Abefroman55

Please don't beat me up too bad.

I'm looking for a used 05 carrera c2 with older style replaceable ims. I've read everything I could find for three weeks with no definite answer.

Is there anyway to buy a 997.1 and confirm the vehicle has serviceable ims ?

I know the build dates are not trustworthy and neither are the engine codes from what I've learned.

Is there a possibility of looking at a used 05 and seeing a 04 build date? Thus the 04 build date will assure me it has the smaller ims? Is there an easy way instead of dropping the trans. I would buy used 05 and do retro fit.

Or do all 05 cars have the smaller ims.

Please help me, I'm lost about this issue. Thank you so much for any help.

gpjli2

As has been stated, the only SURE way is to drop tranny enough to look at it with a fiber optic scope. All 05's DO NOT have the smaller bearing. If you want to minimize ims anxiety get an 06, drive it, and avoid all Porsche boards from that point on. Failure rates are LOW to NONE in the real world. If you want to get an 05 with removable bearing and replace the bearing you need to have a knowledgeable tech take a peek before you buy. Look at it this way: if you buy 05, have it checked out. Small bearing, replace. Large bearing forget about it. I doubt you'll find many/any (?) 997 04 builds unless you go to Europe. You can of course buy an 09 w/o bearing and worry about DFI. Or a Honda.

cvtbenhogan

Maybe this helps. http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1261556

Rotmilky

You can try the IMS settlement app. That's used as a check to see if the VIN puts the car in a range for IMS settlement. Note, you probably won't qualify for any settlement if you buy the car.

http://www.imsporschesettlement.com/porsche-vin/

I checked my early 05 911 and it showed my VIN was in the settlement range. I ended up pulling the transmission to replace the clutch and sure enough, I had the external IMS. I would guess due to the legal ramifications of that settlement, that would be the most accurate source available. I also would guess it's not 100% accurate.

Best of luck.

Hunt3R

My 05 997S was built in Sept 2004 and delivered here in FL.

Abe, I bought my 05 too because I wanted a serviceable IMSB. My build date, engine #, and VIN # all agree that the car has the smaller single row bearing. I will be replacing it sometime in the near future and I don't expect to be surprised once the tranny is dropped. The build date may not be a definitive way to verify but where did you read that the engine # is not a reliable check? Or as Rotmilky pointed out, one would think the IMS settlement would not be telling people hey this VIN # confirms you are included in the settlement when they actually don't have the smaller bearing.

Little Green

Mine is a November 04 build. Also serviceable IMS

idlook2

Mine is a July 2004 build, I replaced the IMSB this year, the original showed no damage after 48k miles.

Para82

Mine is a June 2004 build, replaced the IMSB at 54,000 miles. Original bearing was good and also makes is a good conversation piece sitting on my garage shelf.

The Tech said you really don't know what bearing you have until you get in there.

r_32

So on the 996 and 05 997s engine - after the IMS is fixed are these engines now ok or are there other issues which cause them to be more problematic?

Para82

There's a dozen things that can go wrong with these engines just like any engine.

Perk10

Correct but nothing like the IMS that is as potentially catastrophic!

gota911

There have reports of IMS failures in 2006+ 997.1 cars.

The only way to completely avoid the IMS issue in a 997 is to buy a 2009 or later model because there is no intermediate shaft in the 9A1 engine.

Ben Z

My '05 build date is December '04. Had the LN retrofit done at around 31-32K, OEM bearing came out perfect. As such I'm confident the LN replacement should last the life of the engine regardless of what LN says about replacing it every 4 years or 50K miles. Remember, according to the class-action stats, 92% of the single-row OEM steel bearings don't fail despite the seal allowing gritty grease to eat away at it. Therefore there is absolutlely no evidence to conclude that the load capacity of the small single-row bearing is inadequate provided the bearing is not compromised by premature wear due to contaminated grease. The LN bearing being open and ceramic should at least raise the probability of failure at least to the level of the '06-'08 cars, assuming the retrofit was done properly, and the OEM bearing had not already begun to fail.

That brings me to my main point. Buying an '05 with the OEM bearing with the intention of retrofitting it has one major risk: if the OEM bearing has begun to fail and there is metallic debris in the engine, it significantly increases the chance for the retrofit bearing to subsequently fail. If I were looking for an '05 today I would probably prioritize those that have had the retrofit done at least 10K miles ago; and those with the OEM bearing that have more than 70K miles on them. Both scenarios are indications it's less likely there is damaging debris in the engine.

Thedips

Exactly after doing my homework and buying a higher mileage 997.1 05 . I think it's best to get the car fully inspected for metal or failure. And the. Proceed doing the ims fix or upgrade. Just slapping it in without any pre inspection would be quite worthless if the engine is already beginning to fail.