My camper, a 1991 Volkswagen Vanagon GL Campmobile with 2.1 engine and manual transmission, has started to exhibit "clutch chatter."  It had done so on occasion, not seriously, before my recent trip to Big Bend National Park.  The clutch does not slip, or at least it passes the parking brake and 4th gear test well.  If fact, any gear and parking brake set will kill the engine.  It did well on the trip, including the rough and sometimes steep back roads, where ability to use the clutch and gears properly was essential, but the chatter has gotten worse.

My understanding is that the most likely causes are a bad throw out bearing, a worn or warped shift fork, or a bad pilot bearing. Since these parts require the same access as replacing the clutch itself, I am contemplating doing the whole thing (actually having my mechanic doing it, I don't do such jobs myself).  Am I right to do so?  I have paperwork from the previous owner (I am second owner) showing a lot of work, but no clutch repairs or replacement are included.  The camper has 175k miles.

Is there a possibility of a bad (possibly warped) flywheel contributing to this problem?  I would certainly not want to pay for a new clutch only to find out that the problem was essentially irreparable or required a flywheel to be pulled.

What is the best source for these parts?  I don't want to have new parts fail, which has happened with some other repairs.

mcneely