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I'm guessing they will because once they have the tube they can do the insertion precisely on on a bench. A BIG problem they faced with the DIY installs were people not driving the bearing all the way home, AFAIK (amongst other issues). Of course, the center support nut torque is critical...

I wonder if a tube exchange program will be available similar to how you can send your tube into LNE and have them retrofit.

Ah! Thanks. That is what I suspected! Edit: Actually there some 2000 MY's with single row bearings... which might be a reason for me to upgrade to the single row tube and hyvo chain next time my engine is cracked open... "Starting in model year 2000, a single row ball-bearing with a significantly reduced load capacity was used." - From: http://www.imsretrofit.com/ims-101/

:jump: The original product "announcement" last month was that model years below 2000 were not included, I wonder if that has changed.

This was originally posted by Shark Attack (primarily rennlist.com), but I think it is important to duplicate the info in case it gets lost. The original thread is here with many edits and updates by Shark and myself. Shark used wood stops but I later went in and used a pvc insert as a stop (and ultimately a flat cap). http://reutterwerk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18315 "... I am rebuilding my custom RMS tool based on Kyle's design....Basically, the business end of the 3" PVC coupler has an outside diameter of 100mm and and inside diameter of 89mm. 3" PVC pipe has an outside diameter of 3.5" (appx 89mm). The key here is you need a COUPLER, not a section of pipe. The part shown in Kyles picture is a PVC coupler that reduces from 3" down to 2" (but again those are pipe size measurements).Hope the above makes sense. This works out perfectly for the seal which is 85mm x 105mm.It works exceedingly well. Trust me I've used it many times!I'm reworking my tool because I want to use M10 bolts to draw the seal in this time instead of tapping it in gently with a mallot. EDIT 12/19/12: for my install last winter I reworked the tool. The inner stop is 14mm from the outer edge of the PVC coupler (thus stopping the RMS from going in further once the stop hits the crank nose), inserting the RMS to the correct depth. Also I reworked the tool a little bit. The stop became a flat PVC pipe cap on the end of a piece of 2" pvc pipe that goes into the couple instead of the open piece you see. Shark's wooden solution would work great too!Added bolts to draw the RMS in instead of using a mallot. The bolts are M10x100mmx1.0. Any length that is long enough would work fine and you can just adjust the final length using some washers like I did.Same specs as above, just added the two bolts that thread into the crankshaft flywheel threads. Worked great! Here is a pic of what that looks like:"

Nice write up. You forgot one critical step which is to bleed the heater core loop while you are bleeding the entire system. To bleed the heater core loop simply turn the ignition on and turn the heater on hi with the fans on low. A few other tips while you are refilling: Keep the rear end of the car jacked higher than the front, and gravity will aid the fill, although not required. To get every last drop out of the system you can disconnect and remove the radiators and heater core and let them drain for several hours. Optionally, you can also hook up a shop vacuum attachment on "blow setting" and blow out the large coolant lines that run the length of the car to evacuate all remaining coolant from them (they have steep angles and so they can trap a lot of coolant regardless of what angle you put the car at). Coolant is caustic, so do be careful if you try this method. It is a good idea to run the car with the bleeder valve open for a few days (with blips over 5krpm) to ensure the system is totally bled.

A good 2 part epoxy should hold, at least temporarily. A good permanent fix is a new hose. The hose routes along the top of the engine bay and snakes down by the transmission then under the body underneath belly pans and then behind the wheel well liner where it pokes into the frunk and into where the brake booster lives near the master cylinder. Here's a pic of that hose from my car. You can see how much of a pain it would be to do on jack stands and with the engine in car. Impossible, no. Difficult, yes.

Through a stroke of genius, I created the worlds first documented wrist pin clip inserter extractor specifically for Porsche. I think I will patent the device and make millions. If you are rebuilding your M96/97 engine you need this tool! If the inserter is stuck, it allows you to pull the extractor tube out of the access hole in the side of the cylinder once you've driven the clip home. Basically it's a pick on the end of a 3' long threaded rod with a wing nut and some washers to use for leverage on the side of the case, so you can gently pry the inserter out. Enjoy!

IIRC the experts say stick with the dual mass even if your engine has been balanced to within very fine tolerances, unless perhaps you are building a race car. If you've gone so far as to tear the engine down and have it profesionally balanced to within say a gram or less, I would say the benefit of having it balanced (along with the others you probably made while you were in there) are likely to far outweigh the benefit of a lighter flywheel. Remember there is not normally a harmonic underdrive pulley either. Are there cars on the road with LWFW that don't have problems, sure, but I guess if you want a better insurance policy stay with the DMFW. FWIW, my dual mass was off by at least 20 grams from the factory (not to mention crank and rods were a few grams off each). That 20 grams out at 5 or 6 inches at 7000RPM is a huge power zapper! Of course, went with micropolish crank and R&R rods (pre-balanced) and everything came to within a gram. Didn't knife edge or anything though. I bet I could safely raise the rev limit!

IIRC the brake booster hose runs the length of the car and into to the brake booster near the front left wheel. I don't remember it having a junction anywhere, and with the engine in place it would certainly be very difficult to replace. Perhaps it would be possible to use some epoxy or use a hose repair/splice kit in lieu of replacing the hose?

Remember that on a cold start there are a couple things going on. Secondary air into the exhaust, higher idle, among other things. One of which I would pay attention to are the O2 senors. Before they've heated up and can start giving feedback to the DME, the computer is going to be dealing out a different map than when it is warm. If you have an intake leak and it stumbles at cold start then smooths out once it warms up, one possible explanation is while the engine is cold the ECU is not adding enough fuel and so it is running lean (or perhaps it is adding too much based on what is has learned previously to compensate for the air leak and so it is running too rich, keep in mind when engines are cold and they first start up the injectors are open longer). Then once the O2 sensors warm up and start providing feedback the ECU adapts the fuel mixture to compensate for the intake leak and smooth things out as best it can (but I would bet a few dollars even yours is not running "well" once it is warm, but you've just grown accustomed to it or never sat in one that is running well). Just one possible explanation though. Certainly, since it's easy to do, cleaning the intake and IACV can help it run more smoothly, if they are dirty (be careful not to introduce more intake leaks when you put stuff back together). There is an oring behind the throttle body that is cheap and easy to replace, over time they get hard and don't seal as well. And when you say your trims are fine, I might have a second look at those, as I would be guessing with a cracked brake booster you are going to be running lean and the ECU is adding more fuel to compensate. Oh, and did anyone mention MAF here? (perhaps part two...) Happy new year! :)

Sorry, but did anyone mention the fan ballasts here ?

The vacuum hose you point out is for the brake booster. A leak in that hose is an intake leak, contributing to symptoms that generally accompany intake manifold leaks post MAF and pre-lambda sensor (which typically results in fuel added programatically). For rough running, I would start by taking a look at your fuel trims. If they are way out of whack, solve those problems before tackling the really hard stuff. GL.

Well the information was recently "officially leaked" and then promptly removed, although some information still lingers... the fact is the cat got out of the bag and it is being discussed elsewhere. I will leave it at that. I have no affliation with said company, nor do I want to speculate any more about it until the said producer speaks up again. Please out of respect, don't post info about the source until it has been "re-released", just keep it to a technical discussion at this point... thanks

Well considering they are already testing it (many many thousands of miles) and it does have a patent pend, my best guess, if everything works out we might see the actual product next year. Who knows though, it might still be in R&D ... they aren't saying much about it yet other than it is a real device and it does work. IMO in theory this is the only way to solve the issue. At that point the only thing that could break a solid bearing would be insufficient lubrication (and then you'd have bigger problems to worry about like spinning a rod or crank bearing). With this solution there are no ball bearings to wear down and fail/etc.

I don't think the engine mount will care, put a flat piece of sheet stock (or anything flat and strong) to act as a brace/protector and lever gently. IT shouldn't take that much force. I use a small pry bar for stuff like this, if you are gentle you won't damage anything.

Yes you can do it, but do it at low speed and not often! Get the problem fixed whatever it might be.

If the wire is brittle, stiff, old and crusty I recommend replacing it. Also clean up the mating surfaces on body and engine with a wire brush, then after reinstalling smear/spray on some protective coating/grease designed for electrics.

Maybe you need a bigger lever:

IMHO, I believe the replacement bearing business will decline rapidly once the IMS Solution comes to market... why install a ball bearing when you can have a solid bearing?

The headlight base & locking unit is not easy to install. I have done it several times, with and without removing the fender (on a 996 it is similar). You must remove the wheel well liner first. This gives you access to reach under and behind the unit. There are several positioning screws which adjust the alignment of the headlamp and must be adjusted correctly otherwise the headlamp will not lock in position. It must be done according to procedure and with a headlamp adjustment tool(box) otherwise you could blind oncoming drivers causing an accident and significant monetary displacement.

HAH! Great story, thanks to your wife. great job, and good luck with the actuator swap, just take your time, triple check everything.

I agree, if the actuator/solenoid/dme/sensor/wiring are bad enough, it should throw right away. Let's assume the wiring and sensor are good, and actuator/solenoid marginal, sometimes it won't throw a code immediately, only after it's seen it enough times or a certain number of conditions are met.

I have done a substantial amount of data logging on my 996. I have observed exactly the same as described by RFM and JFP. Always drive the car at moderate (easy) pace for 6-10 miles or so before goosing it. I have noticed when running the high speed fans in cool temps, the oil temp can actually dip below coolant, but rarely under normal running will oil match coolant or oil go below coolant. Coolant (water) always reacts much more quickly than oil. The oil temp is rarely 20F higher or lower than indicated coolant temp, although there are situations where it can be 30 or 40 deg difference. My engine really likes 5w50. :) If you are concerned about getting the most accurate temp possible (although the gauge in engine is farily accurate), you can plumb a manual gauge off various adapters that go inline with the oil filter (at least on a 996/997).

Battery voltage is not the only indication of it's health (in fact its not a very good indicator). It's ability to sustain voltage and provide amps while under load is the more accurate measure. Some smart chargers at around $100 have this capability now, otherwise, you can put a large load on it manually, then observe amp draw with an ammeter. Otherwise you can take it to a parts store and they can use their sophisticated meters to tell you this. You should also measure the ability of the generator and regulator to provide consistent and appropriate voltage while under load. Any codes (except for perhaps very serious ones accompanied by mechanical issues) experienced under a low battery or low voltage situation should be taken with a grain of salt, until the low battery situation is resolved. One resolved, codes cleared, then checked again.