Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Not sure if this has been posted before, but someone caught their IMS bearing giving out on video:

WARNING - this is painful to watch.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70933201@N ... hotostream

Makes you wince

Ouch !!

I must admit, I dont know what an IMS bearing is, but I hope that my SC doesnt have one.....

That was painfull to listen to, just think how much damage and with no warning
Dont worry not fitted to SC only watercooled

Nasty one.

Nice....maybe I need a 993 instead

wonder what the driver said, when Mrs Satnav kept saying "turn Right" after the engine let go

Maybe Mrs. SatNav hasn't got the phrase "Your engine is bu99ered" in the database.....

Poor lad! This is always in the back of my mind with my Cayman.

OOooooohhhhh, we normally get to see the aftermath, not the process!

Aircooled 911's have them too, but they are so reliable you never hear anyone have a problem with them.

Aircooled ones are a bit funny because if you buy a new one from the factory, they are not up to the tolerances specified in the manual!

This is the biggest nightmare for Porsche owners! There is so much stuff on the Internet, do's and don't's etc, that you don't know who to believe. Seems to read to me that the M96 engine suffers more failures than the M97 engine? Also that tiptronics fail more than manual versions and that S models suffer more than base models?

I read an article the other day saying that a 2009 Boxster S failed after only 12000 mile!

Not a nice subject, but it's real and it's out there. Shame owners never get good support from Porsche themselves

As soon as I can afford it, I'll get the IMS in mine changed for either an LN one or similar.
In the mean time I'll run heavier weight oil with lots of ZDDP which will help reduce the risk of scored bores. Despite mine being a Tip once warmed up I give maximum beans as far as I can & I make sure it doesn't lug at low speed especially when cold.
Otherwise I drive it, if you read the horror stories about M96 then you wouldn't buy one in the first place

I may seek some advice from my local independent Porsche garage. Don't know if I should replace the ims in my Cayman to a LN seal with it having the M97 engine?

Yeah I read to drive it hard, use it often, and keep an eye on the oil level and leaks. Still makes me uneasy to think that it could fail though

Cleggy, the M97 can have an uprated IMS from LN. The MY06-08 ones need dismantling to extract the IMS though you cannot pull it out.
http://www.flat6innovations.com/
However I know that the the later the engine the less likely in theory for the IMS to fail.
Bore scoring does seem to be an issue even on late engines though.