Casper Labs IMS kit?

Anyone know anything about this? http://www.ebay.com/itm/PREVENT-IMS-...#ht_3245wt_922

What's with the weird link address for ebay? When I copy the link it gives, "http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&drKey=200&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.rennlist.com%2Frennfor ums%2F996-forum%2F690009-casper-labs-ims-kit.html&v=1&libid=1333775425367&out=http%3A%2F%2Foutboundlink.me%2Fib.p hp%3FDR_id%3D200%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.com%252Fitm%252FPRE VENT-IMS-BEARING-FAILURE-BOXSTER-996-997-986-987-ENGINE-PORSCHE-%252F200740121623%253Fpt%253DMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories%2526hash %253Ditem2ebd0b2c17%2526vxp%253Dmtr%2523ht_3245wt_922%26ibref%3Dforums.r ennlist.com%252Frennforums%252Fshowthread.php%253Ft%253D690009&ref=http% 3A%2F%2Fforums.rennlist.com%2Frennforums%2F996-forum-60%2F&title=Casper%20Labs%20IMS%20kit%3F%20-%20Rennlist%20Discussion%20Forums&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2F PREVENT-IMS-...%23ht_3245wt_922&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13337754350801" When it shows properties its the below. "http://outboundlink.me/ib.php?DR_id=200&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FPREVENT-IMS-BEARING-FAILURE-BOXSTER-996-997-986-987-ENGINE-PORSCHE-%2F200740121623%3Fpt%3DMotors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories%26hash%3Ditem2 ebd0b2c17%26vxp%3Dmtr%23ht_3245wt_922&ibref=forums.rennlist.com%2Frennfo rums%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D690009"

For a test I'll do a yahoo link. http://www.yahoo.com/ That's some weird stuff because the properties for the yahoo's link says, "//api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&drKey=200&loc=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.rennlist.com%2Frennfor ums%2F996-forum%2F690009-casper-labs-ims-kit.html%23post9425992&v=1&libid=1333775631747&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yaho o.com%2F&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.rennlist.com%2Frennforums%2Feditpost.ph p%3Fdo%3Dupdatepost%26p%3D9425992&title=Casper%20Labs%20IMS%20kit%3F%20-%20Rennlist%20Discussion%20Forums&txt=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yahoo.com%2F&json p=vglnk_jsonp_13337758744902" Never seen this weird stuff before.

Dunno but it works if you just click on it. eBay does a couple redirects though including the outbound link...

Interesting, look forward to Jake R. to chime in. The removal tool almost look like a boat plug puller, looks similar to the one used to remove spark plug oil tubes, which reminds me I have to get one before changing the plugs!

There's a pretty long thread at Renntech in the 996 forum. A person from Casper discusses, at length, their bearing and the R&D behind it. http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...c-ims-bearing/

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+1 That thread has a wealth of information and in-depth explanation from the manufacturer himself. I found that thread to be the first to explain the conditions that contribute to IMS failure, without all of the wild speculation that is rampant on the boards.

You mean the explanation on LNE's site didn't teach you anything? http://www.lnengineering.com/ims.html Jump forward to the "Why do intermediate shafts fail (or rather, why do the bearings fail)?" section... most of what Bill said in the RT.org thread is also said on the LNE site.

Bill is an engineer, Charles and Jake,experienced as they may be, are not engineers. From the standpoint of a (former) fellow engineer, Bill's explanation(s) are backed by science, whilst Charles' and Jake's sound evidence-based with a smattering of intuitive guesswork and sound-bites from their phantom "retired Timken bearing engineer". That is NOT to say they are wrong or misguided. I feel more confident hearing another physician explain some medical issue to me than a lab tech. Call it professional bias if you want, but there it is. That said, the Casper retrofit re-uses the original shaft and flange whilst the LN retrofit contains a proprietary shaft of larger-than-OEM diameter, and as a result, a proprietary flange as well. So dollar-for-dollar the two are probably of similar cost. Bill believes the chances of a shaft breaking are not significant enough to warrant upgrading it, whilst Charles and Jake disagree. Personally, even if Bill is correct, I don't see a downside to upgrading the shaft specs. The overwhelming majority of the cost of the retrofit is labour, so another couple hundred in the part for a more complete kit doesn't seem like bad value at all.

its always good to have choices

Anyone ever hear any more about the Casper Labs solution? Just curious, as I am likely going to just have Flat6 do the Ultimate Solution, if not unreasonable, down the road, but, still nice to have choices..

The only thing custom in that kit is the spacer. I've made my own kit using a ceramic hybrid bearing that I bought for $100. Been in the car for 2500km. It's a little too early to declare it as another alternative but things look very promising. The thread is on the a Canadian forum under "I dragged home one of these".

I am maybe missing something here, but the primary issue appears to be a lack of bearing lubrication and the solutions offered are more robust bearings in addition to allowing engine oil to enter the bearing without a reliable feed. Would the correct/optimal solution not be to use a hollow pin/center bolt with perforations to supply oil directly to the center of the bearing, this in turn could be fed by a metal tube (to guarantee it remains securely in position) passed through the bell housing and connected to the head. This maybe prohibited by the space available behind the flywheel, not having had my 996 in bits yet I don't know, but perhaps an idea to consider?

The problem is that the bearing location and design does not really allow a reliable flow of oil, which is why Porsche went with the sealed grease bearing. As many have proven (more than have failed), if the seal stays intact, and the grease within the bearing, 100k miles is not a problem. So along your lines of thinking though, I always wondered if there wasn't a better, more robust REALLY sealed greased bearing instead. If the seal was so good that integrity was never a problem, then problem solved. I assume since this obvious solution has never been proffered that it just doesn't exist.

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??? The answer is derived from your thread title. ??? Who wants to be 1st?

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I'm already running a bearing like this. Bought it online for $100 and have 2500km on it.

Somone has just tried it and compared it with the LN bearing http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...g/#entry235706 Interesting info.

From the pic, looks like a factory flange being used? The shaft seems factory size so that would make sense. Would like to see the difference in the install tools as well.

Edit: The original link is: http://www.renntech.org/forums/topic...c-ims-bearing/ ^^^ K had a chance to read or should I say reread it from a year ago. I guess reading it a year ago, didn't really sink in at the time since this Casper was relatively unknown and I'm sure several people including myself have approached with some caution and doubt. Also as BR of Casper has mentioned, he's an engineer first and foremost with sales coming in second and wearing a hat he's not used to. I'm willing to go as far as to say his IMS kits would've probably done a lot better when it came out if he hadn't marketed and sold it on eBay, hence the doubt and credibility that could creep in from some people(including myself). HOWEVER looking back, it appears that BR at Casper Labs has actually come up with THE SOLUTION (at least the idea) before it was marketed or revealed to the public back in March of LAST year as another pointed out. I'm actually in awe of this and other knowledge that BR has gracefully shared from his engineering perspective. I guess rereading the thread a second time has sunk in more than the first with more impact. For anyone that has IMS questions, I would highly suggest reading the thread over at Renntech as linked above, as that would answer most of them. Reread it or read it slowly if you have to if it doesn't sink in the first time.

I just read through the Renntech thread on the Casper IMS bearing. One thing I picked up on that I somehow never got before was to not run these engines below max full oil as one simple step to help reduce possible IMS failure.

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Charles told me over the phone he's a software engineer and his wife is a chemical engineer, and there was a lot of cross over.

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So what? The folks in Stuttgart didn't get it right and there are a lot of "real" engineers there! In this case I would rather believe in someone with a passion and learned from the school of hard knocks, than a company which took 13 years to admit there is a flaw in their design and only after the class action law suit against them forced them to come out in the open. Jake's wife holds a class or two of land speed record, Charles' wife is an accomplished DE instructor, I am certainly not going to make fun that they are not "real" drivers!

The "phantom engineer" is a real guy, Porsche fanatic and the engineer behind the materials selection for the LN bearing. I've exchanged emails with Ed for probably 2 years on the subject. He is also the one who, if a bearing is returned to LN for reason of failure or if you did as they ask and replaced it at 50k miles, analyses the bearing and determines the cause or condition. It will be interesting to see how Casper does in the product support aspect of delivering a IMS kit. It is the support of the DIYers that LN and Flat6 attempted in the beginning and now no longer sell for DIY that is the challenge.