Hey Nobby,
Don't jump into it too quick.... You've had the box out before and while doing it again so soon sounds like something isn't quite right inside... hope it's not bearings in the box.... but do a little more stethescope work first.
There are a few things one needs to examine closely when checking out the manual trans. Problem is, that if you do 'find' something marginal, it means time and parts.
There are some things that can be ordered before you take the box out, as part of 'normal' replacement / maintenance procedures..
spigot bearing is *always* a case of replace every time the box is out. It's cheap. Plenty of compatible hi-temp c3 clearance bearings meet the criteria, however I have a preference for the OE *** / SKF units Recently I couldn't get either, but did obtain half a dozen NTN 6202LLHC3/L412 bearings for my 16v - cost about 6 bucks ea. Made in Taiwan and high quality.
Always check the thickness of the clutch plate. Ideally, you replace it regardless of the condition, but if it has a ton of meat left on it, you can 'spare' it and put a new one in. They are not too expensive to replace anyway. LuK & Sachs repsets can be obtained easily enough. Again, it is a judgement call on whether or not there is enough meat in the friction material to leave or replace.
Pressure plate diaphragm spring (fingers) check for any wear marks on the fingers where the throwout bearing contacts. if there has been any spinning or marks on the fingers, note the depth. if it is more than just surface 'polishing' you replace the pressure plate. no questions. Broken fingers cause big problems. Again, the Repsets can be had as a full kit, both bearings, clutch and pressure plate - but obviously full kit prices can be pricey, and if there is no need for anything other than the bearings, obviously you don't waste money.
throwout bearing you replace as a matter of normal maintenance procedure and you
never reinstall the old one, as that will guarantee you are doing the same job again in very short order. New Sachs units are made from a special plastic, and I believe LuK units are now a pressed steel setup.
The 'proper' unit is now NOS / NLA and is sachs 05.3151.133.331, a much heavier duty unit. (000 250 68 15)
Pivot ball and clutch fork:
Typically, these last a loooong time. However, the pivot ball is known to fail in other 717 gearboxes. it breaks at the thread base of the pivot ball, and is extremely hard to detect.
The problem with replacing *just* the pivot ball, is that it forms a wear pattern in the clutch fork. you can easily see this as a shiny relief on the fork between the spring retainer and on the surface of the pivot ball.
To make matters 'worse' the slave cylinder will almost certainly have a degree of wear on the end of the shaft. Good news here: you can simply replace the shaft, if you have access to a lathe and an old brake booster or some high tensile bolts laying around. The added bonus here is that you can choose to slightly extend the slave rod, by a mm or 2, if you have encountered issues with the throwout bearing 'releasing' the clutch.
The very last thing to check is the throwout bearing sleeve - if there are noticeable wear marks, it really should be replaced. The theory here is that any excessive sideplay between the clutch fork, throwout bearing and the guide sleeve, will have a direct effect on the input shaft when the clutch is released.
And of course, there are the really nasty things you *don't* want to have to do, like the input shaft bearing - if the box is noisy. In fact, if the box IS noisy, then the most wise decision is to obtain a second box, rebuild it on the bench and then do the box swap. Yes, it is an expensive undertaking and requires a number of special tools. (purchasing them is worth it, even for overhauling one gearbox, believe me) And of course that means the whole thing is 'beyond regular maintenance' and more like a major service overhaul.
I'm not suggesting for a minute that you need to walk this path, it's just that sometimes, no matter how good your planning is, these things come to bite you in the arse, and there is no other way to describe the 'unpleasant' reaction upon discovering something's 'not quite right'....
insofar as the tailshaft parts are concerned....
the uni is staked in, and as such, cannot be 'replaced' (which you probably already know). What the engineering shop does, is replace the uni yoke with a new one. They machine the spline off and the yoke off, order a new yoke and uni, weld them back together, then machine and re-balance the assembly.
Part of this deal means you need to do a few things first, before you take it to the engineering shop to be machined & balanced.
1. replace the centre bearing, rubber boot, washers and bearing hanger.
this means separating the propshaft. make a note before you separate it with a paint pen marker on the shafts, so that when it's reassembled, they are put back in phase.... or else it's a big problem. clean the shaft with prepsol before you do any work on it, mark it up and then separate the shafts. clean the splines remove the bearing and washers, regrease with new moly grease, install the new bearing and hanger, washers and boot, regrease the spline and refit the shafts. *partially* tighten the nut - enough to keep the shafts from separating again but do not fully tighten it.
Take it to the machine shop for new uni and balancing.
I also suggest, if you intend to undertake that project, that you remove the flywheel and pressure plate, and send them off with the propshaft, for lightening and balancing as well.
If you do this, buy a new rear main seal and replace it. it's cheap insurance against oil leaks.
Back to the flywheel / pressure plate
Taking even a small amount off the flywheel will ensure the throttle is more responsive. There is no need to take copious amounts off, it is very easy to take ½-¾ lb off and have a much more responsive throttle.
I took 2lbs off my 16v flywheel and the change in throttle response is out-of-sight compared to the previous. It will freely spin to the redline in about ⅔ the time it used to, and there is no adverse effect from lightening this much. I wouldn't however take much more off, as you do need to have some mass in the flywheel to ensure the engine maintains a smooth idle. Take too much off, and you will need to raise the idle to keep the momentum in the reciprocating/rotating assembly. Also, if you take too much out, you will feel the combustion pulses.
Anyway, just have a sit back and think about it first, If you do decide to balance or machine the flywheel, you need the pressure plate assembly to be sent off with the flywheel for balancing.
You may be aware I only recently did this, and the total cost in parts for me was about $500. but I did buy 2 new masters and slaves, new fabricated braided flex line from the slave to the hardline, new reservior to clutch master wet line, new tailshaft couplings, new centre bearing hanger plus the tailshaft service kit, new throwout & spigot bearings, new clutch fork and ball pivot(2 pivots - I always keep a spare) and I already had a new spec stage 2+ clutch & pressure plate (which is about $600)
The flywheel & pressure plate balancing cost $107 (for a 201) remachining the propshaft replacing the uni with a new uprated replaceable performance part along with balancing of that was $550.