What is boxster ims

First things first, a little basic information is in order before we get down to the nitty-gritty…. The intermediate shaft is basically a geared shaft that runs through and extends out from the front and rear of the engine. The main weaknesses inherent to the factory-original IMS bearings can be attributed to two glaring deficiencies: 1. The material the ball-bearings are constructed with is not quite strong enough to withstand the physical and thermal loads exerted upon them, and 2.

It has be en verifiably documented that some IMS bearings have failed after just 3, miles. More carnage from a failed Porsche IMS bearing. There can be many contributory reasons for IMS bearing failure and often it is a combination of causes that ultimately results in bearing failure. The exact rate of failure of these IMS bearings is tricky to nail down with any certainty. Once an intermediate shaft bearing fails, options quickly become few and expensive. The absolute best-case scenario and least likely is if only the intermediate shaft and bearings need to be replaced, and even that still involves a complete engine removal, inspection, and disassembly.

Any IMS bearing replacement is intended to be installed as a proactive measure in preventative and regular maintenance. Once an engine has suffered a failure, replacement of the intermediate shaft bearing is no longer an option. Installing a replacement IMS bearing in an engine that has already suffered a failure will result in a subsequent failure due to collateral damage, including but not limited to debris contaminating the new bearing.

Lubrication: Oiling is just one part of the IMS failure problem. As supplied by Porsche, the intermediate shaft uses a sealed ball bearing. Additionally, as the intermediate shaft itself is completely submerged at times, the shaft will actually fill up with engine oil. With long drain intervals, contaminants in the oil find their way into the bearings and intermediate shaft. These worn out seals do allow oil in but they also limit the exchange of fresh oil. Once the bearing begins to wear, the seal will actually fail completely, allowing for oil to wash out the permanent grease but not allowing for fresh oil to exchange in and out of the bearing during operation.

It is at this point that you can begin to find debris in the filter from the seal and from the bearing itself. The IMS Retrofit uses an open bearing no grease seal , allow engine oil to freely enter and exit the bearing.

This is another reason why frequent oil changes are a must — as this oil gets trapped and is one of the sources for lubrication of the new bearing! Forced oiling of the ball bearing does not provide any benefit as the bearing does not require or benefit from additional oil. Lubrication alone is not the problem. Lubricant-related failures can be avoided by selecting a grease or oil that generates a sufficient film to keep bearing elements separated. A good lubricant also provides good boundary lubrication.

Excessive wear on rolling elements, rings and cages follows, resulting in overheating and subsequent catastrophic failure. Unfortunately, there is no evidence of this with thousands of stock or ceramic hybrid replacement bearings LN Engineering has inspected. Furthermore, the bearing operates submerged in oil or partially submerged in normal operation, for example at idle, when bearing load is highest and need for lubrication is greatest.

Circulating oil, however, should not be used in high-speed applications, such as machines tool spindles, because of unacceptable friction losses as the lubricant moves through the bearing. In these applications, only a small amount of oil is needed, and a spray-mist system is generally preferred.

Another issue that forced oiling of a ball bearing does not solve is over-loading of the ball bearing. The single row ball bearing used starting in through was replaced with a larger bearing in with double the load capacity, restoring the original load capacity the dual row bearing first used in the M96 engine Insufficient load capacity leading to wear and fatigue is the primary problem with the single row bearing used in through , not lubrication!

It is for this same reason that the class action lawsuit settlement regarding the IMS only covers vehicles with the single row bearing as found in through model year vehicles! The best preventative measures that can be taken are to be religious with your maintenance schedule. So what can be done to minimize the likelihood of an IMS failure? If you drive short distances frequently or in cold climates, more frequent changes every 3, miles or 3 months is advisable.

As the IMS Retrofit employs an open bearing and is lubricated by engine oil in the crankcase, filtration is even more important. We use factory Mann, Mahle, or Hengst oil filters because of their high quality standards. Secondly, use of premium engine oil such as Total Quartz 5w40 which is a Porsche approved oil can also provide added protection to all critical engine components.

Typically replacement engines will have an AT, X, or Y in the engine serial number, which is located on the side of the sump. An engine fitted with a factory single row IMS bearing can be identified by measuring the original IMS flange dish depth. A single row IMS measures View Grid List. Add to Cart. MY IMS Bearing Replacements for and Model Year Porsche Boxster and Engines Starting with model year and ending with models, Porsche Boxster and engines were fitted with both dual row and single row intermediate shaft bearings.

Starting with the model year, the design was again revised to use a much larger single row bearing with the same load capacity of the early dual-row ball-bearings. However, starting with the model year, Porsche in its third revision of the intermediate shaft bearing changed over to a design that is not serviceable without engine dis-assembly, leaving later model years with no recourse for addressing this issue with preventative maintenance, which failures still frequent.

In all revisions, a sealed ball-bearing was used, rather than allowing for engine oil located in the wet sump to lubricate and cool the ball-bearing. There is no recommended service interval for these bearings nor provisions for their replacement from the factory. However, with model year through engines, the intermediate shaft bearing thankfully is serviceable and with preventative maintenance, costly repairs can be prevented.

The IMS Solution is a permanent fix with no service interval. Starting in , Porsche began phasing out the dual row bearing and went to a smaller single row, with significantly less load capacity. From through , all engines used this smaller intermediate shaft bearing until they went to the larger, third revision for the model year, which increased the load capacity back to what the original dual row bearing could support.

The larger model year and later bearing also increased the diameter, which increased the bearing and ball speed, further improving the bearing. However, this change has not been enough to resolve the IMS failure issues completely.

This coincides with the high number of failures we see in these model years. Regardless, all M96 and M97 engines from through can suffer intermediate shaft bearing failures at any mileage and at any time. With half the load capacity, it is clear to see that the reduced load capacity of the single row IMS bearing is a significant contributing factor to the increased number of failures and that oiling alone is not the cause or solution to IMS issues.

In addition to ball-bearing failures, the intermediate shaft can suffer other failures including but not limited to slippage of drive sprockets which can lead to valve timing related failures. Again, as a cost saving measure, the sprockets were not secured to the intermediate shaft. The center bearing support stud was manufactured with an o-ring groove cut into it, reducing its cross-sectional thickness to less than the diameter of the threads used to secure the IMS bearing assembly.

As such, it is common to have the center bearing support stud break during operation, resulting in a large oil leak, and is often an indicator of a failing or failed IMS bearing. It is not known exactly why these bearings failure, but there are many contributing factors including over-loading.

Poor lubrication, long drain intervals, high fuel and moisture content in the engine oil, high oil temperatures, and even operational speeds can affect bearing life. When an IMS failure occurs, or more specifically the ball-bearing or bearing support fails, the intermediate shaft is damaged beyond the point of being serviceable, but moreover, debris from the failure contaminates the entire engine, requiring a complete teardown and rebuild to recover from such a failure.

In worst-case scenarios, the cam timing can also be thrown off, causing valve to piston contact, and in some cases, even lead to a failure that requires replacement of the engine. In that case, the engine will not be accepted as a core, requiring the purchase of another core or to pay an ever-increasing core charge on top of the cost of the replacement engine.

Aside from the pro-active approach of replacing the IMS bearing prior to such a failure, prevention and early detection are some of the steps that can be taken to try to minimize the risk of a costly engine failure.