i think you have a seal problem (rms) no mayor problem , maybe is the best moment to check the ims condition & clutch inspection, good luck.

 

Juanchi,

Thank you for your quick reply.

Do you know if a RMS or IMS leek also can be as heavy as described? (quite a massive amount of oil poured out).

I was told by the local Porsche guys, that the 3,6 motor is quite reliable and they haven't done that many engine replacements...... my extra warranty "Porsche Approved" has just ended

Regards,

Damborg

 

Check this link, therese a good explanation about ims or rms,
http://www.lnengineering.com/ims.html

 

first of all, don't worry. you didn't blow the engine or anything! just have it towed to a reputable shop for repair.

you should get a warning light if it was a massive oil leak. i am surprised you didn't. maybe you shut the car off really early?

were you able to identify if it was engine oil? it would look golden or brown in color. coolant tank is known to burst but that would be different.

was the clutch normal when this leak happened? did any warning light come on?

 

Djantlive - thanks for your reply....!

I was lucky as I was cruising quite slow and suddenly heard a loud whistling sound.... the engine sounded weird for a brief moment as this happened (only 5-10 secs) and then went back to normal.... I turned off the car, but no warning lights came on as this happened - also the oil pressure indicator was normal and didn’t drop....

It is definitely motor oil that’s pouring out - tried to fill some more oil on the car, to track the leak... to my surprise, the oil is pouring out quite fast I have never heard of a RMS failure that’s been so massive - but can that be the case?

The car has only 70t kilometers on the clock, has never been racing tracks, and all service checks have been performed... why this sudden act of breakdown?!

I do fear a major repair job has to be done, but I keep my fingers crossed!!

Cheers,

Damborg

 

Djantlive,

What are the classic symptoms of the coolant tank to leak?

The clutch seemed to be working as usual.....

Please also see my comments above....

Your help is much appreciated!

Regards

 

You'll see the coolant level drop in the coolant tank. If the tank is leaking, then you'll likely see coolant near or underneath the tank.

 

..... just received information from my local Porsche shop.... the IMS bearing has failed and needs to be replaced

I was told that this will include a complete disassembly of the engine

Anyone having experience with this or the retrofit options that are available on the market?

Isn’t it possible to change the this bearing without a complete disassembly of the motor???!!

Regards,

Damborg

 

Sucks to hear. Porsche replaced my engine under warranty when the IMS was shot on my C2. You might want to check into doing the same.

 

Porsche in Denmark doesn’t seem that eager to help on this problem...I’m considering contacting Porsche in Germany. I haven't got any extended warranty on the car

Isn’t it a fact, that this is a known failure on these cars and Porsche acknowledges this??

The car has a complete service book and has only 70.000 kilometers on the clock....I can't believe this is happening at such an early point....!

 

As I understand it (I have read up on this topic) most of damage with an IMS failue results from bearing material interacting with the moving components of your engine.

Sounds like perhaps this didn't happen in your case(?)

Wondering if it might still be possible to do the LNE IMS bearing replacement even though yours has already failed. If you can, it's a heckuva lot cheaper than a new engine - even a used engine. (contact LNE to review your options).

If no, you have several options:
- get your engine rebuilt better. If I find myself in the same position, this is my plan. I will have Flat 6 innovations do a full rebuild. **This is probably the most expensive option if done right.
- get a crate engine. New, but possibly with many of the same potential design weaknesses.
- get a used engine. Most cost effective, but it's a roll of the dice. If I were to do this I would replace the IMS bearing before I even put it in.

 

Do any of you guys know if Porsche HQ recognizes this a "factory error" on these engines?

Regards,

Damborg

 

Typically it is the lower mileage engines that have the problem due to condensation getting in the bearing and eroding it away. The higher mileage cars typically don't have a problem, I am a little shocked that a car with 70k miles which appears to be driven regularly is having the issue. Usually it is the 20k mile cars, etc. The % of failure is still extremely low, the internet just makes it seem like it is a rampant problem, so of course Porsche isn't going to do anything about it. Early on they were replacing engines just to show how good their warranty support was, even when the dealer techs were saying they could repair the engines easily. The LNE kit should be done as preventative maintenance on any 996/986 IMHO. If you wait, you are just rolling the dice to see what your odds are. More than likely you will be fine, but there is always a chance of an expensive repair.

I pulled a IMS bearing out of a 100k mile 99 996 a few months ago to do the LNE kit, and the bearing was like brand new.

 

FWIW, if it were me and there was no CEL pending with cam position, first I would pull the oil filter and dissect it to look for foreign object material. If the filter looks clear, then pull the tranny and put in the LNE IMS kit. Flush the oil, get the car to operating temp, then flush the oil and inspect the filter again. Hopefully all would be good after that. If there is anything in the filter, then write the motor off.