21 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHAnyone experienced an LN IMS Retrofit Failure?
Reported or suspected cause
simple ignition switch - a well known wear part
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that report identifying a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Reported cause
but realized the real problem was a simple ignition switch - a well known wear part.
Leading evidence: 'simple ignition switch - a well known wear part' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'simple ignition switch - a well known wear part' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check ims retrofit bearing' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
We had one installed by a so called trusted shop and when the bearing they installed was pulled and returned to us, we found it full of debris.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
There is no telling how many times people have replaced coils, batteries, cables, etc...
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I replaced my IMS with an LN one when I bought it 2 years ago with 36K miles out of an abundance of caution, knowing that it's a replaceable part and somewhere within the 6 year suggested replacement window, I will need a new clutch and I will replace the bearing again.
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
Unless you have a rod failure that chops the IMS shaft in half, your IMS Solution will survive through most engine failures and be reuseable (after a good cleaning).
I replaced my IMS with an LN one when I bought it 2 years ago with 36K miles out of an abundance of caution, knowing that it's a replaceable part and somewhere within the 6 year suggested replacement window, I will need a new clutch and I will replace the bearing again.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I replaced my IMS with an LN one when I bought it 2 years ago with 36K miles out of an abundance of caution, knowing that it's a replaceable part and somewhere within the 6 year suggested replacement window, I will need a new clutch and I will replace the bearing again.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
It is important that when updating the bearing at time of service, that the pre-qualification procedure is followed again, as there are instances where conditions have changed since the original installation that can compromise the replacement bearing.
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
21 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 1 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261027T073501Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
I recently purchased a 2002 C2 and felt good about seeing the LN Retrofit Sticker. I can not pinpoint or find records of when the bearing was replaced. Based on the kit's serial number, I do know it's one of the earlier kits. Representative from LN said that it is due for replacement. Has anyone experienced a failure from their LN replacement? I feel good about the car but obviously always in the back of my mind. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Howdy, due to a transmission issue, my engine was out a few years ago. The shop checked the IMS Retrofit bearing. It was a little loose/crunchy feeling. Had not failed yet. It had been in the car for 4 years and about 25,000 miles. Replaced it with the IMSS. Done.
That seems really low miles etc for a failing bearing, was it single row? is it possible they really damaged it as they remove it? bearing extraction does damage the races but shouldn't be crunchy.
There have been failures of classic single rows as they are most susceptible to FOD, however there are kits that have been in service since 2008 and we've seen some of those come back looking and measuring exactly like new. There are many contributing factors to wear and tear on the replacement bearing, so replacement intervals are indicated as very conservative recommendations. It is important that when updating the bearing at time of service, that the pre-qualification procedure is followed again, as there are instances where conditions have changed since the original installation that can compromise the replacement bearing.
That said, the IMS Solution is pretty much impervious to FOD by design. Unless you have a rod failure that chops the IMS shaft in half, your IMS Solution will survive through most engine failures and be reuseable (after a good cleaning).
Likewise, we've had zero failures reported on the classic Dual Row or Single Row Pro.
Please don't pull your ims bearing to inspect it and then ask if it's good to put back in. We've had people do that. In fact, there is a seller on ebay now selling used LN bearings pulled from likely failed engines for reuse, which will for sure result in catastrophic failure!
Exactly. Extracting the bearing renders the bearing damaged and unusable.
If you take any ceramic bearing and wash it out, it will be noisy, and once extracted, will have noticeable notchiness.
Thanks Charles. I do recall seeing you on this forum so I'm glad you responded. Will wait to inspect the bearing when I replace the clutch. Seeking opinions more for peace of mind.
My personal opinion. These cars are made to be driven, not stored. I don't know if any data exists that might point to low mileage cars suffering more failures than higher mileage cars. It's interesting that there are many cars with way more than 100K miles that never had a failure. I replaced my IMS with an LN one when I bought it 2 years ago with 36K miles out of an abundance of caution, knowing that it's a replaceable part and somewhere within the 6 year suggested replacement window, I will need a new clutch and I will replace the bearing again. I can do this two or 3 times vs the cost of the Solution. I am not putting down the Solution in any way. It's a brilliant long term answer for those who store their cars. Even though I live in NJ, I make sure to drive my car when it's dry all year long. Can never get enough driving this car and they are made in Germany, uhh, where they have snow.
Cannot disagree with you on potential resale value. But for me the value is the driving. I�ll deal with the resale if/when I decide to change her. Right now she�s a long term purchase for me.
All good points, it is impossible for me to know how it all took place and in what order. I trusted the shop at the time, they told me was going bad and needed to be replaced. Now not so sure...
We had one installed by a so called trusted shop and when the bearing they installed was pulled and returned to us, we found it full of debris. After cleaning and disassembly, we found not a mark in the bearing and it measured perfect. All the debris was FOD from something upstream that had contaminated the oil. Likewise, there is a video on YouTube uploaded by an internet expert that shows a "failing" LN bearing, when in fact any ceramic bearing that is washed to remove lube will sound like that. I take everything with a grain of salt. Trust but verify.
It�s like Pay me now or Pay me later. I think that either way the quality of the install makes all the difference and the extra verification that preferred �Solution� shops do does ensure you are protecting and engine in great shape. That said, my car runs so sweet and I am sure that when we get to replace the clutch and do the IMS again, I�ll have another 5-6 years of joy.
Hahaha... ok. Well, I'm not implying you're being fooled or foolish at the moment. These cars have a very peculiar way of showing their asses. With some 29+ known modes of failure, things can take a turn for the worse without any warning and an owner's knee jerk reaction can lead themselves down the money pit hole. For example, bore scoring can be misdiagnosed as noisy lifters because it produces the same type of sound. There is no telling how many times people have replaced coils, batteries, cables, etc... but realized the real problem was a simple ignition switch - a well known wear part. Get my drift?
Rock on!
I HATE discussion by text. So many ways to misunderstand what someone is saying. BTW, check the thread here about Corvettes others have owned and their issues. I think it goes with the territory. Once a car gets old, things break. Doesn�t matter who makes it. But one thing for sure, these cars can be expensive to fix. I prefer to drive �smart/dumb� hoping the worst doesn�t happen to me!! No offense taken at all.
Amen to that! The written form of communication can be very impersonal and easily misunderstood. Emojes have helped, but still, text doesn't always allow you to gauge the context and tone when someone makes a remark. When I'm having to re-repair a device or something similar for the same problem, I may shout at it and say, "Fool me once... shame on you!" It's kind of a battle cry. Get my drift? Like Mel Gibson's Braveheart.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
