Just took my 1999 996 Carrera in to have the IMS bearing replaced. (I bought the car in January 2019 with 50K miles.) Just got a call from the shop that they pulled the old IMS bearing and the bearing had just started to fail. Apparently 2 bearings seem to be missing. (No indication on my part that something bad was happening to the motor.) The shop is investigating their options to present to me and I want to make sure I'm not missing a low(er) cost solution to my troubles. I'm in Northern California. Any idea what the cost would be to rebuild the motor? (I was guessing around $10K.) What is the cost of a "crate" rebuilt motor? $15K? $20K or more? Besides a motor rebuild and a replacement engine, what other options might I have?

By the way, I think my wife is on another forum right now looking into the cost of a hitman to take me out.

(BTW: I tried to search the forum but couldn't narrow down the search parameters enough or find a recent post. Sorry if this is listed elsewhere.)

John "Just Shoot Me Now"

 

Oh boy! I feel for you John 😩 “Two ***** missing”, is not a “just starting to fail scenario” - I think it would be considered a “stage 3” failure by FSI standards. Do some more reading, and don’t panic! You’ve got options, though none of them are inexpensive. Good luck

 

At least they didn't just slap a new bearing in without telling you.

 

There is a reasonable cost factory short block option, but with labor and "while you are in there" stuff, I'm guessing you'd be close to $10k. ~$5-10k for a salvage motor from a wrecking yard. ~$10-15k or more for a stock rebuild. No personal experience but I've read $20k and up for a Flat Six Innovations upgraded rebuild (cost goes up depending on which options you select). Keep in mind, some options have significant waiting lists, and others come with caveats.

 

Why not drop the sump plate, retrieve the errant parts and take a look around? You said it was running fine when you dropped it off and I assume that also means no strange sounds. If it all looks good, it would be very tempting to just put a new IMSB in it and run it. Yeah, I know, flame away....

 

I'm sorry to hear that. As someone who has been in your position, I know how bad it sucks. My motor had bore scoring, not IMS issues, but the consequences are similar.

I did a ton of legwork to figure out different engine rebuild/replace options and posted them on a thread here: 2019 Engine Rebuild Comparison RND/FSI/EBS/Vertex. Since there are so many variables about what gets replaced, rebuilt, and shipped, I made a spreadsheet to compare all the components and the prices. There is a link in the first post of the thread. You should check out the spreadsheet and will likely benefit from reading the full thread.

In the end, I found a small indy shop I could trust to install the factory short block. I also had the heads refinished, replaced the clutch, coolant tank, and AOS, and it all came out to about $14k.

Be prepared for others on this forum to push you to the extremes, recommending to either dump the car or spend $25k+ on an FSI engine. Lots of them haven't been in this position, so it's theoretical for them. Others have their own motives for pushing a certain approach. Take your time to do some research, keep in mind which parameters are most important to YOU (e.g. cost, timing, longevity) and then make your own informed choice. I wish you good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

Finally! I've been looking for your thread for a while now! It should be stickied. Anyway, I subscribed. Thanks for taking the time to do the research. A rebuild is in my future and I will be referencing your sheet.

[EDIT] Ha, I posted a question in that thread. Should checked my own post history. :facepalm

 

Since you caught it early enough that the heads are still in good shape (an assumption), I would go with the factory short block and swap heads over to the new block. This is $15K at an indy shop for sure.

For a higher risk option, you could ask for a new IMS, put the engine back, perform compression and leak down test, and if all is good drive it until there are other reasons to worry, This is $3K option.

And lastly, if you can find a buddy to assist you with the rebuild in your garage, that lowers the cost as well.

 

So what damage has happened so far?

 

I agree with this approach. I know its california but you should be able to get out of this cheaper than $15K. The short block can be had for $5900 and you have a solid core as the block is still intact.

https://www.sonnenporscheoemparts.co...4l-996100951tx

The short block is the same as the non X-51 models, with exception that it probably comes with the x51 oil baffle rather than the normal plastic one.

 

So is the short block assembled? So you "only" need to install the heads?

Ignoring labor, what would be the difference between LN Nickies? (Assuming crank and IMS can be reused)

 

And no one finds OP strange.

No pre inspection for IMSB R&R?

If two bearings were missing I believe you would hear that.

Two ball bearings missing and car runs fine. Crazy.

Better call Jake. This will blow his mind.

 

The heads would need to be inspected, cleaned, and possibly decked before reinstalling. Not just a "slap on" type of thing. Yes, the full short block comes brand new, assembled, with a 2 year Porsche warranty. Biggest costs other than the short block would be the labor involved with engine out, top end disassembly, head checking/surfacing, "while your in there type items and plastics that break, and re-installation.

 

I would not re-use the heads without a proper re-build. Do once and do it right!

 

And remember that Porsche has done nothing to address bore scoring... just sayin’...