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Anyone know what "K" stamp on an upgraded IMS bearing might mean? My mechanic found that my new to me 996 had already had the IMS done (badly, it's being redone) but didn't recognize the part. Just wondering if anyone was familiar with it.
Anyone know what "K" stamp on an upgraded IMS bearing might mean? My mechanic found that my new to me 996 had already had the IMS done (badly, it's being redone) but didn't recognize the part. Just wondering if anyone was familiar with it.
I have a 1999 C2; Build date of 1/99. My engine serial number etching says exactly this: “M96/01 66X17069” (you can barely make it out but I zoomed in on a photo I took of it).
I should have a dual row bearing; and just about every resource I read/spoke to told me the same.
Pics attached of what I pulled using the LN Pro tool kit. I’ve never done any of this stuff before, never seen a bearing in real life and this is my first significant DIY project. This looks like a single row, but I’d like someone to confirm. And, if it is a single row, how?? I thought I was supposed to have a dual row.
Congrats on getting the bearing out. Yes, it looks like a single row. Why I cannot answer other that to note that _many_ engines were replaced under warranty with “newer” engines and that might have happened here.
Getting the bearing out was easy actually (LN tool kit). What comes next seems harder.
I bought a dual row, completely convinced that’s what it had based on the engine serial - 66X is supposed to mean it was built in 99, and there’s usually a remanufactured designation on it, which mine does not have.
Did it have any spacers or a spiral-lock ? ...Pelican sells a single row replacement for the dual row that uses some spacers and a spiral-lock..
If it had a regular snap ring right against the bearing then someone has disassembled the engine and installed a 2001-2004 single row shaft/bearing in it..
It had a snap ring right against the bearing. However, the shaft does not look like it is deep enough for a dual row. It all looks very much like it was meant for a single row bearing.
I have a 1999 C2; Build date of 1/99. My engine serial number etching says exactly this: “M96/01 66X17069” (you can barely make it out but I zoomed in on a photo I took of it).
I should have a dual row bearing; and just about every resource I read/spoke to told me the same.
Pics attached of what I pulled using the LN Pro tool kit. I’ve never done any of this stuff before, never seen a bearing in real life and this is my first significant DIY project. This looks like a single row, but I’d like someone to confirm. And, if it is a single row, how?? I thought I was supposed to have a dual row.
Engine serial number has an X in it. The engine must have been replaced after Porsche switched to the single row IMS bearing. The replacement engine would have had whatever intermediate shaft bearing was used during the model year the engine was built, so that's why it had a single row and not a dual row bearing.
I am going to replace the IMS, in my 2002 996.2 TIP, and I have two questions;
1. What is the best brand or model to replace with?
2. What else should be done while in there, water pump, RMS?
I am going to replace the IMS, in my 2002 996.2 TIP, and I have two questions;
1. What is the best brand or model to replace with?
2. What else should be done while in there, water pump, RMS?
Thank you for the advice
Since it's going to be an engine and transmission out job (being it's a Tip), I'd recommend doing the water pump (along with a low temp thermostat) and AOS (and vent lines). It goes without saying that the RMS needs to be done and if the dual mass flywheel is out of spec.
Before doing all this work, I'd highly recommend scoping the cylinders for bore scoring (which is part of our pre-qualification procedure), as you don't want to spend all this money if the cylinders are worn:
As far as what IMS to run, you have lots of choices - ball, roller, or plain bearing. The IMS Solution is the only truly permanent solution to IMS bearing failures, so if your budget allows, that is the best option. Of course, your plan for the vehicle and the car's overall condition both come in to play when making a decision on which bearing technology to use:
I know of three makers of IMS bearing options, four if you count Porsche OEM. LN Engineering (LNEngineering.com), Direct oil feed (Directoilfeed.com) and European Parts Solution (EPSauto.com). Within this, LN Engineering offers two options, one of which, the IMS Solution, eliminates ball bearings and therefore the risk of catastrophic failure ever happening from the ***** or race breaking.
I'm not qualified to tell anyone which is best. I can only tell you about my choice, which was the LN Engineering Retrofit. It is a dual row ceramic ball bearing without seals so that the oil in the sump lubricates the bearings and the oil isn't trapped in the IMS. At the time, 2021, I did not know about the Direct oil feed option, which makes sense to me, and I didn't find much online about the EPS option). I would have gone with the Solution product, but I had a lot of repair and restoration work on my car, and I couldn't part with an incremental $1K. It was also a tough choice to spend more $ because, I was having the work done prophylactically. There was no evidence of any problem, and I could tell from the CarFax that it had been replaced earlier. When I got it back from the shop and before I sent it to LN Engineering (part of the warranty requirement) I could see that it was pristine.
From my own research, it seems that the problem is not necessarily the stock ball bearing per se, but the seal on the bearing and its reliance on grease inside the seals. I say this because all three replacement options use a bearing without a seal, that is lubricated with oil from the sump. In some cases, the oil is fed directly (direct oil feed or IMS Solution) and don't rely on the bearing being lubricated by the sump alone. None of the options use grease.
This is great that there is a whole industry to help. The downside is that since all the options use unsealed bearings, you have to be sure there is no crap floating around in your oil that could get into the bearings. That means that before your tech does anything, you need to at least pull the oil pan and make sure there aren't any chips or bits floating around. If there is, you should try and track it down and get it clean before taking the next step on the IMS bearing journey.
Please let us know how the progress on your journey.
Last edited by 996-CAB; 05-30-2023 at 04:07 PM.
Reason: To correct Porsche OEM, not Porsche makes a bearing.
03-07-2023, 04:21 PM
