R32 transmission bearing, mounts or bushings + travel problem

[idmadj]

Greetings,First post here, I've been consulting the forum for quite a bit of time now and decided to join. I hope I can be of any help in the process!

I currently own a 1992 R32 GTS-t, imported last year in Canada (where I live). Last summer, before winter storing the car, the car started being noisy when the clutch pedal was released. As soon as the pedal is depressed, the noise fades to normal (like something's loosing rotational inertia). From the bit of searching I made, it seems to be some form of bearing (throwout?). When I brought the car to a mechanic, he told me a bearing was probably failing and that it shouldn't be a big issue. Did you guys have any similar experience? Is it really only the throwout bearing or could it be something else. Is "transmission rebuild" written in the sky?

Also, I'd like to know why this happened. I know wear and tear is normal, but when I bought the car, I noticed that when cruising at high speed, when hitting reasonable bumps, the transmission had some vertical travel, as if the mounts or bushings where made of marshmallow. Do you know what may be the cause of this symptom? Would bad bushings/mounts be the cause of premature wear on the bearing (?) that's failing on me?

Also, when put into fifth gear, the gear lever sometimes feels like it's stuck into gear. Can lubrification resolve this or would it be more appropriate to replace the whole shifter + linkage?

A lot of small problems that all seem linked to the same cause. What I'm trying to know now is if it is more profitable to repair, or dump a new (well, used) transmission into the car.

I thank you infinitely for your help! Any input will be greatly appreciated

Cheers!
Modified by idmadj at 6:29 PM 2/24/2008