What causes the Porsche's IMS Bearing to fail?

Like all vehicles, 911’s and Boxster’s have their unique maintenance areas to pay close attention to; one of the common areas for Porsche being the Intermediate Shaft Bearing, commonly referred to as the “IMS” bearing.

As Porsche owners, most of us have heard about the IMS bearing, but what is it and why do we need to know what it does?

The main cause of the IMS bearing failure is the lack of lubrication the bearing is receiving.

What model Porsches are affected by the IMS bearing issue?

  • 1997-2005 Porsche Boxster/Carrera
  • 2005-2008 Cayman/Boxster/Carrera

Direct Oil Feed

What does the Direct Oil Feed solution provide for the IMS bearing problem?

The direct oil feed method uses an adapted pressure fed oil line from a positive oil pressure feed on the cylinder head directly to an opening in the custom intermediate Shaft Flange. This feeds fresh oil directly to the open end of the IMS bearing. By using a positive oil feed from the engine’s cylinder head valve cover, there will be a consistent flow of oil-directed to the open end of the intermediate shaft bearing.

The Direct Oil Feed (DOF) is a cost-effective way to protect against a possible IMS bearing failure. The DOF system can be installed with replacement steel SKF bearings and will also work with aftermarket ceramic ball bearing kits. Later style IMSB with the larger bearing have no way of extraction and the DOF is the only kit that does not require engine dismantling.

Eurotech Knoxville is a recommended installer for the Direct Oil Feed solution and has been performing these repairs since 2010.  Porsche owners all over the Southeastern United States have trusted us for their IMS bearing repair, as well as engine rebuilds/replacements as a result of IMS bearing failure.  Contact us with any questions regarding this repair.

porsche ims bearing direct oil feed

Replacement Ball Bearing

With the DOF kit, we recommend replacing your bearing with a new, zero-mile bearing. We sell with our DOF kit the optional Dual Row or Single Row steel SKF German ball bearing to complement the Direct Oil Feed kit. It is always a good practice to remove and replace your IMS bearing when performing the DOF installation for your engine. A new bearing will give you a fresh start with the now added benefit of the Direct Oil Feed.

Once you have experienced an IMS bearing failure, there is no turning back.  A complete engine rebuild or replacement are the only solution.

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