HartyWags

Hello All,

I looking buying a single owner 2001 Boxster S with the 3.2l engine with a manual. The car has 117,000 miles and most of the records. It is in amazing physical shape. The one thing I noticed and the dealer (indy) is not able to confirm is if the IMS bearing was ever serviced. I'm going on the assumption that is factory original. With that I thinking that if it has gone 117K without issue that it is most likely fine. Does anyone have any option? Additional I would like some feed back on owners with 2001 S and bore score. My understanding is that the 1997-2005 models with the 2.4l,2.7l, and 3,2l don't have any issues because of the pistons being cast vs forged.

I plan to get a PPI, but I'm not sure if I can get them to scope it.

Thanks for any info.

elgy

First, 2001 was a cross-over year, it might have a single row IMSB or a double row. No way to be sure without dropping the transmission. I don't subscribe to the idea that if it has made it over 100k miles it is OK. I have looked at 4 IMSB bearings with 100k KM to 180k KM. All four were in good condition BUT all four were lubrication challenged, 3 had no grease and not a lot of oil in them, the 4th had some grease that had the consistency of cheddar cheese. I changed this last one. Two of the others I just removed the seal so that they would be oil lubricated. The other bearing was out of an engine that spun a bearing and will likely be sold for parts.
If this was my car and I wanted to keep it a long time I would drop the transmission and check the IMSB, if it is a dual row and it is OK I"d probably remove the oil seal and put it back together.
BUT (another BUT) at that mileage I would be more worried about the cam chain tensioner pads in the heads. If they have not been changed they should be. This is a wear item that is not discussed enough because too many people pass too much time talking about the IMSB. The IMSB gets blamed for almost every engine that fails, but if these engines were opened up many would be seen to have failed for other reasons and I think a very significant number would be failed tensioner pads.
I do all my own work so what I would do is add to the buying price the cost of dropping the engine and transmission and doing the tensioner pads, inspecting the IMSB (and changing it if it is a single row), inspecting the clutch and changing a few other things easily done with the engine out (AOS for instance). This is only my opinion of course.

HartyWags

Thanks for the information. I was thinking of just replacing the IMS over the winter myself. I'm not a mechanic but I do a lot of work on my 911, and with the pelican replacement and the ability to lock in the shaft it looks strait forward. I don't really want to pull the engine but I guess you would need to do that to replace the tensioners. I plan on having the PPI and have them do bore scope just to be safe.

Thanks
Hartman

HartyWags

hello elgy, I'm going to order the Ln engineering IMS kit and will do it myself with their tool kit you can rent. With the engine still in and locked in TDC can those tensioner be replaces? how are is it? I see them listed on LN site for like 75 bucks.

Hartman

elgy

It can be done with the engine in the car, I think Help Me DIY has a video on that, but I don't have the time to look for it right now. Personally I would prefer pulling the engine to do it but that has to do with my advanced age an physical decrepitude (there is a limit to what I will do laying on my back under a a car).The tensioner pads are cheap... getting to them is the problem, but either way it is something a competent amateur with patience and time can do.

oregondave

Wouldn’t the cam deviation be off if the pads needed to be replaced? I bought an 02 S that had super bad deviation specs and had the pads/rails done, it was $4k. I think it is pretty typical on these motors for them to wear out by around 100k, just check the deviation.

mikefocke

I love what abouts. So what about the 26 other identified causes of failure?

You are talking about a 20 year old car with 100k miles of wear. Wonderful cars but not perpetual motion machines.

By all means get a PPI but get one done by a true flat 6 expert. Mine took several hours, was done by someone who race prepped P-cars and engines and resulted in lots of little things but that was 20 years ago, before the IMS replacement had even been tried and was at 70k miles less than yours.

Ask to look at the write up of one they have done. Discuss exactly what you will be getting for your PPI $.

elgy

The deviations were within limits on my 2.7 but the pads were well worn, no where near catastrophic failure, but worn when I replaced them at around 90k miles.
Here is the link to changing the pads with the engine in the car.

HartyWags

Thanks everyone. Im going to a porsche indy shop with years of experience. For the PPI I'm having them focus on the following, check each cylinder for bore score, compression, get all the codes and look for cam shaft deviations, pull the oil filter and look for anything odd. That is about the best I can do to ensure I don't get an engine on the brink. I have already called the shops that serviced the car over the years and got more details. The car is a single owner and keep in the garage it whole life and received standard care for all it life.

Hartman

HartyWags

So I ended up buying the car!! It is in great shape in general but needs some TLC. I have replaced the IMS bearing and the IMS was full of oil which I'm told shows that the seal was gone. As part of the IMS I went into the VarioCam setup and checked the tensioner pads. So glad I did as they are almost toast. I replaced all the chain guides that I can, 2 guides on the cam solenoid per side, and 2 of the IMS to cam guides each side. Additional I replace the rear main seal, new clutch kits, spark plugs, oil change, brake fluid, gear oil and a few other things still in process.

Here are the pics. I would suggest anyone with 80-100K have them checked out asap.


Old pads, forfront is the lower pad with oil feature.

Chain sitting on new upper pad.

Old pad with chain to show how much it has eaten into the pad

Danimal986S

Did you check the cam deviation before replacing them? Curious what it would say. Thx!

Baxter_Boxster

Nice!

Did you do all this work yourself? Do you have a lift?

Must be a good feeling having all that maintenance done and ready to drive her for a long time.

Greg

HartyWags

I don't have a lift, just used jack stands in my garage. Lost of back time under the car with only a few inches to spare. I did have to support the engine on the transmission side so it was not resting on the wire cables. One issue I had was that on bank one (passenger side) I had to lower then engine almost to the support cables to get the valve cover off past the top of variocam solenoid.

HartyWags

When I had the PPI done they did not see any errors, but they said their diagnosis tool could only see basic errors and not the deviation. So im not 100% sure all I know is that there were no error codes on the car.

Baxter_Boxster

I built a set of ramps to use when working under the car. The mid section of the ramps can be removed after the car is up in place.

Greg