2005 S problem Summary? Anyone?

[4agdtym]

Hi,

I drive an '01 2.7. It has served me well over the years - I love it. It has been trouble free other than the cracked coolant overflow tank.

I'm in the market for a newer Boxster. I'm looking at an '05 S model with 21000 miles on the clock. I've read in Consumer Reports that there are substantial issues with the engine, the fuel system and electrical system of the 2005 model year. I presume the engine problem they refer to is the IMS bearing. Anything else? Is there someone willing to summarize for me the types of problelms found, and their relative frequency, in the 2005 model year? I'd like to know what risks I'm taking before I decide to bite on this one.

Thanks,

David

[JFP in PA]

Probably the biggest risk issue is that many of the 05's carried the oversized "final solution" IMS bearing, which means that an upgrade to the LN style bearing requires total engine teardown. There is also no known way to identify which cars have this bearing and which ones do not; you have to take off the flywheel and look to see if the center bolt is 22MM, which indicates the oversized annd non serviceable bearing.

[4agdtym]

Probably the biggest risk issue is that many of the 05's carried the oversized "final solution" IMS bearing, which means that an upgrade to the LN style bearing requires total engine teardown. There is also no known way to identify which cars have this bearing and which ones do not; you have to take off the flywheel and look to see if the center bolt is 22MM, which indicates the oversized annd non serviceable bearing.

That is definitely a BIG deal. Thank you for the info. Most assuredly a deal breaker.

[4agdtym]

I just got word from the dealer about the car's serial number.

Serial number: M96-26AT62665318

This appears to be a 2006 engine. Does the 2006 engine have an IMS bearing that can be replaced without splitting the case?

Thank you,

David

[JFP in PA]

Definitely not replaceable. While only some of the 2005’s had the non-serviceable IMS bearing, all 2006-2008 cars or crate motors did. Sorry.

[RFM]

Agreement with JFP, engine # indicates "Factory Rebuild" which means that the engine have the latest IMS configuration.