IMS failures--is the Cayman/Boxster 987 exempt?

There's been quite a bit of chatter recently on Pete's Boxster board regarding failures of the intermediate shaft assembly (bearing/bolt failure) which usually takes the engine out when it fails. More often than not, the 2000-2004 models cars are mentioned, both the 2.7l and 3.2l models are affected. Does anyone one know if the this assembly was redesigned when the 987 model was released?

There is a larger bolt used in the intermediate shaft that Porsche believes prevents or helps to prevent an IMS failure. When my engine was apart I inquired and was told mine already had the beefier bolt. Since mine was 2006 I assumed all after were fine, but actually was told that some later cars still have the problem because they phased in the beefier bolt over time.

All engines and Reman's since late 2005 or MY 2006 have been getting the newer style 3.8 IS bearing and cover. This is the larger nut that you would find. This though is all being replaced or should I say eliminated in the new 987 DFI Boxster and Cayman variant in Jan 2009 that the states will see in a March release. No more intermediate shaft and a design that I would have liked 10 years ago. Best, Scott Slauson

Thanks for the replies Scott--good to see you on the board. My '06' 987 is a October 2005 build. Is it fair to say that it should have the beefier bolt? K -Man: the comment your dealer made about the phasing in of the fix seems mind boggling; if Porsche knew they had a problem with this part, why wouldn't they just replace the component altogether? I'm sure they don't like junking parts but if the design isn't what it needs to be, they risk a $10K warranty charge if it happens in the first 4 years.

I think they meant by phasing in just what PCA-TECH said that if a motor came in for remanufacturing that had the problem it went out with the new bigger nut/bolt combo to try and stop the problem. On the assembly line there were probably motors that slipped out that didn't have the fix yet if they had a surplus of motors left over from the year before, in other words Porsche didn't tear down their whole inventory of motors and implement the fix, they simply started fixing new motors and some point and the rest of the "old" motors (even though brand new) still continued to go into cars.

Re: IMS failures - early '06 model We have been rebuilding Porsche engines in the UK with IMS failures for some time now. Here's some info that may prove useful to you: Autofarm Intermediate Shaft Tech In our experience, since the upgraded M97 (997, 987, 987C) engine replaced the M96 (996, 986) there has been minimal issues with IMS failures. This may also be due to the fact that the majority of these cars are still within the dealer network under warranty, but we have heard no problems on the grapevine.

Re: IMS failures - early '06 model 2 years later, is it a fairly safe to buy a used 2005 987S? I'd hate to have to deal with an engine going kablooey down the line...

Just to be clear, do all MY06-MY08 Caymans have the beefier IMS parts or do some of the early MY06 cars still use the older parts?

Be careful. I bought a very early build 2006 new in May '06. It was built in July 2005. I was told by my mechanic that I have a M96 motor with a small bolt. Oh well, I will change oil often per recommendation of mechanic and enjoy the car! If it blows then good excuse to invest in an engine swap.

Coincidentally, I was at my dealership last week and their mechanic was in the process of rebuilding the engine of a 07 Boxster because of a IMS failure. He said it was his first of this series. He also stated that the sound was a bit different than the earlier models. Instead of a rattling sound as the notice of impending failure; the IMS in the 07 Boxster made a sound that at first they thought it was coming from the belts. I guess you can say more of a high pitch whirling noise. From what I have read it would pay to run your car more often. The garage queens are prone to failure. Move up a click to 5-40 oil (regardless of what Porsche states). Change out the oil every 6 months (regardless what Porsche states). Get your RPM's above 3500 more frequently (no problem here). Track cars have less of a problem. The location of the IMS puts it in an area that if there is water in the case, it gets it first. Hence, the more frequent oil changes. I would also get away from the Mobil 1 stuff but that is another story.

interesting advice. my mechanic recommended oil chnages every 6 months. unfortunately my car is a garage queen at 15500 after ~5 years.

I got you beat, my garage Queen, 2006 Boxster S (3.2L engine) , purchased new in Fall of 2005, has 10,000 miles on it. Not purely because of "worship", but I've always had extra cars, and I work in a bad neighborhood.

Although not my car, I was at the dealership the other day and they have a 2008 Boxster S with 113 KM on it, for those fluent in miles, 70!

Just bought a garage queen! 2006 Cayman S 19,738 KM's=12,264 miles Car has only ever seen the sun! Porsche mech did first minor service and said I bought a new car! Very happy with it! Cheers B

Congrats! Post a pic or 6. Eddie

Here she is! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks great, congrats! May I ask what kind of booster seat that is, and about how much your child weighs? Thanks!

"Tiny tots" From toys r us. It doesn't fit the seat that well. But the belts fit snug around my son. He weighs about 50 lbs Cheers B Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi, all. I am going to look at a 2006 987 Boxster S tomorrow. It's build date was July 2005. Is there any conclusive information on which IMS bearing that car will have? Is it as simple as M96 has weak but replaceable bearing and M97 as stronger and not-so-replaceable bearing? Do all MY 2006s have the later bearing? I can't seem to find a straight answer. Thanks.

Did your 2006 require a new IMS bearing due to failure, or did you have it replaced for peace of mind?

Did the 2006 thru 2008 models have considerably less likelihood of IMS bearing failure?

Hope you get a definitive answer. I am also seeing mixed data on the build dates for the 2006 models. This is really getting confusing to say the least! Good Luck!

You may be waiting for some time for any reply. This is a very old discussion thread from 2008. The people you are replying to over and over posted these comments 4-12 years ago and haven't logged into this site in years. You will be much better served by starting a new discussion thread on your own to get some input from current members

There some very informative video on this on you tube and LN flat-six

So, Bobo, did you find an answer regarding early ‘06 987s and which bearing is used? I am coming across some 10/05 build dates on the first ‘06 models. Is there a consensus on this forum as to which build dates are safe to consider?

From what I remember all Caymans had the latest IMS bearing from launch . The early 987.1 '06 Boxsters may or may not with no way to tell beyond physical inspection. YMMV.