valley996

Anyone ever heard of IMS bearing made by Casper Labs? They are on ebay.

You got your answer that few have heard or much less tried this new bearing. If you are trying to save $300 for something that might work vs. $600 for something that mostly works, go for it.

JFP is just trying to tell you that it is not worth the risk (and I agree). Can the Casper Labs bearing work? Probably, but you will have to risk your engine - they even mention that in the ebay ad. It is a simple game of statistics:

LNE - thousands out in the field, 3 failures (not sure where the number came from)

Casper - ??? out in the field, ??? failures

Try it out and report back to us how it goes.

It was a question, xmac. I posted to see if anyone knew anything about it. I did not order and do not plan on it at this point. I was interested in an alternative to LN and if it as good as theirs. I don't doubt LN has a better product than the factory option, but I would like to see more data from them and not what they choose to put on THEIR webpage.

xmac, the point is, can someone make and sell a product that is as good or better than the LN option, but with lower price. That's just business and capitalism.

I know nothing about Casper, but I have to admit I am intrigued. Also, if Pelican Parts ever comes through that will be interesting.

I having been asking Pelican Parts about the IMS for over 1 year, but they keep saying not yet. I am beginning to think they aren't going to make it. Promises but no part!

No disrespect to Wayne, but as he already sells LN parts; I am surprised he would try to develop his own IMS retrofit. That said, to my understanding, his retrofit uses the same style bearing as the OEM (steel with seals), but employs a larger center bolt much like the LN unit. While the smaller center bolts on the OEM style can fail, I really do not think that the bolt is the primary issue, which is lubrication or a lack thereof.

All things considered, the primary costs for an IMS retrofit is not the price of the bearing; by far, most of it is labor. After paying all the labor hours, wouldn’t you want to install the strongest and most proven bearing you could lay hands on?

Including LN, there are now four possible alternatives either in the market, or close to entry. Some appear to be copying LN, others going the “low cost alternative” approach, and one that supposedly uses bearings within bearings in conjunction with a “knock sensor” to catch a failure developing. While I am confident that the market place forces will eventually result in “shake out” of the lesser players, it is an interesting example of what happens when someone finds a way around a profound problem that the OEM says cannot be done (Porsche still insists that the bearings cannot be changed without splitting the cases, and this remains the “official line” at many dealerships), and the concept quickly turns into a multi million dollar aftermarket business...............

I am doing the labor myself so yes the cost of the part is important to me. If I can pay half of the LN price for the same part and it is just as reliable then that is a no-brainier. My point is that LN has had a little bit of a monopoly and it's time for a little competition to bring the price down. $600 for a bearing? I think that is a little pricey. I wish Pelican or Casper Labs would come through for the ones of us who want reliability but without getting gouged! I agree with J_beede, where is the data for LN.

JFP in Pa, where is the data that you claim LN has, " the strongest and most proven bearing you could lay hands on". Where would I find that information? There is no question that it is our only option right now. Do you have a report that we can read to back your statement. I am very interested.

I having been asking Pelican Parts about the IMS for over 1 year, but they keep saying not yet. I am beginning to think they aren't going to make it. Promises but no part!

I agree JFP. I would like to see the reliability of this unit. It would be nice for a little competition to bring the LN kit price down. A little capitalism at work can help the consumer. Just like we don't want Walmart to be the only department store!

Anyone ever heard of IMS bearing made by Casper Labs? They are on ebay.

I have the ceramic coated Fister exhaust on my 99 996. I love them, they look great! For the price, I wouldn't consider anything else.

thank you

Will factory side skirts from a 2001 996 cabriolet fit a 1999 996 c2?

See if this helps any. Look at the video on page 2. It's a BMW but is is doing what mine is then look at the replies.

http://www.renntech....__surge__st__40

I have the same problem on my 99. I assume you have the tiptronic? I have replaced about everything that I thought it could be but I am getting ready to replace my torque converter. I believe others on here can tell you a similar story.

That is what I suspected but I thought I would ask. I have also checked with Pelican Parts on their kit, but they just keep saying it is being tested. I would rather pay $200 than $600 if it is equal quality. It's funny how a little competition can bring a price down. Pelican said they would announce on their website when it is available but no date yet.

I am wondering if you can order Porsche replacement IMS parts and save a little money by not purchasing the LN Engineering kit?

You are kidding, right? Last time I checked, and it was some time ago, all they were offering was the "final solution" large diameter IMS that will not fit thru the opening in the rear of the assembled cases; you have to remember that according to Porsche, the IMS bearing cannot be changed without disassembling the motor anyway, so why offer the ones they know have problems.

At that time, the OEM parts were between $750 and $1,000 for the bearing and new matching shaft (which has to be changed to use the larger bearing in an early M96), so this wasn't exactly the low cost approach. Pelican has been touting an "OEM Like" bearing kit, but has not released it the last time I checked.

Lastly, why would you want to use a part that is known to lead to catastrophic failures, when there is another design, which costs less than what Porsche is offering, and has no record of a failure? Most of the cost in doing an IMS upgrade is in getting to it, the bearing itself is cheap by comparison,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I am wondering if you can order Porsche replacement IMS parts and save a little money by not purchasing the LN Engineering kit?

I bought mine at Partsgeek.com. It was Bosch and just like the original. It was around $475 each. I have also seen them on ebay. I then sold the amber lights, obviously for a much lower price, because no one really wants them.

Here are other less expensive ways to get the amber out.

http://forums.rennli...headlights.html

http://forums.rennli...mberectomy.html

Problem solved. It was the torque converter. Thanks to advice from some other owners on here they led me in the right direction. The funny thing is no mechanic that I went to even made the suggestion????

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

I have a 1999 996 C2 with 93,000. I unfortunately have to replace my torque converter. While I have the transmission off I plan on doing the following:

1. lnengineering retro IMS fix.

2. Rear main seal

Does anyone recommend any other items that I should replace while I am in there. I have had no other issues other than the transmission, but I have only had the car for one year and have no way to know if anything else has been replaced.

Thanks for any advice you could give me.

99 c2 with 92,000 and torque converter needs replaced now.

Can't tell any difference on mine, but it sounds faster! Ha!

Had FISTER do mine and it sounds great plus did the powder coating. Best of all the price was low for a 996.

http://www.fdmotorsports.net/index_files/Page1456.htm

Link to Fister exhaust.

Just got my Fister modified exhaust back and on my car. I love it and even better is the price! I have it on a 1999 C2.

thanks for the tip.

Just got my Fister exhaust back and on the car. It sounds perfect! I would definitely recommend them. Great price also!

Just got my Fister modified exhaust back and on my car. I love it and even better is the price! I have it on a 1999 C2.

That is good advice but it is hard to predict the future when buying a new car. Maybe you recall since I don't, did Porsche send out a bulletin predicting the engines would fail in the future? I don't think so. Unfortunately once you have one of the early m96 most people know the problems associated and you are somewhat stuck with it. Sure I would like to upgrade, but I can't sell mine. I would sell mine today and get a 997 if i could. I can't stand the thoughts of the engine going out and putting a $25,000 engine in a $18,000 car.

If you Google the m96 problems it doesn't appear to be some worldwide mystery. There is allot of talk about it. Where there is smoke there is fire. I believe I read on this forum that Porsche would not release the total number of m96 issues. That should tell you something. I love Porsche as a whole, but they didn't stand behind their product like they should have!

Also, giving someone advice not to drive a car they own isn't quite realistic. Cars are meant to drive. Next time I will take my crystal ball to the car lot or I will just buy it and not drive! Thanks.

Well, while I haven't heard of any of the LN retrofit bearings failing, there is still a potential for that to fail causing great damage to the engine. Even Charles recommends that that bearing be replaced every time the gearbox comes off. This also makes no mention of things like cylinder wall failures, collapsed lifters, worn out lifter trays, cracked heads- all things which qualify as "major problems." I think it's pretty clear in the fact that the GT2 and GT3 engines are STILL built on the old GT1 case halves, as Porsche KNOWS that those don't blow up.

In closing, let's just say that the company who brought you the 996 and Boxster is NOT the same company who brought you the 930.

nice try to try to have the 'last word'.

So let me put it this way. If Porsche remained the same company that brought you the 930, it would have been out of business 10 years ago - and there'd be no modern Porsche and no forums like this etc etc. You'd have a bunch of old timers doting over their aircooled machines and talking about the 'good old days' and lamenting the loss of a niche car manufacturer named Porsche.

Porsche sold over 700,000 M96 engine derivative cars. Yes, a very small percentage of those engines have failed (including mine) - but most haven't.

If a M96 and m97.1 engine scares you - DON'T BUY IT or DRIVE IT.

If you want to enjoy a fantastic sports car that sells for $30K or so used - buy it.

But don't waste your time on a 996 forum bashing it.

I am not arguing that a Suburban compares to a Porsche in performance, but I sure haven't replaced near the parts on it as I did my Porsche. My only point is that it is absurd to congratulate someone who just replaced an engine a car with low miles and he paid $25,000 for it. That is about the value of the car! Original price $80,000. Today's value: $28,000, replace engine way before you should have to (60,000 miles) at $25,000. Congratulations, for what? Guess what? The car is still worth $28,000!

You are right, Porsche should have done more. They could at least make replacement engines affordable for their "victims".

I'll sell you my 1999 996 C2, white, Tiptronic

Hello,

I am new here and I just joined this forum. I have a BMW 3-series for a few years now and I am looking to get a 1999-2002 Porsche 911 (996). Folks on the BMW forum (E46fanatics) referred me to this forum. I have been reading here for a few days and found it very informational and helpful - the first few pinned threads.

Now based on my very limited reading so far, it seems that the 996 is a good deal but with a few caveats as I summarized below. Here you gurus please chime in with your experience, knowledge and opinions. Nothing beats real world ownership experience. I need your help to solidify my decision to get a Porsche. It is my childhood dream and I hope to fulfill it at least once in my lifetime. I love driving and it is one of very few things I really enjoy a lot. Sorry for the long post.

911 (996) 1999-2004 engine issues:

- Intermix problem: requires engine replacement

- Intermediate shaft bearing failure: requires engine replacement/rebuild but may be fixed with aftermarket kits (LN engineering) as a preventive measure

- Engine rear main seal leak: fix requires dropping the engine but can be done at the same time with clutch work

I also realized that Porsche repairs are expensive mostly due to the tight space requiring dropping the engine/ transmission for most major work.

Thanks for your advice and help!

Jzwu