IMS Failure Paranoia - Page 2

Phillip Jones · Phillip Jones's Garage

My car was low mileage, lady driven, stored in winter and long intervals between oil changes. The double row bearing we took out was in perfect shape. FYI.

Miguel Antonett · 05-09-2013, 12:05 PM

Encouraging... the way it should be!

WhipE350 · 05-09-2013, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phillip Jones

My car was low mileage, lady driven, stored in winter and long intervals between oil changes. The double row bearing we took out was in perfect shape. FYI.

Yup I bought my car in Nov 2010 with 50k miles on it, have 60k now. The previous owner changed the oil around 12 to 15k miles and the car sat for years sometimes barely being driven. BUT it is a 2000 'S' with a DOUBLE row and when I replaced it, well it was like brand new.

If you have a single row and you are concerned about a blowout then just replace and never worry again. Trust me it works. Enjoy what Porsche is good at, making a fun driving machine.

I also had and recently sold a 2007 with low miles, I never worried about the bearing for a minute, I figured the odds of the bearing blowing up were much less than the car being totaled be some careless driver or me doing something stupid.

To the OP enjoy and don't worry, just drive defensively to avoid the higher risk possibility of having a wreck

Cheers.

Steve986 · 05-10-2013, 06:31 AM

Quote:

the odds of the bearing blowing up were much less than the car being totaled be some careless driver

Good point.

pcmpete · pcmpete's Garage

I hate looking at this forum when nothing is currently wrong with my boxster. Every bang/knock/rattle I hear while trying to enjoy the car I am automatically think back to what I have read on the forums

The more you read, the more you know, the more you know, more the Paranoia...

P.s. I do love this forum

tomk · 05-11-2013, 04:30 AM

As a PM I changed the IMS on my '99 base at 160k. The old bearing looked perfect. i tried sell it in the classified on this site, with mileage disclosure of course, but no one seemed to see the humor in it. oh well

recycled sixtie · recycled sixtie's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by pcmpete

I hate looking at this forum when nothing is currently wrong with my boxster. Every bang/knock/rattle I hear while trying to enjoy the car I am automatically think back to what I have read on the forums

The more you read, the more you know, the more you know, more the Paranoia...

P.s. I do love this forum

This reminds me of the old saying ignorance is bliss. I like the saying knowledge is money saved better....I do know what you mean though. You only hear about the problems on these car forums.

Miguel Antonett · 05-17-2013, 01:18 PM

I personally believe that passing the 50K miles threshold w/o any indication of failure = you're "good to go". Regardless, I drive the car pretty hard - every chance I have, as most of us, I guess - and don't really think much about anything other than the engine note to shift... used to worry a bit about the bearings early in the game, but not anymore.

Steve986 · 05-18-2013, 02:06 PM

I have a 2001 with 40,000 miles on it. According to the general wisdom of this forum I'm in the death zone. So, what to do?

Worry then replace?

OR

don't worry and don't replace ?

OR

don't replace and worry?

OR

replace and never worry about my IMS ever again, but instead start worrying about my prostate.

Hmmm... I'm leaning towards don't worry and don't replace, but get AAA... and a good proctologist.

Steve

Alphaboy1 · 05-18-2013, 02:52 PM

Steve... I would wait till you change the clutch. I just turned 50k on my Boxster S and have them check oil and filter every change which I do at 2000 mile intervals.

PWilson45 · PWilson45's Garage

For cryin' out loud. this paranoia has driven the resale value to the ground.
Drive it. If it blows up, throw it away and buy another one. they're cheap now.

Alphaboy1 · 05-19-2013, 04:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PWilson45

For cryin' out loud. this paranoia has driven the resale value to the ground.
Drive it. If it blows up, throw it away and buy another one. they're cheap now.

Not sure about your comment...resale value to the ground. KBB indicates a steady slow rise in private sale value every time I look

Scubby65 · 05-22-2013, 05:03 PM

I admit that I was also very paranoid about the IMS failure so shortly after i bought my 2001 Boxster S with 23K miles on it so I went ahead and had the LNE ceramic IMS bearing installed. It cost me about $2K to get it done but I haven't had a thought about it since!! Makes for much smoother sailing due to good peace of mind. In other words, to me it was worth the money to get the up-grade and not have to worry about it any more and just enjoy driving the car.

ATX_Boxster · 05-22-2013, 08:30 PM

What was the condition of your bearing when it was removed? Also - single or double row?

Scubby65 · 05-23-2013, 08:00 AM

The bearing was fine with no play and I believe it was a single row. I know there was some confusion and they ordered the wrong one from LNE so it took a little longer for the fix. According to the VIN number it should have been a double row bearing but it was a single which they didn't find out until they pulled it out. So yes it could have lasted the entire life of the car but it would have been nagging me the whole way and distracting me from the enjoyment of my first Porsche!!

)

ATX_Boxster · 05-23-2013, 08:23 PM

Thanks for the info... I'm in a similar situation with a recently purchased 2000 S with less than 30K on the odometer. The car still seems like new...and although I've done a lot of preventative maintenance...I still can't help but think about the issues with the IMS bearing. Luckily, I have found a good local shop that is experienced with the issue. I plan to change the oil frequently, and monitor the filters.

More than likely, I'll wait to do the swap until it's time for a new clutch. That is - unless my nerves get the best of me!

Steve986 · 05-24-2013, 06:32 AM

Quote:

So yes it could have lasted the entire life of the car but it would have been nagging me the whole way and distracting me from the enjoyment of my first Porsche!!

Well, that's the issue isn't it? So, it appears that plenty of folks have removed a perfectly fine IMS costing anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000 (assuming they farmed it out) just for piece of mind.

Considering the value of a 10 or 12 year old Boxster , percentage wise that's some pretty expensive piece of mind... about 25% to 40% of the car's value... and most of the time the original bearing is fine. My logic tells me to leave it alone and worry about something that really matters.

Phillip Jones · Phillip Jones's Garage

I went ahead and swapped my bearing out as well. What weight and brand oil are you using with your new ceramic bearing?

Miguel Antonett · 06-02-2013, 12:28 PM

^^^... "My logic tells me to leave it alone and worry about something that really matters..."

+1 on that!

Sapientoni · Sapientoni's Garage

I was a "predictive maintenance specialist". I received bearing maintenance training from a couple different mfgrs. Roller and ball bearings have a predictable design life time. Bearing size X load X RPM are the pertinent factors that determine "expected" bearing life. Testing has shown that some bearings will outlast the expected life with only a couple drops of initial oil instead of the ounce of grease they are designed for. Others don't make it with all the original design elements. A crankshaft or rod bearing is actually sliding on a bearing made of oil molecules that are absorbing the impacts and resisting the friction. A ball bearing is slightly flexing on the contact surfaces as it rolls. Eventually these surfaces fatigue and pieces pop off. instead of lying back down flat..spalling. Bearing is disintegrating. Repair at safe intervals, be alert to impending warnings, or wait until failure proves you should have replaced it a week ago.
It's a sad day when an "improved design" means you have to spend thousands of dollars to replace a $40 part that used to be replaceable far easier.