Hey Guys. I'm posting this up to share what I gleaned from my recent project on the Boxster. Last year I developed a 2nd gear issue in the tranny so I decided to pull it, send it out for rebuild, replace the clutch & pressure plate, replace the RMS and install the IMS retrofit kit. For step by step instructions and torque values refer to the Bentley manual, it proved invaluable. I did a bit of research for a few months before doing the work, in doing so I found some usefull advice and some not so useful, here is what worked for me:
Getting the car up and ready:
I put the car up on front ramps and 4 jack stands, plenty high enough to be able to pull the tranny out:
Some people have said they were able to drop the tranny without removing the exhaust, it quickly became obvious to me that that shortcut was not going to work for me. I then removed the rear bumper and removed the B & B exhaust system.
Having restored muscle cars decades back I learned that keeping track of bolts / hardware made life much easier during reassembly, don't forget the safety glasses either:
Make up a board to keep the tranny to motor mounting bolts in order, there are several different sizes:
Brace the motor for support before pulling the transmission, you can use an above the motor support bar, a jack stand or my method, scrap wood:
I'm not an overly bright fellow, reminder signs help avoid disasters:
I used a Transmission Adapter for my 3.5 ton floor jack from Harbor Freight which worked wonderfully (item # 95640):
Use a strap in addition to the supplied chain to secure the tranny to the jack, you will likely have to pivot / tilt the tranny to be able to pull it out from underneath the car:
If you are going to ship the transmission somewhere for service a 120 qt. cooler from WallyWorld ($50) is alot easier than making a custom wooden crate:
Now that the transmission is off to Gbox time to deal with the RMS. Drill the old seal, screw in a self-tapping screw and remove with a pry-bar, worked for me:
For the fun part; installing the new RMS. A fellow (Kyle AKA Shark Attack) on another Porsche board was doing the IMS /RMS job and looking for a way to install the RMS without the expensive Porsche install tool, I sent him this link:
He thanked me and took the ABS coupling idea a step further, I basically copied his solution so I can't claim credit for coming up with this homemade RMS tool. Here is my version, go to Lowes Electrical Dept (not plumbing) and buy this plastic coupler:
UPC / Part #:
Then cut out a "floor" to be glued into non-threaded side and a "top" out of thin plywood. Glue the "floor" into the plastic coupler:
You then need to build up the "center" of the wooden sandwich with a piece of wood which will give you the desired depth (13mm to 14mm depending on who you listen to) to drive in the RMS. After finding the correct thickness (as you can see in the pic, I used a piece of .035 paper to shim things up to where I wanted) glue them all up:
You will then need to bore out the center flywheel flange / lip area along with drilling a hole for the pin so that the tool can seat itself flush against the rear of the crank.
Seating the new RMS, all I can say is take your time and be patient (not my best trait).
Now onto the IMS. I read everything I could; lock the motor at TDC, no you don't have to lock the motor, remove two tensioners, remove three tensioners, no you do not have to remove them but only loosen them ,etc. etc. Some guys had the IMS "jump" to the side due to remaining tension on the chains, some had to have their cars flatbedded off to the shop in order to get the motors retimed. I also read of a few nightmare scenarios where motors got smoked due to carelessness on the above. I contacted Jake Raby and asked what EXACTLY do I do, here is what he told me to do IN THIS EXACT ORDER: Lock the motor at TDC, completely REMOVE the TWO rear (flywheel side) chain tensioners (drivers side points directly out to the side of the car, passenger side points straight down), Remove and replace the IMS with supplied / purchased kit, REPLACE the chain tensioners and unlock the motor. From what I have read, the BIG problems occur when people rotate the motor after the chain tensioners are removed, DO NOT DO THAT. The other BIG problem occurs when people remove the IMS cover without removing the tensioners, DO NOT DO THAT either.
Locking the motor: remove the engine access cover, rotate the crank (CLOCKWISE) until you see the notch A in the rear of the crankshaft pulley. Match up that notch with the cast in hash mark B in the block at around the One O'clock position. Now use your Porsche locking tool or make one out of 5/16" metal rod (I used some scrap allthread) cut to 3" in length, insert it into the hole in the pulley near the 11 O'clock position C. You should be able to feel it go into a recess thus "locking" the motor. Try to turn the motor over by hand just to ensure you cannot.
R & R of IMS Bearing: This was actually the easiest part of the project, follow the supplied instructions, a few videos:
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=9lm2N-HlA1k
The only tip I can give on this is to use two mallets (one rubber, one dead blow) for bearing insert due to interference from the crossmember. After getting the replacement IMS bearing partially in, place a rubber mallet on the Aluminum install tool and use the dead blow on it for more square / direct hits, you don't have to use much force.
A palm sander and abrasive discs clean up the flywheel nicely:
Filling the transmission prior to install makes things a bit easier also:
For that problematic bolt located at the top of the tranny, wrapping a universal joint in duct tape barely catching the lip of the bolt holding it in place and ganging every extension you have (mine came up to nearly two feet) makes life a bit easier:
Good Luck Guys.....Mark.