Make certain the pressure plate when flat on a table shows all the fingers at the exact same height. If 3 to 5 or more of them sit lower than the others, the thing has failed. All of them at the same height will cause the plate to lift off the clutch disc evenly when the throwout bearing presses against them. If some are collapsed, that part of the plate won't separate cleanly from the disc at the same time. It will lag behind, grabbing the disc when spinning. This is what happened on the one I had fail over 50 years ago. Not common, but it does happen. Just a possibility.
Yes, if the throwout bearing is too short it won't pull the plate far enough off the disc. Same thing will happen. 1 and 7/8 inches sounds about right. I have one of these in the attic, but still too hot to be up there looking.
