nathan_h

Of the belt? I would definitely do so, and share, except since it'll be going into the shop tomorrow, I don't have time before we drop it off.

nathan_h

We've decided not to be penny wise/pound foolish, and bite off the key stuff immediately:

Do the clutch and IMS, and make sure:
New Pressure plate
New Friction disk
New Throwout bearing
Flywheel resurfacing (if it is not serviceable then you'll need to get a new one)
Also: replace the clutch fork and other associated parts if they are bad.
Inspect the clutch master and slave cylinders for any signs of leakage.
And bleed the slave cylinder and fill with fresh brake fluid.

(The AOS was done in the last two years so we're not adding that to the list.)

Also to be done:

Tighten the transmission block/mount
Replace Spark plug tubes (and I assume spark plugs)
Serpentine belt if at all questionable (it was replaced 3.5 years ago/15k miles ago, which I realize is early, but...)
Bleed and replace brake fluid
The water pump was replaced 5 years ago/30k ago, so probably that too just in case

------

A little more than we planned to spend on a "new" (to us) car, but it seems dumb not to take care of this stuff up front.

nathan_h

Done, well, all except the oil fill tube, which they couldn't do without putting up the soft top, which they couldn't do (not clear if it was user error or a new problem, since the top was working fine before). We'll have to do a quick test in the daytime tomorrow. Didn't feel like taking the hard top off in the dark.

new clutch
LN IMS kit
RMS
engine bolts
flywheel bolt (flywheel was apparently okay)
crankshaft seal
crankcase bolt
spark plug tubes
spark plugs
belt
brake fluid flush
engine mount
cleared the debris in drains and radiator ructs

feels good literally and piece of mind

nathan_h

update: turns out the top was working fine, but either gremlins were present when the tech tried it or something else funky was going on.

anyway, back after the holidays for the oil feed tub replacement, and a new dip stick tube -- neither of which were done correctly by an earlier shop it seems. on the oil feed tube they used the wrong kind of clamp at the base -- which may have contributed to it's failure. and the dip stick tube have a repair rather than replacement in its history which left a bit of an air leak.

a shout out to Alden at Flintworks (owner and namesake) for his diligence and patience. i can safely recommend him as a good option in the SF south bay. about the only downside is that since its a small shop, he doesn't stock a lot of parts in house. so even a simple fix like replacing a clamp or a dip stick tube might have to wait a few days while the part is acquired. i think that's the nature of such a business. and it probably keeps prices lower than places that are sitting on lots of inventory "just in case".

nathan_h

Good times, the final pieces were replaced (dip stick and oil fill tubes). And I got to pick up the parts. Most interesting was the engine block. Seriously compromised. And the clutch had far less life than the shop that did the PPI thought. Glad we did it now, even though the IMS bearing didn't appear to be in trouble.

perfectlap

was yours a dual row IMSB?

There's a thread in the 996 forum for a new LN IMS solution for single row retrofits. Dual row was apparently too robust and also too limited in numbers to bother with. Single row LN IMSB's apparently need to be changed after 50K miles...

nathan_h

how can i tell?

perfectlap

you can't until you're in there. Check with your mechanic. He wouldn't have ordered the LN IMSB until he verified whether the original was a single or dual.

As far as 2.7 and 3.2 engines, I believe most 2000's and some 2001's had the dual. 2001 to 2005 had the far more problematic single row, sounds like oil starvation was largely their downfall.

This new solution from LN sounds like it will work on all years but going forward they're using it place of the current single row bearing upgrade. There's also a member on Pelican in the Boxster/Cayman forum who came up with a very similar solution that feeds clean oil to the bearing. A long but very worthwhile read.

http://apicdn.viglink.com/api/click?...Bfolderid%3D-1

nathan_h

I didn't ask at the time.... and since he does so many, he has the kits in stock. So I guess it doesn't matter which he finds once he's in there, he's stocked.

perfectlap

well since the single row have a shorter lifespan and will need to be replaced sooner than a dual, then he should have this on record and ought to share it with you.

Also, according to LN & co., not one their dual row bearings has failed.

p.s.
If you have the latest Excellence (RUF 911 on the cover), there's a letter to the editor that touches on the topic of Mobil 1 0-40 oil changes. They state that this oil should not be used for more than 3K miles and instead recommend an oil with ZDDP levels of at least 1200 PPM, the inference being that Mobil 1 0-40 is not one.

nathan_h

Good to know. For the LN kit, even the single, we're talking a few hundred k miles of life, from what I understand. So while I am curious and will ask, I'm guessing it's an academic answer, because I find it unlikely that at less than .5k miles per month, we'll reach the end of this replacement IMS' life

perfectlap

I don't think that's right. Single row bearings have apparently a far shorter life span, which was part of the rationale for coming up with the new LN permanent solution which will be officially unveiled any day now. As I stated before, they're leaving the dual row as is.

nathan_h

From their web site, it appears you are right. Thanks for pointing that out.

I was just going by what my tech said. I've attached a photo of our old IMS. From the pictures on http://www.imsretrofit.com/what-ims-do-i-have/ it looks like this is the dual row model. Which may be why Alden said the kit was going to last "forever". That is, since we didn't have the single bearing one, he didn't mention the limitations of the single bearing one.

I've zapped him a note to confirm.

Dual bearing photo from the kit manufacturer web site:



and the single bear photo:

perfectlap

man...just looking at that single row makes you wonder what they were thinking going that route.