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IMS Bearing
Porsche IMS Bearing Replacement
If you have been around Porsche’s for any period of time you have probably heard the term IMS Bearing.
The IMS Bearing stands for Intermediate Shaft Bearing, this is the bearing that supports the intermediate shaft on the flywheel that is located at the end of the motor.
The intermediate shaft is important because it drives the camshafts indirectly off the crankshaft. This reduces the speeds of the chains which lengthens the life of the chains. Saving you a costly investment to replace them.
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Three common signs you need an IMS Bearing Replacement?
The first, when you do your regular oil change watch for metallic debris in the oil filter.
Second, watch for oil leaks that located at the back of your engine.
Third, listen to hear the rods knocking and metallic sounds from the back of your engine.
Even if your vehicle has one or two of these symptoms, it’s still not guaranteed you need an IMS replacement.
We or another Porsche specialist will need to diagnose the issue and they can show you definitively if you need to do an IMS Bearing replacement or not.
The 996, 997, and Boxter are the most common Porsche models that need IMS Bearing Replacement.
What is the issue that causes my Porsche to need and IMS Bearing Replacement?
It’s normally not just one reason. But a chain of events. Let’s work backwards.
The final event… Spalling, it’s a technical term and basically means your bearing is old and has it’s share of wear and tear and finally fails. Because a bearing is made of medal, as it’s failing the metal cracks and then shavings break loose and spread throughout your engine.
As you can assume, metal shavings in your engine can cause major repairs. Which is why we want to replace the bearing before it spalls/ breaks.
Why does your bearing spall or break?
The most common one is lack of lubrication, if you rub metal against metal without lubrication your bearing overheats past the strength of the steel and fractures it.
The solution, replacing the IMS bearing before it spalls from overheating and wear and tear.
Scheduled maintenance, frequent oil changes, proper and timely fluid exchanges all help. But the bottom line is the IMS Bearing will break, you just need to catch it before that happens.
If you wait until after the IMS bearing spalls and breaks. You will also have to deal with the metal contaminants floating through your engine as well as replacing the new IMS Bearing.
If you don’t deal with the metal fragments contaminating your engine your going to be looking at another major repair just down the road.
Since we have seen the damage a IMS Bearing can do to your engine and wallet. We work hard educate all 996, 997, and Boxter owners to get this handled at the right time.
Just a heads up…
The 996, 997, and Boxter model years that are between 97 and 2005 are a easier repair. The IMS Bearing is accessible we don’t have to tear down a good bit of the engine first.
However, for the 2006-2008 model years you have to tear down most of the engine to access them. Which makes the IMS bearing replacement for this year still worth it, but a little more difficult.
Contact us to find out more
If you have any questions about your IMS Bearing and if you should be thinking about replacing it or not. Give us a call and talk with one of our friendly, professional Porsche experts.