[Dragin]

It sounds like your noise is the throw out bearing which will start to make noise as the age and keeping it tight with the spring is basically a band aid at the moment. I have seen alot of transmissions from alot of manufactures do the same thing. As far as when it engages has to do with how the clutch ages, without some sort of automatic adjuster like many newer vehicals the engagement point will change. If someone makes an adjustable cable that can fix where your clutch engages vs pedal height but yout throwout bearing is still going to be making noise and will need replacing soon. Hope that helps some.

Steve