Now I can get my head around that - many thanks.
When you say clutch is out, I presume you mean the pedal and not the
engagement mechanism (and I would agree that gbox input shafts etc turning),
but its also common (and perhaps technically correct) to mean that the
clutch is disengaged when it is 'OUT'...

Clive
'88 Ssyncro Transporter

----- Original Message -----
From: "DaveC" <voicebox@DNAI.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 9:00 PM
Subject: Re: Clarification of noise

> >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