michaelo

Hello Everybody,
I am chasing my tail trying to get to the bottom of this issue. I brought to my mechanic my 2001 Carrera 4 to get the IMS bearing done, RMS as well as a new clutch (6 speed manual). When I went to pick up the car it had an awful scratching sound in the transmission when in gear (but not while its in neutral). He is saying now that the Transmission Pinion Bearing is the issue and that it is just bad luck on my part. He also said that nothing he did would have caused this. Question: Is he correct in saying that doing the IMS./RMS/Clutch would not have damaged the transmission at all? I do not know enough about these cars to make a conclusion which is why I am reaching out to you guys.I can't drive it until this is fixed but who is supposed to pay for this? Me or the shop?

cds72911

Done correctly, nothing about a clutch, RMS, IMS job would cause a transmission issue. All of the work is done on the engine side of the assembly. I can't imagine how it could possibly impact the pinion bearing.

Chris(MA)

I've never heard a car making a scratching sound before, do you have a video?

Pinion failing is usually worse in 3rd gear and happens gradually, getting worse over time. Not suddenly after work

michaelo

Perhaps it could be something else? Maybe a pilot bearing or a broken spring?

DBJoe996

Did they drain the transmission fluid and forget to put it back in? Is it a reputable shop? Meaning...is it possible they put YOUR transmission back in?

Charles Navarro

Sadly, these gearboxes indeed are susceptible to pinion bearing failures. This thread shows a good picture of the failed sealed 6204 single row bearing, same as the IMS bearing in the 00-05 model year vehicles:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ring-race.html

Was the flywheel replaced? Was the fluid changed in the gearbox?

There is a pilot bearing in it as well and the flywheels in my experience most always are bad and need to be replaced.

However I cannot see this being IMS bearing related - just want to clear the air on that since everyone always jumps to the IMS bearing as being the culprit.

JimmyB

Car wasn't making a scratching sound when it went it, but was when you got it back ... Hmmm ... Did they (as I'd expect a reputable Porsche indy to do) do a road test before starting work and after completion?

Porschetech3

This noise you hear when in gear but not in neutral, is the car sitting still? The reason I ask is if the car is sitting still and in gear, there is nothing moving INSIDE the transmission, therefore could not be a pinion bearing noise..

IF this noise is happening at a certain speed or gear, that changes everything. A very detailed description of symptoms is needed here.

michaelo

The noise only happens while the car is in gear and moving. It makes a consistent shhhh ...shhhh sound while in any gear at any speed. However, if I put it in neutral while I am moving....the sound goes away. If I am not moving there is no noise, whether or not it is in gear. Overall, the clutch feels great and the car drives fine.....but the noise is annoying. If the windows are open and the radio or a/c is on...it is not that easy to hear. I suspect when they road tested my car, they did not hear it due to these possible reasons.

So my next question is this. Is the shop on the hook for this repair or not? It did happen while they were working on the car, and they had to pull the transmission down. Coincidence? They said it was 'bad luck'. But is it my bad luck or their bad luck. Who pays for this? Now if they were fixing something unrelated like the passenger door window, I would agree that it was my bad luck.

I asked the shop what they can do for me, and they simply said that they could rebuild the transmission and it will be very expensive. Ouch!

Thoughts?

cds72911

De Jeeper

I think its possible to aggrivate the front bearing by pulling and reinstalling, if is was going bad. Even with alignment pins the trans will never go back i exactly the same place. Normally a good bearing wouldnt care but if it was failing it could push it over the edge.

I do a ton of gear swaps on jeeps. Sometimes an axle seal leaks or a wheel bearing goes bad shortly after. Its just the way it goes when things r pulled apart and put back together.

michaelo

cds72911, I am way to old to need an "internet crowd" to support blaming a shop. If i wanted to blame the shop I would have simply called Chase and disputed the credit card charge. Rather, I am trying to educate myself to try and understand the reason why this noise suddenly started right after the work was completed in the transmission area. My mechanic said it was "bad luck" (and he may well be correct), but I was hoping for a bit more clarity, hence this thread. I am also thinking that maybe the transmission is not even the issue, maybe it's the new IMS bearing (or something else outside of the transmission). The scrapping noise is only there while driving in gear (no noise while coasting in neutral and no noise while in park) . Question: What are the moving parts between the engine and transmission while in gear and the car is moving?

Also, I am also going to take it to another shop for a second opinion today and I will report back their findings here. Basically, I am trying to avoid spending $4K unnecessarily for a new transmission.

Charles Navarro

If the sound goes away in neutral when coasting or in park, it's not the IMS bearing. The IMS bearing is in constant operation regardless of whether or not the transmission is engaged.

De Jeeper

A second opinion is wise but i think the trans has to be pulled to really diagnose the problem.

DBJoe996

What clutch parts were replaced when they did this job? Pilot bearing, DMF, clutch plate, spring pressure plate, throw out bearing, new upgraded release lever, etc.? Are the half-shafts bolted up evenly? Can you grab them and see if there is any play? I know you said in neutral, moving or not moving, you do not get the noise. Just trying to get some other ideas out there.