21 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHPorsche 996 IMS replacement
Leading reported evidence
Install incorrectly
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
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 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
However, a friend just bought a C4S with and upgrade done 1 year ago and while changing the AOS and to fix what they thought was a RMS leak they found the IMS seal was bulging out because it was installed incorrectly.
Leading evidence: 'Install incorrectly' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'rms (rear main seal)' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Inspect bearing and pay the cost' (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 suspect 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.
Suspected cause
The oil leak repair was mostly likely the RMS (rear main seal) which was problematic and has nothing to do with the IMSB.
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 contain suggestions
1
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0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suggestion
Are you willing to have someone pull the transmission to inspect the bearing and pay the cost?
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 contain suggestions
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.
Suggestion
You cannot know unless you pull the transmission and inspect the bearing cover.
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
However, a friend just bought a C4S with and upgrade done 1 year ago and while changing the AOS and to fix what they thought was a RMS leak they found the IMS seal was bulging out because it was installed incorrectly.
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
However, a friend just bought a C4S with and upgrade done 1 year ago and while changing the AOS and to fix what they thought was a RMS leak they found the IMS seal was bulging out because it was installed incorrectly.
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
Ummm..a 2002 may or may not have either a single row IMSB or the larger non-serviceable IMSB (meaning you have to split the engine cases to replace the bearing).
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
Sometimes replacing stuff that ain�t broke causes more damage than good, so that�s why I only look for the very best (and not the cheapest) mechanics, as it actually pays to have it done right.
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 · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
1 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Outcome without a verified action link
Lol, I bought an 02 with a blown motor for $4K, fixed it myself for $6K...been smiling ever since!
I�m looking to purchase a 2002 996 Carrera 4 Cab. The car as about 27K miles. Car looks in great shape and well maintained. The carfax report shows that the car since new has mostly been serviced at different Porsche Dealerships Up until a year ago. The service visits on the carfax report does not make mention of the IMS. When I asked the second owner who has own it for 2 1/2 years if the IMS had been replaced and said that he did not even know what the IMS and that they were common to fail.
One of the service completed says � Found in service oil leak from main seal. Repair as per estimate�
is it possible that the IMS could have been replaced early on and not reported to carfax after a service visit?
according to current owner Porsche dealership never mentioned to them that he needed to replace the IMS
Need some guidance
And to answer your question for real, if it’s only been serviced at Porsche dealers then it’s unlikely the IMS was replaced.
And if it were, it’s very unlikely that it would be mentioned specifically on a Carfax.
Sounds like a nice car with super low miles, however, based on the documentation you have DO NOT assume the IMS has been serviced. Your 2001 model year most likely has the small single row bearing which is the most failure prone of the 3 generations of IMS bearings. Get a quote from a REPUTABLE source for the IMS replacement and deduct that amount from the price you're willing to pay for the car. If your offer is accepted, have the IMS serviced immediately then get busy enjoying the car!
Ummm..a 2002 may or may not have either a single row IMSB or the larger non-serviceable IMSB (meaning you have to split the engine cases to replace the bearing). You cannot know unless you pull the transmission and inspect the bearing cover. Are you willing to take that chance? Are you willing to have someone pull the transmission to inspect the bearing and pay the cost? I would not rely on a Carfax report for anything. They definitely are not going to report anything other than routine service, and sketchy at that. Get a really good PPI (pre purchase inspection) before proceeding. Again, you cannot determine the IMSB unless the transmission is pulled and the bearing cover is exposed.
^^ Regarding CarFax, not only that, the car could have been in an accident and CarFax could still be clean.
I agree on a PPI and deduct the IMSB cost from the sales price. Then schedule to have the IMSB replaced. If it has the smaller bearing, it will be replaced. If larger bearing, just leave it be.
My guess is that it was not replaced. There would be a sticker on the rear deck lid with the LM serial number of the IMS on it.
Sounds like nice low mileage car.
Get it and expect to spend $2K getting the IMS and RMS replaced. No problems.
I am the second owner of 2004 996 Carrera Cab purchased in 2017. The Carfax noted several dealer service visits early in the 996's life including warranty replacement of the RMS. My reading is that oil leaks lead to many RMS replacements both in and out of warranty, but the IMS would not have also been replaced as a practice. /X3
If the IMS has been changed surely the original owner would have made mention of such I would guess.
People who have IMS replacements done are like vegans. They're quick to talk about it even if nobody asks.
Check if the VIN is in the range here(scroll down for 911 01-05):
https://rennlist.com/forums/boxster-...-mar-12-a.html
If it is, you should have the bearing checked and replaced if it's got excessive play and/or doesn't turn butter smooth. It the bearing is good, no need to replace. If you go ahead and inspect, and maybe replace it, be sure to find an experienced garage. There was a thread on the forum some time ago where a garage made a mess of a perfectly fine engine. Inspect before replacing.
My opinion is that dirty oil caused by infrequent oil changes, running the engine too hot and/or using a sport/high flow air filter is killer for the engine. Avoid it to keep problems away.
hmmm...11 years ago I bought my 997.2....couldn't be any newer....looking back, for the price I could have gotten a few restored longhood 911s....those cars would now add up close to $1M.I bought a new one....should have bought a bunch of old ones.
Now back to this thread....I used to think buying a car with an IMS upgrade installed was the way to go. However, a friend just bought a C4S with and upgrade done 1 year ago and while changing the AOS and to fix what they thought was a RMS leak they found the IMS seal was bulging out because it was installed incorrectly. Immediately replaced the whole thing. My lesson in this moving forward is buy a car without IMS upgrade and have it done yourself by a reputable guy you trust.
Agree, sometimes no good deed goes unpunished.
Sometimes replacing stuff that ain�t broke causes more damage than good, so that�s why I only look for the very best (and not the cheapest) mechanics, as it actually pays to have it done right. Surprisingly, this route often is cheaper in the long run.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
