LN Engineering IMS Upgrade
10-04-2011, 05:06 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
LN Engineering IMS Upgrade
OK, several posts in the last few days have popped up and I'm a little confused. I thought it was 2005 cars that were more problematic and somewhere around mid 2005 the ims structure was changed so that some 2005 and all 2006 cars had the better bearing and that was denoted my the m97 engine. I have a 2006 with engine code m97 but it was manufactured in September of 2005.
Should I be concerned? I had my clutch redone about 10k miles ago and asked that the IMS and RMS be checked and I was told they were both fine. Now all of these posts have me paranoid.
Should I be concerned? I had my clutch redone about 10k miles ago and asked that the IMS and RMS be checked and I was told they were both fine. Now all of these posts have me paranoid.
10-04-2011, 05:09 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
yes you probably should. from what i can search up cars made after 06/2006 should have new bearing for sure - earlier cars may have got newer engine or may have not. to be paranoid about IMS and chain rattle is OK, it comes with a territory.
email/call LN - they should know exact engine numbr range of when new bearing went into production of M96/M97 motors. your PPI report 9if you have it) should have your engine number in it, on a last page. or you can use durametric to get this info from ecu.
email/call LN - they should know exact engine numbr range of when new bearing went into production of M96/M97 motors. your PPI report 9if you have it) should have your engine number in it, on a last page. or you can use durametric to get this info from ecu.
10-04-2011, 05:27 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
On their site they only seem to mention m96 engines as being problematic. When I started researching to buy a car I thought I was safe with a 2006S.
10-04-2011, 05:35 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
From what I figured out, any engine with an IMS is subject to bearing wear issues. The M96 and M97 engines both have IMS's. The newer IMS had been upgraded, but is still subject to bearing wear and possible failure. The hard part is figuring out which IMS bearing your car has. The older (weaker) IMS bearing is more easily replaced. The newer (upgraded) bearing is much more difficult to replace, because the bearing is bigger than the hole that it has to be pulled out of. The engine case has to be split to get the newer IMS bearing out. And if it's a Tiptronic, it's even harder. My car was a 2006 C2. It had an M96 engine (it is stamped on the bottom of the engine, visible from underneath the car).
10-04-2011, 05:44 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
only way to see for sure is to drop tranny and check if IMS has bigger 22mm nut there or not - how LN web site says now.
previously they had this info posted but they removed it, probably for a reason. go figure.
More info on the 2005/2006 years:
According to PET, here are the engine numbers for single or double row bearings* up until late 2005 then 2006 and later engines which received a larger, non-servicable single row bearing. *Courtesy of Scott Slauson http://www.softronic.us.
Boxster: Double Row: up to 651 12851 (M96.22) up to 671 11237 (M96.21)
Single Row: from 651 12852 (M96.22) from 671 11238 (M96.21)
996: Double Row: up to 661 14164
Single Row: from 661 14165
HINT: WE DO NOT RECOMMEND RELYING ON ENGINE NUMBERS ALONE TO IDENTIFY WHICH TYPE OF IMS YOU HAVE - IF YOU ARE UNSURE AND IN A HURRY, ORDER ONE OF EACH KIT AND RETURN THE UNUSED ONE. WE'LL WAVE THE RESTOCKING FEE. '
previously they had this info posted but they removed it, probably for a reason. go figure.
More info on the 2005/2006 years:
According to PET, here are the engine numbers for single or double row bearings* up until late 2005 then 2006 and later engines which received a larger, non-servicable single row bearing. *Courtesy of Scott Slauson http://www.softronic.us.
Boxster: Double Row: up to 651 12851 (M96.22) up to 671 11237 (M96.21)
Single Row: from 651 12852 (M96.22) from 671 11238 (M96.21)
996: Double Row: up to 661 14164
Single Row: from 661 14165
HINT: WE DO NOT RECOMMEND RELYING ON ENGINE NUMBERS ALONE TO IDENTIFY WHICH TYPE OF IMS YOU HAVE - IF YOU ARE UNSURE AND IN A HURRY, ORDER ONE OF EACH KIT AND RETURN THE UNUSED ONE. WE'LL WAVE THE RESTOCKING FEE. '
10-04-2011, 06:35 PM
#7
Intermediate
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So im not safe?!?
OK, several posts in the last few days have popped up and I'm a little confused. I thought it was 2005 cars that were more problematic and somewhere around mid 2005 the ims structure was changed so that some 2005 and all 2006 cars had the better bearing and that was denoted my the m97 engine. I have a 2006 with engine code m97 but it was manufactured in September of 2005.
Should I be concerned? I had my clutch redone about 10k miles ago and asked that the IMS and RMS be checked and I was told they were both fine. Now all of these posts have me paranoid.
Should I be concerned? I had my clutch redone about 10k miles ago and asked that the IMS and RMS be checked and I was told they were both fine. Now all of these posts have me paranoid.
Trending Topics
10-05-2011, 02:32 AM
#10
Nordschleife Master
If the -06 is out of warranty, just buy an extended one or if it's a CPO car, buy the extended policy before the CPO expires. Costs less that way. I had an -06 prior to the current car and did just that. A Fidelity policy through the dealership. 36 months or 100,000 miles whichever came first cost me $1,800 as I recall it. The coverage is almost identical to CPO coverage which includes IMS failure. Small price to pay for peace of mind imo and for getting any and all repairs taken care of for a $100 deductible.
10-05-2011, 07:54 AM
#12
1. I thought I had read ( past issue of Excellence) that the latest IMS bearing upgrade was implemented in the middle of 2006. If so, this would mean only 2007s and 2008s would have the latest bearing?
2. Is there any field data to show that the LN solution is durable or a permanent fix?
2. Is there any field data to show that the LN solution is durable or a permanent fix?
10-05-2011, 10:20 AM
#13
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
The needs its own IMS section.
10-05-2011, 11:11 AM
#14
Rennlist Member
Just a comment here. There are many things one can be worried about. The 993 owners have their attention on the Secondary Air Intake issue and the need for an expensive value job. They drive in fear of the engine light coming on, discuss wildly whether you should drive the car in slow traffic or not, and a multitude of other topics relating to this. (I know this as I extensively researched the 993 and almost bought one.) The 996 owners have their issues with the M96 engine as do we. What the newer DFI engines have to present to us for major problems is not really yet known. The good news is that that reportedly have 40% fewer parts, which to me SOUNDS like a good thing but who really knows in the end, right? So I think it can be safe to say that the IMS in the M97 engine does fail on occasion, we know that, but that there is little to do to prevent it other than oil changes every 5000 miles and when the engine has warmed up keep the revs high. That sounds great! And have a good aftermarket warranty, if you abhor the idea like I do of shelling out 20k cash on an engine rebuild. In the meantime, go and DRIVE your car! My 2c, albeit CND.
10-05-2011, 11:43 AM
#15
Three Wheelin'
The bearing has been "upgraded" a few times by Porsche.
double row bearings were used until sometime in the 2000 model year but you may still find 01 996 cars with a double row. From that point, Porsche used a single row bearing until sometime in mid 2005. Then they upgraded to a single row that is substantially larger that cannot be extracted unless you split the engine case (Mucho $$$$).
They all can fail, and no, the LN upgrade for the 996 engines in not a permanent solution given that LN recommends changing the bearing out again every 50k miles.
I haven't had my bearing upgraded. Since I perform my own oil changes I have used oil analsises performed and I cut open the filter to look for metal.
I would have my car flatbedded to my Indie at the first sign of metal on my magnetic drain plug or my oil filter.