The 997 owner’s oil change ritual
06-27-2023, 07:26 PM
#16
Rennlist Member
I created this thread because of my own curiosity and an interest in facilitating public education regarding the dreaded IMS plague. After seeing various opinions over the years from numerous sources, and forming my own opinion from personal experience being a member of the 996/997 annual anxiety oil change club, which I’ve maintained membership in - puns aside - I have a question I would like to pose to everyone.
The question, in my opinion, revolves around the basic understanding of early symptom recognition of the IMS failure - which is that metallic particles appear in the oil filter. The consensus seems to be that as long as regular oil changes are done, then it would be apparent if the bearing was in any stage of failure as the particulate matter would increase in volume based on the deterioration of the bearing and the regularity of maintenance.
Does this suggest, if there's zero debris in your oil filter, that it’s a healthy engine? There are 3-4 speculated symptoms for the IMS problem, and finding debris in the oil filter seems most logical when trying to understand the condition of engine components.
Even if this is sound rationale, preventive maintenance is always recommended, and an ounce of caution is worth a pound of cure. Especially when the pound can cost as much as $20k.
The question, in my opinion, revolves around the basic understanding of early symptom recognition of the IMS failure - which is that metallic particles appear in the oil filter. The consensus seems to be that as long as regular oil changes are done, then it would be apparent if the bearing was in any stage of failure as the particulate matter would increase in volume based on the deterioration of the bearing and the regularity of maintenance.
Does this suggest, if there's zero debris in your oil filter, that it’s a healthy engine? There are 3-4 speculated symptoms for the IMS problem, and finding debris in the oil filter seems most logical when trying to understand the condition of engine components.
Even if this is sound rationale, preventive maintenance is always recommended, and an ounce of caution is worth a pound of cure. Especially when the pound can cost as much as $20k.
You did not reference your oil change mileage delta.
"Does this suggest, if there's zero debris in your oil filter, that it’s a healthy engine?" Likely so, but not assured,
Why did you not mention oil analysis checks?
06-27-2023, 07:52 PM
#17
I didn’t provide any detail about my 911 because I’m not particularly concerned about anything specific, I’m just interested in hearing general opinions on this matter. To answer your question, my 2007 997.1 Targa 4 has 135k/kms with a 4-5k oil change interval. Haven’t had an oil test, but plan on doing so, as well as having a borescope inspection as well.
06-27-2023, 08:42 PM
#18
2009 C2S 190K miles
Mr Petza is spot on... the bearing is sealed and motor oil being "fresh" has no influence on this bearing. If the seal is compromised, and for reasons not fully understood it can fail, the bearing is ticking down to full failure.
Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)
Mr Petza is spot on... the bearing is sealed and motor oil being "fresh" has no influence on this bearing. If the seal is compromised, and for reasons not fully understood it can fail, the bearing is ticking down to full failure.
Peace
Bruce in Philly (now Atlanta)
That’s why I ask whether or not it sounds logical to base our understanding on something visual like an oil change. After all, with regular maintenance, the opportunity for damage is minimized, and component failure should also decrease. Then the question becomes how often would an otherwise strong engine fail due to a single part like the IMS. We know bore scoring is caused by many factors including prolonged oil changes and fuel delivery, so we can avoid to some degree the wear of the cylinders.
The statistics aren’t very clear for the IMS problem either. It’s said that less than 10% of all 996’s and 997’s are impacted, but that number doesn’t account for who had a good or bad maintenance history. And if the IMS fails without warning like we’re assuming it does, we could say that 1 in 10 M96/M97 engines have a faulty bearing. The fix is pretty straight forward anyway, just resleeve and get an IMS retrofit. For a few thousand you’ll save potentially tens of thousands.