syoo8

This is a very kind offer. If I decide to do it myself, I may take you up on it-- in either case thank you very much.

Hurdigurdiman

For what it's worth. To change a double race bearing of the 99 model I would say you are being paranoiac for no good reason.

DBJoe996

More than likely you have a 99/996 with the double row bearing. These have a very small failure rate. Do not fall for the internet hysteria. Save yourself some money and sleep...change your coolant, brake fluid, put in some fresh oil, a LN Engineering spin on filter adapter, a LN magnetic oil plug and drive the car. Sounds like you are going to keep the car for a long time, so you'll have a chance to monitor things as you go along. At 39K mileage it is doubtful you even need a clutch at any point soon. Preemptive replacement of the dual row bearing has caused more problems due to the experience required to properly replace the bearing. There will be lots of other stuff to be concerned about upcoming and to tinker with: water pump, thermostat, coolant tank, AOS, brake pads, etc. Probably the biggest thing to do is to keep fresh oil in the car and drive it everyday, and enjoy the heck out of it before falling into "doomsday scenarios". Just my two cents....and edited maybe for your peace of mind: mine is a 99/996 with 133,000+ miles, driven everyday like a delivery truck for my work, OE bearing not replaced, OE clutch not replaced, OE rear main seal not replaced, but I have done the other things I listed. My car is still beautiful and runs like a champ.

Chiamac

I'd go for it as long as you have the tools to do it safely.

Schnell Gelb

Scott,
One caveat to the wise 'don't bother -it's a low failure rate double-row bearing' advice.
If it has a leaking RMS (fairly common)it will eventually contaminated the clutch.If it is a Tip ,you could wait longer?
Lots of other Modes of Failure would be higher on the list.

alabamatoy

I did mine. I did not have a lift - I used 4 stout jackstands. You will definitely need a good low-profile tranny jack. You will need some specialized tools like the LN Engineering IMS toolkit to lock the timing and pull the old bearing and drive in the new one. Mine is a C2 - so I don't know what complications a C4 might bring. Mine is manual also. I changed the rear main seal and clutch friction plate and all the clutch bolts to new. I used the 4" PVC adapter to seat the RMS. You will need a 16mm flex socket to get the upper transmission-to-engine mount bolts off and back on, along with a star wrench (like a giant torx, dunno, maybe it IS a torx) to remove the one odd bolt on the transmission. I added the DOF flange to mine for continuous lube of the new bearing. You will also need some way to hold the crankshaft to remove and then reinstall/torque the clutch bolts -- I booty-fabbed a holding fixture for mine from some scrap steel, two holes aligned with clutch bolt heads and one of the big tranny mount bolts.

It really is not that difficult.

5CHN3LL

As long as finances are not the main consideration, it comes down to whether you think you'll do the work as well or better than your mechanic would, and whether or not you have the expertise and tools to handle any complications that arise.

Whenever I see a towtruck delivering a partially dismantled car to my mechanic, I always wonder how much extra that's gonna cost. I trust my mechanic as far as one should trust a mechanic, but you're not exactly in a terrific bargaining position when you show up with a car you disassembled...

PelicanParts.com

I guess it all will depend on your level of comfort of doing DIY's on the vehicle. We have a great IMS Bearing Replacement DIY that should be of some assistance to you. Take a look at it and see what all it entails and then go from there.

We also have a select few of IMS bearing update kits here. Check them out and read up on their differences. If you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask.

-Luccia

Nedster

I just finished doing it myself and know a couple more 996 owners that are not mechanics that also did it themselves. Yes it's a critical piece, but there really isn't much to it. Couple of critical steps, but plenty of info on the net, just take your time and have proper tools for the job.

PelicanParts.com

double post.

JD ARTHUR

I would just say you are doing everything you can to make the odds even more in your favor. I can see a good reason to do it, first would be peace of mind.

JD ARTHUR

SORRY, DOUBLE POST

syoo8

Hi Joe,

It is actually my brother's hysteria- he took ownership of my dad's 986 which just suffered IMS failure. I warned my dad about IMS and he replied that '98 cars have a low failure rate... I think our family would feel so horrible if both of my dad's cars suffered IMS.

Noted.

It looks like I would be wise to change (WYAIT)
- clutch plate
- AOS
- RMS
- am I missing anything?

It sounds like, in addition to the replacement bearings, replacement seals, etc, I will need:

- IMS bearing removal tool (I think I can borrow this from a friend)
- RMS tool
- cam timing tools
- am I missing anything? (I had a standard assortment of tools, and will pick up a transmission jack at Harborfreight.)

syoo8

Hi! I've been away for a while, and will be out of town until August... Let's definitely get together when you are next in town (in the fall, for school starting?)

johnireland

Age and lack of use can have a negative effect on a car. Your dad barely drove it...and now the car is 16 years old. And the other Porsche he had with the same engine issue just broke. Low mileage was also a factor in some IMS failures.

The IMS bearing is at one end of the shaft...but things can also go wrong at the other end. I'd want to best wrench I could find to be doing this work on my car. You have years to play under the shade tree and have fun...but this is something that can really bite you if you do it wrong.