Flat6 Innovations

That would work if the factory didn't have sloppy records. We find the settlement and other directives to be incorrect on a weekly basis. The ONLY way to know for sure is a visual inspection, BUT last month we found a single row engine that was fitted with the bearing flange from a dual row that had been factory machined and implemented.

Very rare, but it proves that anything is possible.

GVA-SFO

Thanks Macster, looking at the "exclude list", I can see that the vin in question ..is excluded ! (Or, may be increasing the chances to be a double row !)

Now, the readings from Mr. Raby shows that still it could be "lottery" out there !!
It is the pain, because, I would tend to feel that a "single row" car with 60'000 miles, is tough to drive without fears, while, ..a fairly good percentage of fears can be removed ..if it is a double row !

..More pain when thinking that the clutch was changed 4'000 miles ago !!! ***
So, it is now a US$ 2.5k to 3k charges, or ..driving with the fear of a >10k "big" fix !

*** ..It is not my car yet, but very close to be !

medtech

This may have already been covered, but the 1st gen (I believe that covers up to 2002) is the one in the 1% category, The rest fall into a slightly higher percentage.

Macster

I hoping Porsche record keeping sloppy enough my 02 got fitted with the extremely rare triple row bearing!

Flat6 Innovations

That would be nice! The only thing nicer is an oil pressure fed version :-)

blucky57

New on here with UK 2000 2.7 Boxster - had it 2 years with RMS leak evident or dreaded IMS fail potential (although not noisy so hopings it's the RMS) the gearbox + bellhousing base is thick with old oil but it isn't dripping or losing oil at all. Only done 8k miles in the time I have had it and done coolant tank, waterpump and AOS which all failed badly. I am perplexed that I cannot tell if it's got single or double IMS bearing without looking and the whole IMS risk spoils the ownership but it is so fast, so beautiful (speed yellow) and easily the best car in the world you can get for £5k. I do not understand the IMS solutions as opinions vary, etc nor do I get the talk of settlement from Porsche so came on here to be enlightened instead of frightened.

zedcat

Welcome blucky. The settlement is a class action suit that I believe only applies to US market cars.

There is heaps written about the IMSB. Just search on it. You can likely learn most of the key things in a couple hours at most. You could read for days but would be repitious! Also applies to the 911 (996). The M96 motor is the one of interest since you have a 986. There are differing views. I've been following the topic since about 2008. Just me, but my conclusion was the porsche design for the imsb is weak and the risk of failure was beyond my comfort zone. So I found an experienced indie porsche mechanic to drop the trans and replace the clutch, imsb and rms. I went with the LN Engr bearing which was also my mechanics recommendation. I'm not familiar with UK specialists but would expect there are several good knowledgable shops that do the bearing upgrade if you decide to go that route. Not cheap but if the worry is impacting enjoyment of the car and you plan to keep it for awhile then may be worth it.

I'm glad I did the job on mine. Now I don't think about it and just drive the car.

best of luck

blucky57

Thanks zedcat - Thats what I have been doing and I agree the LN option seems best - just trying to work out if I have a single or double IMS bearing and which retrofit would be best. I have learnt a lot from comments on here and the 986.com forums. I'd like to ask Jake Raby what he thinks is ideal for my engine as he might steer me in the right direction with all his knowledge and experience. Am talking to a UK specialist who has quoted a good price too. I think if the fix is done right it can rectify the key weakness of the M96 mine has done 107k miles so it deserves it.

Stephen Tinker

blucky...
Its a very good chance that your 2000 model has a dual row bearing fitted - as long as the engine is the original & has not been replaced.......
If Porsche (say) replaced the engine under warranty, they would have fitted a later style engine which could possibly have a single row bearing. Thats why the only real way to tell what you have behind the flywheel is by a visual inspection.
If you want to read up on the UK IMS scene, log onto < www.hartech.org > run by Barry Hart of Hartech in Bolton, Lancs. - he's Jake Raby's equivalent in England. Very informative reading.....

blucky57

Brilliant help - THANKS Just trying to search and decode engine number online but the paperwork on my Boxster says its engine number 6SY14392...Doesn't match anything on the 2nd and 3rd digits LOL

blucky57

UPDATE - Just jacked up car to check engine number it appears to be; M96/2265Y14392 Can anybody decode this for me...please
I want to post a new request on here but don't know how to start a new thread...can anyone advise me?
Also, it's stamped on with a metal punch in a series of dots by hand...my car is a Boxster 2.7 2000 year manual
I know the 6 = 6 cylinders, 5 = engine version, Y = model year (so why a Y and not a number???) and the 14392 is the serial number.
But as apparently M96/22 up to 12851 = double row bearing
& M96/22 up to 12582 = single row bearing - So what does my 14392 equate to?

mikefocke

Blucky57

Jake can't tell for sure before he opens it and doesn't trust the settlement numbers, who else knows more about the issue than he does?

Even if it is a single row, there is an announcement about to be made by the guys behind the LN/Flat6 series of IMS products. Might want to wait a few weeks.

Pick an experienced installer.

GVA-SFO

I was trying to do that same search (single or double) and found that even from Maître Jake R., the engine serial # could leads to surprises and unknown results.
According to him, he even saw under the flywheel an IMS cover, that was looking like athe cover of a double, ..and when pulling the bearing, he found a single !
(I was may be the opposite, I do not remember, but just to say, it seems that there are pretty much no other ways to remove it, ..in order to know it !)
It looks like the only way to be sure to be able to do the job in one shot, with "100% chance", is to order both, and return the the unused one when finished !

blucky57

"Even if it is a single row, there is an announcement about to be made by the guys behind the LN/Flat6 series of IMS products. Might want to wait a few weeks.

Pick an experienced installer."


Thanks Mike, I was intrigued by your comment and was wondering if you could tell me more on here or by email? I will wait a few weeks anyhow as the RMS leak or whatever has been on the car since I got it... Can anybody say what the engine number digit "Y" means under the year section - just annoys me not knowing! davidjb57@hotmail.co.uk

Flat6 Innovations

The announcement concerning the details of the Gen2 kit is coming in just a few days. We want our distributors to have units in stock before spilling the beans.