Re: Getting ready for DIY IMS replacement.... USB inspection camera to look at sump.

My car is a 2001 S, 6 speed with between 65-70,000 miles on it. Original clutch and IMS bearing as far as I know.

I am in the process of gearing up and psyching myself up for a DIY IMS replacement. I will likely go for the LN retrofit.

My local mechanic has taken the M96 engine course by Jake Raby, and he's been trying to get me to drop my sump to look for bits. I did some research on the interwebs about bits. I guess the cam chain wear pads are plastic and may break in the m96, and fall into the sump. Metal bits may be leftovers from engine assembly at the factory, or a disintegrating IMS.

I'm not dropping my sump at each oil change, so I'm going to do the bearing. I've come far enough in my Padawan Jedi training, that I am ready for the next step. I feel up for the challenge, and hope I do better than Luke did when he left Yoda to face Vader ( aside: Monday morning, and I need more coffee. I have no idea what's with the Star Wars references)

In a couple weeks, my inlaws are coming back from Florida with their motorhome. They have picked me up the 450lb tranny jack ($87.99 - 20% coupon = $70 ) from harbor freight. I have a maxjax lift at home. I'm going to get my car scanned at the local mechanic with the Durametric to see if I have any cam deviation. I'll drop the oil, and take a look at the filter. Instead of dropping the sump plate, I'm going to try to look inside with a USB inspection camera. You can get them shipped state side for under $20 from China. They've become small enough now to have 7mm diameter camera head. This should fit into the drain plug hole in the sump plate. I'll see if I can scope the sump plate without removing it. I'll even take a video or do some pics.

I'll invite some locals from here to drop by for a beer or to see my progress (Guenther? , Alcantera - Dave, and some people I've posted with online at the Rennlist Canada forum.) My car will likely be out of commission for a week or 2, depending on how long it takes to get the IMS in, my evening's free, and if it looks like I should do the wear pads on the cam chains....

May the force be with you,
or
Live long and Prosper


Peter
Heidelberg, ON
CANADA

oil filter oil and element.

If the engine was exhibiting signs of significant cam timing deviation there would be chain pad material galore in the oil, possibly with cam tensioner o-ring material or even IMS bearing swarf.

If you are doing an IMS retrofit of some kind removing the oil sump plate is not that much more work but of course if you remove it you have to be sure you reseal it properly.

You have to also be aware you can find some amount of trash present that probably arrived there very early in the engine's service life -- probably at its first start up and run in period -- that can have you worrying over nothing.

If you remove the oil sump plate inspect an oil sump baffling and replace any that show signs of degradation. In those engines with rubber flaps to control the oil and help keep the oil around the oil intake these can be degraded by running the oil too long and the acid build up attacking this rubber to the point the baffling/gates to control the oil no longer work 100%.

... Installing the hybrid ceramic bearing I ask you to consider the Direct Oil Feed option as well.
I have seen four (4) hybrid ceramic bearings severely deteriorated in the past several months.
None of them had 50,000 miles on it yet.
I believe that the OEM steel bearing with proper cooling/lubrication is the way to go but, as I said, even if you're dead set on the hybrid ceramic, please consider the DOF.
The Direct Oil Reed will extend the life of any IMS bearing. Period.
Happy Boxstering
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

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Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

and if i could go back i'd do DOF rather than two LNs. But at the time there was no DOF.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

What's the exit path back to the oil sump?

It just drips back down to the oil pan.
Happy Boxstering
Pedro

Pedro Bonilla
1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles: [www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)

---

Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar

"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"

"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti

"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna

apparently you have not followed the long version. One very plausible contibuting factor is that when oil is contaminated by water and acid (meaning: lightly used cars) the IMS bearing sites 40% submerged in the acid/corrosive gook.

But the suimple answer is that it falls a few centimeters at most to the poll of oil below.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

I would expect an inspection camera to have trouble negotiating around the baffles. I agree, if you're going to the trouble of the rest, you might as well drop the pan. Very easy process.

Sounds like an ambitious project, Pete. Depending on when you do the work, I'd be interested in having a look.

Have you considered the DOF? I think keeping the IMS bearing lubricated is key to making it last.

Sure Peter let me know, I would love to see that fix in person. I think we have lots of time as the snow is still here and not melting very fast.

MIKELLIG

Peter,

I am only 15min from your wonderful town...let me know when the rubber hit the road..I would love to view this process....what ever one you choose?

MIKELLIG

Sure, I'll post here and on the Rennlist forum once I get things in motion. Do you check here regularly? I may start as early as a week from now, or may delay it few weeks until I can get my tranny jack from my Florida vacationing inlaws.

The DOF flange sounds interesting, and I understand the arguments for it. However, the price point is a little high right now considering the value of these cars. My boxster is going to be 13years old, $800US is a little hard to swallow for just a flange and braided hose and misc. hardware. I'll think about it.

As the 986 moves into more DIY price range, I think there will be a lot of people trying to come up with cost efficient ways to keep their cars running.

Pedro - Do you have any April Easter sales coming up?

Peter

Isn't the LN kit already around $600? You could skip that.

the LN kit is around $600US.

I have not decided what exactly I will do with respect to the IMS bearing. I'm doing a bunch of reading on the interwebs, and there's bunch of info floating around. No one publishes test info, and the test info is n=1 for some of the enthusiasts. I can't find statistically significant info on IMS fixes.

There is a lot of part info to digest. Everyone has an opinion.

I may do a stock bearing, source a bearing that fits, DOF, LN kit? not sure. Being an '01S, I don't even know if I have a double row or single row.

I enjoy working on cars, and hope that the project will be fruitful. I think it will work out, as far as I can tell, this is pretty much a summer only car. I think when I got it in 2009, it only had 43,xxx miles on it. Now, it might be around 70K miles. At least, it wasn't exposed to salt. I just finished putting a coilover suspension on all 4 corners of my 2002 Jetta 1.8T (267,000km) - driven on the not nice days, and on very salty,snowy roads. Luckily, no fasteners were broken, and I was able to get things apart.

Right now, we still have 3' snowbanks lining the roads. My outdoor rink is still usable, although the kids are tired of skating. The roads are dirty from salt and sand. I figure I've got at least 4 weeks before I am itching to get the boxster out.

I commute 8hrs per week for work. I'll get my fill of boxstering on the nice days in May-September. The top down driving weather here may extend into October, depending on the temperature.

Peter

For what it's worth, here's how to determine which bearing you have (see the section "Which Bearing is Inside Your Engine?"):

[www.pelicanparts.com]

Don't get discouraged by what you read. I (and others) drove 160k miles before replacing mine (double-row) and it had only a little play in it.

Hi Peter - I'm local (Cambridge) and curious as well given I have a base Boxster of similar vintage. I would love to take a peek depending on timing.