>Dry rumbling noise when idling in neutral which goes away when
>clutch depressed.
>(maybe not unconnected sympton, dripping oil when hot from around
>engine/gbox interface area - not localised yet)
>
>Experts with experience of this please, is this likely to be:
>
>a) pilot bearing (gearbox spigot shaft bearing in UK parlance)
>b) gearbox 1st motion shaft bearings (input shaft bearing)
>c) crankshaft thrust bearing worn allowing something else to make noise

My limited experience w/various Brit and VW boxes is that the
symptoms indicate b).

But you do understand, don't you, that much of the guts of the
transmission continue rotating when the clutch is out and the shifter
is in neutral? Some/all of the noise could be coming from the meshing
of the side (primary) shaft with all the gear clusters (don't know if
this is the right term). Lots of needle bearings are rotating under
each of the gear/hubs when in neutral, which could contribute to the
"neutral" noise you hear.

But my money is on the input shaft ball bearing.

Dave
--
Dave Carpenter

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from
magic." -- Arthur C. Clarke