Release Bearing and Release Sleeve

[AHall]

Can some one tell me how to tell if the release bearing, aka throw-out bearing, and release sleeve still good? I know that as a rule of thumb they should be changed when you change the clutch, but my clutch was changed about a year ago and the bearing was changed at that time. So I do not want to pay another $75 if I do not have to. I had problems shifting as if the clutch was bad. When I took the transmission off I noticed that the spring behind the fork was bent. Everything else looks good, but I do not know what the symptoms of a bad bearing are. Also, my original clutch lasted me about 10 years so I am thinking that the only thing wrong is this little $2 spring.

[s13sr20chris]

throwout bearing should not cause hard shifting. when they go out they usually just make noise. hard shift could be clutch disk sticking to flywheel, poor hydraulic actuation(like master or slave cyl), or internal trans prob.