Karl B

That bearing, large or small would have lasted forever if it was truly sealed. The bearing seal is exposed to engine oil, acids and other combustion byproducts will eventually cause the seal to leak. The grease is washed out by the oil and then not enough oil enters to lubricate the bearing. That's why it's important to change your oil frequently with these engines.

The DOF removes the seal, and if the bearing is still good, sprays fresh oil on the bearing continuously. Theoretically if the bearing was not damaged to start with it should last a long time with this modification.
is it the best, I don't know but for 2006 and on it is the easiest and most logical answer. I would not do it unless your in there already like replacing the clutch or some other issue. My IMS was leaking so it was a no brainer.

Sapientoni

I have designed a process and tooling to service this series of IMSB and have posted pics of before and after. They show my finished product is equal to the factory. My DD has over 10,000 miles on it and I just completed a second 2006 CS I bought just to prove it could be done in the car. 911 can also be done if tranny out, your choice. Savings of 66% over dealer replacement. Hand craftsmanship vs. other available procedures. Your choice.

Flat6 Innovations

No need to do anything to the M97 IMSB equipped cars. I see more engine failures than anyone in this country, and maybe the world. To date we have seen less than 1/2 dozen M97 IMSB failures.

The jury was out on these for several years, and the larger bearing has proven to carry the loads much better than the earlier, M96 diameter bearing.

Use a quality oil, and service the engine every 5K miles/ 6 months and you won't have any issues.

No need to add any kits, or processes to the M97 bearing. If you do a clutch job, simply remove the bearing seal and save the rest of your money.

Mspeedster

Thank you for sharing. Someone should make this a sticky!

hardrivn

looking at some 911s, had a boxster S 2002 before that was good to me. but concerns about exploading engines will make anyone hesitate. so what is the verdict on removing the seal? is it worth the labor to do it proactively without a clutch?
http://specialtycarsservicecenter.co...-seal-removal/

TNT63Falcon

Jake-I have a '03 engine (remanufactured with ATin the engine number), Tiptronic. It has the larger bearing (22mm nut). Does this make the reliability of this bearing, the same
as the M97 IMSB you referenced in your post above? Meaning "Don't worry about it"?

Flat6 Innovations

Don't worry about it... Just drive it.

TNT63Falcon

Thanks! Drive it I will. Not really overly concerned about the failing of the IMSB. I figure my odds are greater of being rear ended by someone staring at their phone. Last thing, since it is already apart, would you suggest removing the outer seal, as some have suggested? Does that really have any documented benifit?

Petza914

With removing the outer bearing seal and then pressure feeding oil into the now open bearing, where does that forced-in oil go? How does it not, over time, force the inner bearing seal out of the bearing and into the internal workings of the motor? Initially, it would just ride on the IMS shaft, but once it moves down and starts making contact with the chains and sprockets and starts getting chewed up, where do those pieces go and how many of them does it take to clog the oil filter, activating the pressure bypass, that now means unfiltered oil is circulating through the motor.

To me, it doesn't seem like DOFing a bearing with the rear seal still in place would be a good idea. Now if you have a small bearing car where you can replace it with a bearing that doesn't have any seals, that may be a different story, but then at that point, why not just install The IMS Solution that works like the ball-less oil bearing that didn't have these problems for decades?

Pulling the seal and allowing for better splash lubrication seems like a good idea if in that are for another reason (clutch), but forcing oil in, does not.