Hrrmmm...
Clutching:
As mentioned, you only need to push the clutch pedal in "so far" to get it to disengage. This will be dependent on clutch wear and the fluid. Once you find that spot, you can safely clutch to that point and need to go no further; the catch is to be sure that you're there. If you have any slight grinding while short-clutching you might not be going far enough. If you clutch properly (to where it disengages all the way), you won't have to worry about excessive wear on the clutch or tranny, though I can't stress how important it is to find this point on your car.
Fluids:
I'd recommend changing the manual box at 100k miles. There's no need to change any more often. ALWAYS use the Honda fluid; I've yet to see any conclusive reason to use anything else. As for regular oil or GM or whatever, be SURE it is the right weight. If you put in the wrong weight fluid, you WILL cook the transmission. I suggest the Honda fluid, it works great. NEVER use motor oil unless you are low and don't have access to the Honda fluid.
Something people overlook is clutch fluid. Your clutch fluid should be honey-colored. If it looks like mud,
FLUSH IT! This can result in slow, incomplete clutch disengagement and ultimately increased wear. In shik0me's case, this is likely not the issue (with low miles) but for you people with higher miles or that do a lot of racing... flush your clutch when you do your brakes. Keep that fluid as clear as you can.
The problem/recurrance:
The 5th gear problem was technically (if I remember) only applicable to the '97 via TSB. They claim to have fixed it in '98, but I don't think they did. When I looked it up, I found TSBs on many older models (4th gens) on the same thing.I think that the "improperly manufactured shift fork" is a misnomer, I think they are covering up a design defect. The fork would have to be pretty badly manufactured to be so far off as to cause that level of grinding. I've also heard of people having the TSB done and *still* having problems, or having problems later. My 99 had slight grinding in 5th when I didn't shift right...
Shifting right:
I think the issue with the clutching may be rev matching (at least partially). I've noticed in the H22's tranny (every generation) that if you don't match rev's particularly well, you get a little grinding. Case in point, a 1st-2nd HARD shift at high RPMs *always* results in a 2nd gear grind. That's a gross example, but I think the 5th gear issue is similar. Notice that if you clutch all the way and try to shift smoothly (slowly) that your re'vs will drop below where they need to be. If you short-clutch and shift a little faster the rev's are more likely to match and I think the gears less likely to grind.
Miscellaney:
There is no clutch adjustment on a hydraulic clutch system like the 3rd-5th gens. There's a *pedal height* adjustment, but unless you've damaged the pedal assy it should still be set right. Redline MTL made my tranny grind worse than before after a few thousand miles. Honda fluid made it better.
