holden997

Yes, that is exactly what I had done when I did my clutch and RMS. No issues so far. In fact, I spoke to Charles Navarro at LN Engineering about this alternative and he indicated to me that this option does address what many believe to be the root cause of IMS failure (the glue that holds the seal on breaks down,allowing oil to get into the bearing and wash away the "lifetime grease," but there is not sufficient oil to keep the bearing lubricated; removing the seal keeps the bearing lubricated). In fact, he said that since I did this, there was really no need/benefit to retrofitting with his IMS bearing. On top of this, the consistent advice that I have received, and follow, is to change the oil every 6 mos or 5k miles - its really cheap insurance!

One thing to keep in mind though, check out the cost differential between these two options, when I did this, the cost differential was about $1,500 factoring in parts and labor, that was meaningful to me especially since I had confidence that removing the seal was a good alternative. However, if the cost differential is not material to you, you might make a different decision.

Hope this helps,

-tanny02

When you removed the seal, what was the condition of the race and ball bearings? What it still packed with grease or oil?

thanks

I'm interested to know what was the initial source that triggered an IMS bearing to fail? I know a lack of lubrication is the final step to the death of the bearing. There seem to be a lot more engines with the "6204" bearing failing than the revised larger "6305". I suspect the covers used on the "6204" are not the same design/quality as the ones on the "6305". I believe the better seals on the "6305" is preventing oil from getting into the bearings and washing out the grease. On the weekend while doing my clutch, I decided to popped out my IMS flange to inspect the IMS bearing and from what I can see, there is no play, no oil/grease seeping out of the seal, there is no crack on the seal, the plastic looks very good and when I spun it, I can feel the resistance of the grease so the grease is still in there. This is the "6305" bearing.

What is your opinion on this?

These are for a boxster but nearly identical procedure for the 996.

transmission removal

http://www.pelicanpa...RANS-Clutch.htm

clutch/flywheel/main seal

http://www.pelicanpa...RANS-Clutch.htm

Caution: with the new PFTE seal (997 101 212 01), according to the WSM, it must be dry fitted (no oil, grease or lubrication). It will destroy the seal.

I'm in the process of developing a RMS seal tool for the DIYers, should be ready in a week or so.