sghokie

mikefocke

Please, we are all tired of hearing about the IMS bearing and the food fight such discussions produce. Use the search function of this forum and you'll find dozens of threads with arguments for or against each option.

medtech

You have a 90% chance of being fine with the stock IMS, so factor that into your decision.

Macster

My info is Porsche offers a replacement IMS bearing. It is rumored to be heavier duty than the bearing it replaces.

I just learned of this a few months before I sold my 2002 Boxster. Had I kept it it was due to get a new clutch -- at 317K miles the clutch was while not slipping required superhuman strength to depress the clutch pedal -- and at the same time have the IMS bearing replaced with the one from Porsche to document this and to also see how the original bearing held up all these years and miles. Since the IMS was symptom free I expected the IMSB to come up looking "brand new".

Regarding the Porsche IMSB replacement I don't know the part #, the cost, or how much it costs to install. 'course, the transmission has to be dropped but I don't know what the labor is to have that done. The only time my Boxster had its transmission removed was under warranty to replace a leaking RMS and I don't recall the time involved if it was even listed on the repair invoice.

sghokie

I haven't gotten my trans off yet. I am going to try and get it out during the next week, I am thinking if I have a double row I will possibly leave it alone, if I have a single row I will probably change it with the pelican ims.

Charles Navarro

I had posted photos to another thread a few months back. The Porsche IMS kit uses a single row 6204 ceramic hybrid bearing, although they chose to use a sealed bearing. This is exactly what the original Classic Single Row IMS Retrofit used before it was superseded with the Single Row Pro which let us put a dual row bearing in its place.

sghokie

sghokie

It's a dual row cover.

Macster

My 2002 Boxster had the same cover and I posted a pic and the comment was from one of the IMSB experts that one can't always go by the IMSB end plate. The only way to be sure it to remove the cover and look at the bearing.

Yes, I remember, and in fact I think I found at least one thread where this was covered:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...nsmission.html

The thread doesn't have the original Jake Raby post to which I referred to but he does chip again. In this case though he does indicate the odds of finding a single row bearing behind what looks from the outside a dual row IMSB end flange is rare. I have to point this was in reference to a 996 engine. I was not able to find the thread in which I posted a pic. (Doing a search for blah blah IMSB blah blah and you get about a zillion hits.)

sghokie

Macster

Don't know. I only saw the IMSB flange when it was exposed when the transmission was removed to replace a leaking RMS. (At the same time the IMSB flange and bolts were updated which offered better oil sealing.)

My 2002 Boxster was very close -- minutes away -- from needing a new clutch (at 317K miles) and at this time I was going to have the Porsche tech replace the IMSB with the Porsche bearing mainly just to see what the old bearing was and that it looked like after 317K miles (I expect it would have looked like "new" otherwise it would have deteriorated to the point of failure) but a persistent P1128 error code and of course a CEL (I have this looked into 3 times by 2 different Porsche dealers and both were unable to offer a diagnosis... the 2nd dealer pretty much wanted a blank check to pursue this and I was not willing to do this) brought my time with my Boxster to an end. Because with the CEL I could not smog the car here in CA and could not register it I sold the car to a local Porsche dealer and his plan was to run the car through an auction as a "roller".

Charles Navarro

Single row IMS bearing (original cover dish depth = 19.27 mm)

Double row IMS bearing version (original cover dish depth = 13.34 mm)

Easy measurement just to be sure.

AJx

I’ve been digging around for this info and it’s nice to have a baseline.