MikeJim

58,000 miles...and BOOM. The engine blew on my 2006 Carrera 997S. Intermediate shaft bearing (IMS) failure...a known problem for the 997. No missed shift. No over-rev. No warning. Just BOOM.

Replacement engine: $33,532.56 (less $17,445.33 for the core return) plus $1,875 labor, plus tax ($1,188.49).

The car was out of warranty, and unfortunately, the engine blew during a DE. And here's where it gets interesting. According to Porsche North America, and I'm quoting here: "These cars are not meant to be tracked. The only car we recommend for track use is the GT3."

Be advised. According to Timken Bearing, a leading manufacturer of engine bearing systems, Carrera owners can expect a 10% failure rate in the first 90,000 engine miles. The percentage increases if the engine is exposed to high-temperature environments (track use).

Porsche knows this. The Carrera IMS assembly is NOT lubricated. Only the GT3 block receives oil flow to the intermediate shaft bearing assembly.

A $19,150.72 lesson learned the hard way.

Porsche normally warrants a replacement engine for two years. They say if the car is tracked, the warranty is voided.

TommyV44

I'm going to give you my personal opinion and it's certainly your car and you can do what you want with it but I could never underrstand the allure of tracking a $100,000 car for the thrill of it.

Maybe if I were loaded and I didn't care if I stressed the engine or caused it to fail or voided the warranty.....maybe then. Surely if I wanted to track the car I'd check on how that affected my warranty.

I can sympathize with your situation as I'd be sick if it happened to me but have no frame of reference for putting the car at risk and/or for doing something that would put me in a "void the warranty" position.

I for one am thrilled to be in a position to get in this car every day and drive it and enjoy it.....not everyone is and I feel lucky and will to the day I die. I never thought I'd be in a position to own one of these magnificent cars.

I'm careful with it and treat it like it's special because it is. I'm not saying I pamper it or go to extremes to get a clear bra over the entire car or even mind the stone chips that come with driving it but I would never take it onto a track!

Tom

Quadcammer

Heres the bummer, you could be going for a leisurely drive to the local farmers market and the ims could still fubar itself.

Either way, that sucks to hear, but its been true for decades. These are street cars first, and with enough track work, expensive things can and will break.

Asquared

I'm going to give you my personal opinion and it's certainly your car and you can do what you want with it, but I could never understand the allure of spending $100,000 for a car with rich racing heritage and then simply driving it to the grocery.

If you are never going to take your car to the track, buy a Miata. An affordable car with a rich racing heritage and you will have a LOT more fun on the street. As someone on here said, it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than drive a fast car slow. Outside of a track environment (or the autobahn), it is impossible to to do anything but drive a Porsche anything but slow (relative to its limits).

VGM911

+1

MikeJim

I am reminded that this is a community...a family...of Porsche lovers, and as surprised as I may be that someone would be content to simply drive their P-car around town and not stretch its legs (and further your own driving skills) at a track in a closed, safe, and nurturing environment, the fact remains that the Porsche is versatile enough to satisfy all tastes.

I drove my car on the street for a few years but got increasingly nervous with the reaction of other drivers. The dirty looks. The occasional aggression. I felt as if I had become little more than a Porsche Poser. One DE weekend opened my eyes to how little I knew about my own limited driving skills and the untapped potential of the car. Porsche prides itself on its rich racing history.

That is why I was shocked that the engine gave up with so few miles on it. Even more surprising was my discovery that this is a well-documented problem...a basic design flaw...that Porsche has struggled to keep hidden from car owners. A critical component of the engine was not included in the lubricating system. The metal-on-metal of the shaft bearings receive no oil...just a dab of grease in a closed fitting. Eventually, it gives out.

Of course Porsche must refuse to support engines that explode. To do otherwise would open the door to an expensive factory recall and would be an admission of the poor design. I get it. I do.

When we track a car, we assume those risks. And if you are satisfied driving your expensive machine around town in traffic, always watching out for police and trying never to exceed the speed limit...I tip my hat to you.

Driving a P-car at its limits has been the most satisfying experience of my life. It is addictive. It is instructional. It is rewarding beyond belief. I recommend it. Just know that Porsche is NOT on your side.

Vjgtrybno1

This reminds me of my desire to go skydiving over the years. Every time I got up the nerve to sign up, I read about a chute that failed and that seemed to cure me of that thought for a period of time. I was just thinking that I need to track the 997 and unload the 944 andthen I read this. I don't like that Posche sends inconsistent messages through its corporate offices and its dealer network about the level of support it will provide in this situation. I am assuming that it will be my problem, so I am doing the things that will hopefully lessen the risk - magnetic drain plug, third radiator, low temp thermostat are already installed. Before tracking, I will add a deep sump and when it's time for a rebuild, assuming I get that far, the LN retrofit IMS bearing will be installed. But I refuse to spend time worryting about what I can't control as I have done or will do what's within my control to avoid this.

Zeus993

Wow. I would be sick about this. Very very sorry to hear of your misfortune. I do believe this is a major flaw in these engines and have some attention on mine. I plan to have the oil filter analyzed on the next change etc... I believe this thread is going to create a good amount of debate. My question is to those that know or have had it done, what does it cost to have the OEM IMS replaced with an LN ceramic coated IMS? The bearing cost is $600. What about the labor etc...?

Ps. This problem is exactly why I have an aftermarket warranty, another topic of considerable controversy.

http://www.lnengineering.com/store/c...ofit-p-93.html

Vjgtrybno1

It depends on the year - earlier cars can be retrofit without cracking the crankcase, but later cars cannot. I know my '07 will need to have the case cracked to replace the IMS bearing. IIRC, sometime in the '05 model year, Porsche switched to an updated version of the single row IMS bearing that had replaced the old double row bearing way back in 2000/2001.

Zeus993

Where can I find the engine no.?

Vjgtrybno1

I don't believe the cut off is cut and dried. Your '06 should have the latest single row IMS bearing. Check out LN Engineering's site - lnengineering.com for more information.

KNS

Cars built after 2005-06 cannot have the IMS bearing update done easily, the engine must be torn down (research must be done as to which cars are applicable).

For those who decry track usage, your opinion would change as soon as you've taken your car to the track - then you'll understand. A 911, in particular, is simply amazing on track.

LC MotorSports

"it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than drive a fast car slow."

+10000

Zeus993

I believe this to be true!!

swajames

Does the warranty specifically state that a DE voids it? I've never heard that before...

Either way, to my mind there's a bigger issue here which is that the IMS is a known design/engineering defect. Quite frankly, it is something Porsche ought to take care of on a goodwill basis for cars that are only relatively recently out of warranty. On a 2006 MY/58,000 mile car, it's only a year or so and 8000 miles out of warranty. Porsche ought to step up when the failure is one that is one that's generally accepted to be a design defect. Every mechanical device can and will break at some point, the difference here is that this is particular issue is something that Porsche themselves designed in from the factory.