RPMulli

I replaced mine at 97k miles and my bearing had minimal wear as well...

ivangene

anyone who has one of these replaced and is willing to send it to me, I have access to a microscope with digital camera... I would love to take some pictures of the race and ***** of one that came out of a car... I will pay shipping and return the bearing....

I would have to remove the outter seal ring and clean all/any grease out - then post pics on here.

JAMES! - you know yours is the one I want to do this to!!!!

where is he!
Ride, at 97k yours would be a great one too !!


(just got PM... I will have a bearing soon to take piics of)

Dharn55

I know that there has been a lot of talk here on the effect of oil changes on the IMS bearing, and I also believe in changing the oil every 5,000 or so. But the OEM bearing is sealed, so the engine oil does not lubricate it, so I am not sure how much of an impact oil changes have on the sealed bearing. In my case I followed the LN Engineering advice and removed the outer seal on my OEM bearing so now it does receive lubrication from the engine oil. Also, on the LN bearing there is no outer seal so the engine oil does provide lubrication.

I have read of cases where the IMS bearing failed with very low mileage, in one instance I think it was less than 5,000 miles. It seems to be kind of a hit or miss thing.

Next time I have my engine out of the car I am planning on installing the LN bearing, seems to be a much better quality bearing and relatively cheap insurance. I also have worked with one party that bought a silicon nitride bearing directly from a manufacturer for about $75 bucks, fabricated a shim as he has a dual row bearing and the replacement is not a wide as the stock dual row bearing, and installed it and it has been working fine. Now he still has the stock flange and mount/shaft and does not have a lot of miles on it yet.

Even if the bearings that LN uses are not nearly $595, I think that the flange, shaft, etc. and the research and development that they did justifies the price they ask for their upgrade.

ivangene

+1 on that flange and shaft... I am a machinist and looked at that thing and said... that alone is worth $500 if you were going to try and have one made - its a beautiful piece of work - and that bolt is MUCH better looking from a "stress crack" point of view!

If all you got was a bearing, i agree... source one out and be done, but the better/bigger shaft/bolt and the flange all as a package.... well worth it IMO

Barn996

Not to be a naysayer here, but I'm seeing lots of responses indicating OEM IMS bearings that "don't show any/much wear", or "my bearing was fine"....so, are these replacements really necessary, other than "peace of mind, good insurance" ? I sure hope I didn't just put the jinx on my engine.

kj217

i was just about ordering a new bearing,, this thread changed my mind,,

ivangene

Steve and others:

think of a wheel bearing on your car.... do they fail? Sure... how long do they last? well I bet some 1969 cars still have the original bearings in them....while others have had them replaced at very low miles.

will it last forever? most likely not

here are the question that hurts

Can you tell if its going bad? NO

so unlike a wheel bearing where you start to hear it whine and "go-out" then get it to a shop and have it fixed, this bearing doesnt give a warning (at least not one that is easy to identify)

The replacement is definantly "preventative" - "peace of mind"

For me the cost -vs- fear factor is one I am not willing to mess with and so I would change it - remember that is me

for the record my previous 996 has 120k miles on it and factory IMS bearing

LVDell

The worst thing you can do is allow anecdotal evidence sway your opinion either direction. If we allowed threads here to change our minds there would be no 996 forum.

With that said, I appreciate the fact that people like LN Engineering are working on "upgrades" to our cars. As long as you understand that parts like the IMS replacement is an upgrade and not a fix then you are good

Me? I just drive my cars VERY HARD, maintenance is VERY FREQUENT, and ENJOYMENT is at max. Did I mention I have 3 9X6 cars and love them?

ivangene

that "one" doesnt have this issue

but as Dell states, drive it... really drive it

IMO these motors suffer more from low rpm torque than high rpm running
- and the "tips dont have this issue" statement is completely false... I just helped rebuild a Tip with <30k miles on the clock for.... yup, you guessed it IMS failure

kj217

forums are there to share knowledge which may or may not set someone's mind accordingly,,

kj217

See?!
Here i am changing my mind back again

ivangene

its kind of a tough call, I lived with mine long enough and was about to change it when suddenly the car sold....

actually the new owner and I are working to change it anyway "just because" ---- when we get around to it

what car do you have?

kj217

996 MK I C2 Tip

ivangene

so I was looking at your posts and you just bought it right? about 60k on the clock...

lots of questions, lots of nerves, how do I do this, how do I do that, what is this.....
slow down there partner... breathe deep....

you are all over the place....

organize your plan of attack, prioritize them, and work on a plan to cover them...

I see "I want a GT3 wing, to whats this leak, and I am scared -

its exciting and scary to own these cars and it sounds like you want to do it all - right now.... for the most part budget was an issue for me so i had to plan out my moves...I made a few mistakes early on "jumping" on things I thought were cool or right.... its kind of normal, but you have to grab ahold of this pony and steer it towards your goal. Make a list of maintenance, upgrades, mods, wishes and weigh each of them in your own mind.... the answer will come to you


here are some data points
LINK

Link #2

kj217

i bought the car the day i registered here in this forum which provided more help than my local dealer,,
this is my 1st Porsche which turned to be a brand new experience,, my knowledge in other cars didn't seem to help with this one,,
i am still taking closer looks and poking it like an alien,,

sorry, for the many posts and questions,,

btw,, the GT3 wing was for a friend