louie007

Wondering if anyone has install this IMS GUARDIAN in their car , i have a 06 997 C4S and you read up on these engine failures scaes the **** out on me , thanks in advance

alexb76

I have no idea what the heck is IMS-guardian, sounds like applicable to 996 only.

Check you build-date, IF it is 2005, then contact LN Engineering and upgrade your IMS, IF your build date is 2006 and later, then you got the upgraded IMS and there's NO NEED to worry. Just keep up with good maintenance, use high quality oil and DRIVE the car regularly and it will last a lot longer than you wanna keep the car!

PS. I was corrected on IMS guardian.

Neotorque

At least per LN's website, it is only available for 996s. I think this has to do with the dashboard interface more than anything else, but I've never called to verify whether this is the case.

As mentioned, you have the upgraded IMS bearing, which means you have an exceedingly low risk of failure (probably substantially under 1%), but also that you cannot do the LN IMS upgrade anyway (at least without substantial expense and an engine disassembly).

Relax, enjoy your car, and don't let the fear mongering on this site get to you. Failures do happen, and that sucks, but there are hundreds of thousands of these cars on the roads, and you only hear about the handful that have problems.

sullivas

I don't see how the device can work. If the oil filter is trapping particles, how can they collect on the device contacts and complete the circuit to warn the driver? I know it's magnetic but I still don't get it.

Ken968

The IMS Gaurdians is for 997s, Boxter/Cayman. I called the company and they said that they will be releasing a new model sometime around April that will not use a 996 stock switch. They said it would be a more Universal switch. The current model can be used in a 997 but the switch will look out of place.

Ken

Flat6 Innovations

Our 996/987 system has been fully tested since before Thanksgiving. We are fitting it to a 997 next week so we can shoot the install video and write the detailed instructions.

The good news is the 997 version will be provided at a lesser cost as it does not use the complicated and expensive Porsche switch. We plan to release this version in April and we are curently building units for stock. We are calling this one the IMS Guardian Jr. As it works the same way but is just simpler. Sign up for our newsletters if you want to grab one at first release.

Flat6 Innovations

BTW the device samples the oil BEFORE the oil filter. The MCD is installed in the oil sump plate where ferromagnetic debris settles before being picked up and distributed to the filter by the oil pump. I know; I designed it and have done all the testing :-)

aaks38

Is this some type of device that senses the oil pressure drop in the system when the seal goes and then triggers the light to come on?

Edgy01

Zeus993

This technology is refered to a Magnetic Chip Detection and was first developed I believe (so a helicopter mechanic buddy tells me) for use in helicopters. The basic concept is that if an engine has a bearing breaking down and releasing small metal particles into the oil system a magnet picks them up and when enough of them build up they effectively act to close a circuit of electricity and trigger a warning light. This allows the operator to stop the engine (preferably on landing or pulling off the road) and get the engine for repairs before anything too catastrophic occurs. The system of discussion in this thread for the 996 works like this.
But Flat6 - what do I know? - I am a veterinarian.

alexb76

Flat6 Innovations

The Vet is correct! The IMS bearing is made up of ferromagnetic materials and when the bearing wears these materials are released into the oil where they are sensed by the IMSG. When enough of them are present the system produces an IMS Alert that warns the driver.

Charles Navarro

The stock oil filter arrangement has a very low PSI bypass in it, so debris in the filter tends to settle in the bottom of the canister (where the bypass is located). When the spring opens, this debris can re-circulate into the engine.

As Jake pointed out, the debris has to make it to the sump first before it can be sucked into the oil pickup and make its way into the filter, but only if the debris is small enough to make its way past the intake screen.

sullivas

Thanks for that, makes sense.

utkinpol

Does anybody have a picture of this contraption?