996 Cam Timing Tools

Does anyone out there have a source for renting the 996 Timing tools? How about a member that has them and would rent them? I would be glad to provide a deposit. thanks

What year is your car (3.4 or 3.6) I might be able to give you some diagrams for making some of the tools yourself and some work arounds to avoid buying all the tools.

Hi Doug. I have a 1999 996 with the 3.4L engine. Long story short I have rebuilt the engine and found out that I have an IMS that the chain sprocket is slipping on. I have to tear down the engine and replace it. I had Jake at Flat6 static time it but now that I have to do it again, I am sure that I can if I had the tools. I have seen where you can do it without the tools but Jake was adamant that it should be done with the tools.

Are you going to do a full upgrade with the LN IMS shaft or just fix the slipping sprocket? Also, did you do the LN bearing upgrade, and if so did you buy the tool kit? The tool kit comes with a tool for locking the camshafts (actually two tools, one for the 3.4 and one for the 3.6). If you have that tool you can lock the exhaust cam and then set the timing. The Porsche OEM cam timing tool lets you lock the crank at TDC and them rotate the intake cam slightly to align it properly. You can do it the opposite way by locking the cam in the correct position and then rotating the crank slightly to TDC. Of course both involve loosing the bolts on the cam sprocket. Jake actually told me that he locks the cam and move the crank for a final allocation. \I am assuming that if you rebuilt the engine you have the other cam tools.

I made the tools that I needed. The Cam tools I do not have. I reused the shaft and that is my problem according to Jake. He said to NEVER reuse a shaft after an IMS failure. I did not get the tools with the IMS bearing. I had the case apart and did not need them. If you have or know any that has the tools, let me know.

We learned long ago to never reuse an IMS assembly after it was involved in a bearing failure, no matter how mild or severe the occurrence was.

Yea, I learned the hard way. But look at the bright side. I can pull the engine in 45 minutes and I have already been into the internals so it is all old news. It is just the time to do it ...again... And, I cannot say enough good things about Flat6 and Jake. These guys are great. When you go to their place, it is more like a lab than a garage. Spotless, clean, uncluttered and organized. The minute you walk in, you know you are in the right place.

Jake - A quick question for you. You say that you have learned never to reuse an IMS assembly involved in a failure. But in many cases I thought you and others were saving engines with "failing" bearings by dong the retrofit. Is this not the case? Are you saying that when you tear down an engine you never reuse the IMS? Just looking for some clarification.

Big difference in an engine that has been saved from an IMS failure and an engine that has experienced a full blown failure with the IMS tube being reused. When we "save" engines the parameters for salvation are quite definitive. If a bearing has completely come apart we will retrofit it if the owner understands that secondary issues like the original poster is experiencing can occur. Usually those engines are toast due to collateral damage, like broken pistons and bent valves anyway. Most engines that are "saved" using the IMSR have just started to have bearing failure, meaning the bearing is still together and has just started to come apart. These can be saved with no IMS tube damage. When I stated that we never reuse an IMS assembly that has been previously seen a failure I was referring to our complete engines that are fully upgraded. These are the engines that feature all the upgraded components and have been completely assembled here at our facility. In most every instance an IMS bearing "full failure" results in timing chain sprockets that become misaligned on the tube or no longer stay in position during operation. The IMS drive is press fit, and a very poor one at that. Older IMS tubes are pinned as they feature cast iron sprockets, later units are capable of being Tig welded for added insurance, we carry out these procedures on every engine Thanks so much, we are happy to help.. Oh, by the way.. The day you were here the shop was a pig sty.. Its typically much more squared away than that!

Jake, the picture is of a later model IMS. It has the gear-like main sprocket. In the older 996 shafts that have the dual gang chain drive is the main (crank to IMS) sprocket also pressed on? Can it be tig welded also?

The older units with the duplex style chain cannot be welded, they must be drilled and pinned as the sprockets are cast. If I were you I'd not trust that current IMS tube at all, I'd get another unit and have it pinned and throw that one out. Its probably not even straight!

Do you use a roll pin or a set screw? Does this process affect the shaft balance or is the weight differential insignificant?

We use a hardened roll pin made just for this. The mod does not effect balance due to the diameter of the shaft, how close the mod is to the centerline and the fact that it passes through the center of the tube.