| Saving an engine, IMS retrofit - Page 5 |
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Page 4 of 4 Now we'll install the flange retaining bolts.
....and then we'll tighten the center stud and call this a complete job.
Now that the installation is complete we will update the RMS, check torque on the fasteners in the bellhouse and then reinstall the flywheel, as well as the transaxle. Typically we invision the installation of a Retrofit kit at the same time as a clutch job, as the majority of the labor is shared between both tasks. This is a task that isn't completed at the present without a degree of risk as there are several things that could occur should the bearing be too difficult, or impossible to remove: 1. When pulling the bearing, the tool can break. 2. In instances where a bearing has failed or is in the process of failing, the bearing could break and the removal process may not be successful, making for a more difficult procedure with risks of introducing foreign object debris into the engine that could cause another component to fail or even facilitate a complete teardown to properly fix the IMS. We honestly believe that in this scenario, had the engine been left alone and continued to have been run, a catastrophic failure would have occurred, requiring a complete teardown, so if the bearing extraction had failed, you wouldn't really be any worse off than you already were! 3. We have yet to determine exactly how much "load" the IMS tube and IMS drive chains are exposed to during the bearing removal procedure. The IMS tube has no thrust deck, like an aircooled 911/914/356 as the IMS bearing is designed to absorb the thrust load. This means during the bearing removal procedure some parts are exposed to loads they were not designed to experience. We have yet to determine how much load this is, and if it is even significant to the future life of the engine. 4. In an extreme case, extraction of the IMS bearing could apply sufficient force that could break the crankcase or other internal engine components before the bearing was removed from the IMS. The tool that LN Engineering has developed and included in the kit is designed to distribute the pressure of the puller in an area that can handle the pressure and prevents loading up of the crankcase or other internals. This greatly reduces the chances of something breaking, but there always is a chance that something could break, requiring what was potentially a good engine into one that needs a complete teardown. All of that said we are working to explore the chances of the above complications occuring every with opportunity we have. This means we have already pulled the bearings successfully from every core engine we currently have on deck and will pull the IMS bearing from every unit that comes in down the road prior to disassembling the engine. This gives us more and more chance of encountering a problem, if one is to come up, and gain more experience. We are also offering this service as a "preventive" measure for those who want to be part of our R&D program. If you are in the Atlanta area and need a clutch or serious service for your Boxster or 911, contact us about the possiblity of having your engine updated with LN Engineering's Retrofit kit. We have cars on the way to our facility now to be "saved" as they have failed or failing IMS bearings that have not destroyed the engine as of yet. This development could save these engines and their owners $13-20K of expenditure for a new engine. We will learn from these and add to this article as developments occur. If your M96 engine has a failed or failing IMS its worth all the risks involved to apply this development. Since the engine is already broken the "risks" are not of much concern as it would have to come apart anyway to repair the bad IMS bearing. If you want to be a beta tester we will do the install work for you... Contact us directly with any questions/comments at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Shipping of customer vehicles to our facility is a routine occurrence as we have very few local clients due to our secluded location. Jake Raby
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