. I was in a friend's shop the other day, and he had 2 IMSB jobs on the lifts and another waiting. When I did one on my 996 C4S last year, the upgraded bearing kit from LN Engineering was difficult to get due to demand.
I did the job myself. For a DIY person, the most challenging part would be removing and re-installing the transmission. Dropping the transmission would be 'ok' with the car on jack stands, but getting it aligned for reinstallation would be a bear. When I did it, I used a lift and a transmission jack. In this case, aligning the tranny took 5-10 minutes. I can see how it would potentially take a first-timer hours to accomplish the transmission install while crawling around under the car.
There are some upsides to the 996 layout, however. The 996 has a rear subframe under the engine. This allows for dropping the tranny without having to drop the engine. In between dropping my tranny and installing my IMSB, several weeks passed. My engine just rested on the subframe at the rear, and on a pole jack near the flywheel. Lowering the engine to rest on the subframe can be done with a trolley jack and hand tools in about 10 minutes for the DIY guy, and makes access to common jobs much easier. I used this technique to replace my air/oil separator and my coolant tank.
Tools needed: flywheel lock, camshaft locks, and IMS bearing tools. The bearing replacement itself is not particularly difficult. It rewards obsessive attention to cleanliness and detail. It is also helpful to have excellent lighting, to illuminate the work area and evaluate the alignment of the intermediate shaft. This job, just like an air cooled 911, provides a great opportunity (excuse?!) for "while you're in there" jobs. Just off the top of my head: Clutch, flywheel, rear main seal, air/oil separator, upgraded clutch arm, engine mounts, coolant tank. There are more, I'm sure.
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