Question On Auto Tranny Removal

[trace2race]

Book refers to the Bentley manual for this. Has anyone on here removed an auto tranny? My car is a 2001 Boxster S that needs the IMS bearing changed out.

[Dmitry at Pelican Parts]

I wasn't able to find an article on the procedure to remove the auto tranny, but I was able to find a guide on the IMS bearing replacement. I hope you find the below link helpful!

Pelican Technical Article: Boxster Intermediate Shaft Bearing Replacement and Upgrade (IMS) - 986 Boxster (1997-04) - 987 Boxster (2005-06)

[trace2race]

I have read it several times. Everything on the transmission removal is cut and dry accept for the torque converter procedure. The book says you need a special tool to secure the torque converter.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by trace2race

I have read it several times. Everything on the transmission removal is cut and dry accept for the torque converter procedure. The book says you need a special tool to secure the torque converter.

The special tool is a 5/16 rod with a handle on it; it inserts through the top of the bell housing to hold the converter. You can make one from some scrap rod stock.

[trace2race]

Excellent! Great pic. thanks. Im trying to find replacement converter bolts. I have never reused them on any of projects. Any ideas where to buy? Could not find them available from Pelican Parts.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by trace2race

Excellent! Great pic. thanks. Im trying to find replacement converter bolts. I have never reused them on any of projects. Any ideas where to buy? Could not find them available from Pelican Parts.

Go to Porsche (we use Sunset Porsche in Beaverton OR), the bolts are readily available and cheap.

[Bilmar72]

Trace2Race I have just carried out that same job. Not too difficult but being a Boxster access is often a challenge and the correct procedure MUST be followed. My car is a 2004 Boxster S which is my first Porsche and was purchased three months ago. I knew about the IMS issue but I underestimated how much it would detract from my enjoyment of the car. It was constantly on my mind.
I realise this is a personal thing and some people can just ignore it and I envy them. But not me, knowing what the IMS bearing is, how it works and it potential for destroying the engine without warning was just not something I could live with. Being located in Australia these cars hold their price better than in the US or UK so the thought of a $30k car turning into a $10k car in a blink would not be a good day.
For various reasons I decided to change the bearing myself and after further research uncovered the LN Engineering IMS Solution I was off. All parts ordered ex Pelican Parts including the new bearing, fitting tool kit and supplementary tool kit.
Working with the car as high as possible on axle stands I set about removing the tiptronic transaxle (a pain working through the starter aperture) but doable with a hired transmission jack and the rear bumper and exhaust removed. See pic. The bricks are insurance!

Some tips I discovered:
1. Don’t bother trying to get the transmission cooler hoses off, cut them and replace
2. Make sure you record which bellhousing bolts came from where, they are different lengths and long one in a short hole will do damage. The bottom left bolt is annoying, a splined cap screw.
3. The transmission is both heavy and top heavy, use a good transmission jack with pitch and roll adjustment on the head. I hired one and it made all the difference. See pic.
4. You will need to support the back of the engine, I made an engine support bar from a timber beam.

I then followed the IMS Solution detailed instructions step by step and to the letter. Being terrified of losing the cam timing, I locked both cam banks just to be safe.
In the IMS Solution installation video the engine is out of the car and the 4 – 6 cam tensioner is whipped out in seconds. In my Boxster that took me half a day while I worked out how to remove the left bank inlet manifold and the power steering reservoir and pipe so I could lift the A/C compressor out of the way. Yikes, lucky I had plenty of time and was not doing this commercially!
The installation went smoothly however and after installing the new filter and adaptor, the oil line and a new RMS using a homemade installer, I reinstalled the tiptronic. The big trap when bolting the flex plate to the torque converter is to drop one of the 6 bolts down in the bellhousing, requiring the tip to be removed again. Not good. To prevent this I retained each bolt onto the driver using a kitchen towel packer and taped the paper to the driver so it would pull out with it.
So, all doable if you take your time and think things through.
And my IMS bearing? When cleaned it was loose and ran rough. Examining the race surfaces after cutting the outer race showed a generally smooth surface but with noticeable “lateral stutter” marks across the bearing track. See pic. Car now awesome.

[Emo993]

Nice job bilmar72, some nice tips......also love you brick garage. Best, Mark

[trace2race]

Thanks Bilmar. I am a little terrified of not getting the cams locked correctly. Also I didn't realize the extra work it will take to get access. Thanks for all the great info!

[boxzilla]

After replacing the IMS and RMS I am in the process of putting back together my 01 "S" with tip and have hit a wall. When reinstalling the trans it seems that the torque converter to flex plate have misaligned and I cannot replace the 6 bolts to mate them. Anyone with insight on how to spin the torque converter (preferable without having to re-drop the trans as it was so much fun the 1st time)? I can rotate the flex plate by turning the crank but I think that would only make my situation worse? Thanks in advance for your insight!

[JFP in PA]

Sounds like you did not install the trans with the pin shown above in place, which would have held the converter in the correct orientation to align the first bolts. If that is the case, you need to back the trans away from the engine, rotate the converter until you can insert the pin, then reinstall it. Once you get the first bolts started, rotating the crank will get the rest in.

[boxzilla]

JFP ~ Thank you for your timely response. Actually I did pin the torq with a drill bit, however it dislodged when it got caught on a hose during the reinstall process. I imagine I can't be off by much. How hard is it for the torq to rotate that it could have moved more than 1/2"? If I rotate the crank what are the chances that the torq would rotate independently from the flex plate?

[JFP in PA]

Usually, rotating the crank will not move the converter very well. You can try it.

[boxzilla]

Thanks JFP....if this works I'm heading to A/C to play roulette!