JFP in PA

I think you are misunderstanding terminology here. The Pelican chain, "without a master link", is an endless chain that requires pulling the engine out and apart to change it, as does the factory chain. It is also not uncommon for some parts to fit many different brand vehicles. In any case, having worked on Turbo's for many years, I really don't see how you are going to change one of these chains, even with one with a master link, without pulling the engine. These cars have very restricted space around the engines, making pulling the engine a real time saver for many such repairs.

I don't know if it is anything in the sensor design, as some seem to go on forever and others only last a limited time. I do know we have had better luck with the factory units than with after market.

Yes, it is possible. Because of all of the electronics on these cars, spurious voltage excursions can lead to all sorts of weird issues. The DME can basically "loose its mind" when it does not have the operating voltage it expects, as can many of the various sensors on the engine. You can test the alternator output with something as simple as a digital multimeter. At idle, the system should be around 14V or so. A load test on the alternator would monitor the voltage output as the electrical load on the system increases, which would give you additional data, but a simple output voltage would be a good starting point.

No. a load test for the alternator is a dynamic process; with the car running, the system ramps up an electrical load on the system as shows how it responds. AutoZone testing is more for "it works or it doesn't work", like a light bulb.

Batteries should get warm, but not hot, which is usually a sign of trouble. I would load test the battery and the charging system as spurious MIL lights are often voltage related. What's the best way to do that You need a system load tester to do this:

Batteries should get warm, but not hot, which is usually a sign of trouble. I would load test the battery and the charging system as spurious MIL lights are often voltage related.

Welcome to RennTech :welcome: If you have the car's service records, I would go over them to see when everything was serviced to get an idea where the car currently is. If you only have the most recent record, I would consider the following: Oil & filter, air filter, brake fluid flush, coolant replacement (if it was not done at most recent service), serpentine belt (plus check all the pulley/tensioners), front diff (if not done at last service), and full visual inspection of all running gear.

Welcome to RennTech :welcome: There are a variety of things that can stop the ignition system, such as a faulty crank position sensor, or even the car's alarm module. You are going to need additional diagnostics, preferably with a Porsche specific scan tool, to help discern where to begin.

I'm afraid that most of what you will find by searching about aftermarket warranty pay outs on these cars goes more in the negative direction, and often on things vastly more mundane than losing the engine to an IMS failure.

Coil packs can read within resistance range and still break down with heat or under electrical load, causing a miss. But being out of range is never a good indicator. Did you run cam deviation values before and after the IMS retrofit?

Sorry, but there is not magical "reset" button on the vehicle, you need a Porsche specific scan tool (PIWIS, Durametric) to analyze and reset certain error codes like PSM or ABS on these cars. Most newer cars are this way, requiring a specialized tool to reset certain "restricted" code areas. That said, sudden multiple MIL lights are often the sign of an electrical issue, usually low voltage. I would have the battery and charging system load tested by any credible shop to make sure both the battery and alternator are working correctly.

It is very difficult to flat out guessing what exactly is wrong without the codes.

Welcome to RennTech :welcome: On 2005 Boxsters, it is impossible to tell which IMS bearing is in the car without taking it apart and looking; no other method has worked. Your description of the clutch sounds like it may be an issue. I would first try finding someone with another Boxster and seeing how their clutch compares to yours. Heavy clutch pedals often signal a clutch near the end of its life in these cars. Be careful on where you source keys as the dealer will need some code information that should come with the key; without it, the key is useless. In any case, you will need access to a PIWIS unit (factory diagnostic computer) to code the car to accept the key. Aftermarket warranties can be problematic, they often have a lot of "small print" that makes them nearly useless. Be sure to read the entire warranty before spending a lot of money, many owners have found out about this the hard way. Don't be turned off by everything you read about these cars, particularly on the internet which tends to collect all the problems. I have personally owned a 986 for nearly 15 years and it had been problem free the entire time. Good luck with your purchase! June would be a later build date, but you should also recognize that build dates, like a lot of other parameters, are irrelevant when it comes to which style IIMS is in the engine. The only way to know is to take it apart and look, and that is going to cost $. $2K for a clutch is about average for just about any car out there, so it is not excessive.

Unfortunately, this tool is both pricey and very specific. Usually, you would only find one in a shop. If you cannot find one selling used, check with shops in your area that work on these vehicles; they can probably do a quick shaft alignment for you at a reasonable price.

Do you have the actual trouble code?

Welcome to RennTech :welcome: On 2005 Boxsters, it is impossible to tell which IMS bearing is in the car without taking it apart and looking; no other method has worked. Your description of the clutch sounds like it may be an issue. I would first try finding someone with another Boxster and seeing how their clutch compares to yours. Heavy clutch pedals often signal a clutch near the end of its life in these cars. Be careful on where you source keys as the dealer will need some code information that should come with the key; without it, the key is useless. In any case, you will need access to a PIWIS unit (factory diagnostic computer) to code the car to accept the key. Aftermarket warranties can be problematic, they often have a lot of "small print" that makes them nearly useless. Be sure to read the entire warranty before spending a lot of money, many owners have found out about this the hard way. Don't be turned off by everything you read about these cars, particularly on the internet which tends to collect all the problems. I have personally owned a 986 for nearly 15 years and it had been problem free the entire time. Good luck with your purchase!

Yes, a loose oil cap will create a vacuum leak as the sump in under about 5 inches of water vacuum via the AOS, which gets its vacuum from the intake system. A MAF is an electronic device, it cannot create a vacuum leak unless it fell off the car. ^_^

Welcome to RennTech :welcome: This is a topic that gets re-chewed periodically. The people that developed the IMS retrofit tried a wide variety of different bearing designs and materials of construction before settling on the current ceramic hybrid design. Based upon size constraints of the case opening and the inside of the existing shaft, I don't think a conical bearing would be practical for a couple of reasons as you would need an internal race inside the shaft, which would limit the size of the bearing rollers. Drilling into the existing IMS flange would also present issues as it is not very thick and putting a hole in it could weaken it significantly. If you look at the flanges used on oil fed designs, they have increased thickness to accommodate the oil lines without creating problems. Because of the proximity of the flywheel to the engine cases, you cannot realistically tap into oil inside the bell housing, so you need to go to the outside. The rather well thought out design used in the IMS Solution (tapping into a spin on filter adaptor to get freshly filtered oil) is out as it is patented; tapping into the oil in the cylinder heads has created issues with the VarioCam systems, plus it sources oil from one of the hottest and dirtiest parts of the engine. While potentially possible, I think the use of a conical bearing would need a lot of costly development work before it was practical, which would be difficult to recoup as there are existing products already on the market that are doing an excellent job (there are nearly 20K LN retrofits running around on the street).

Because you are throwing the same overly lean mixture code on both banks, it has to be from excess air entering in a place that is common to both banks, the intake system. Could be something as small as a broken or disconnected vacuum hose on the intake, or a loose clamp on the flex hoses, etc. Time to start doing a detailed look around.

You have a vacuum leak somewhere in the intake system.

A PPI is always possible, and are should never be done by the selling dealers, but by an independent mechanic of your choice. I also remain circumspect of this car's "extraordinary bargain" pricing, to me that is a red flag. Every bargain priced Turbo we have seen was priced that way for a reason..........

If you have no record of it being serviced, and the car has 90K on it, you are way past (2X) when we would have serviced it. You rev fluctuation could be slight slippage in the converter or gearbox. Do a fluid and filter change and let us know how you made out.

When was the last time the Tip was serviced?

It could be either the cam position sensor (which you can swap sides to test) or the VarioCam unit it self.

Welcome to RennTech :welcome: P0018 - Crankshaft position with respect to bank 2 intake camshaft. The code is telling you that the relationship between the crankshaft position and that of the intake cam on bank 2 is not correct. If you have verified that the cam allocation on bank 2 is correct, and that you now have full compression pressure in all of the cylinders, then I would suspect the either the cam or crank position sensor is bad, and would also suspect that it is the cam sensor; so I would start there.