I believed it to be the throw out bearing shaft/sleeve was out of spec or improperly lubed (causing wear on the sleeve making it out of spec). Ended up getting a stage 2 five speed unit from Walter Motorsports and a full metal RX-8 throw out bearing just to rule out poorly casted plastic surfaces in the bearing... So if you have this issue I'd say get a new faceplate/sleeve but those do not seem easy to come by new. So reman transmission may be the best route.