I have been trying to figure out why I can not shift into any gear. I checked to see if the Clutch Tube was broken and it seems fine. I also looked at the bushing at the fire wall and they seem fine. My next check was at the shift rod head. It seems that the bushing here has a lot of play, is this normal??

Here are a few pics, thanks in advance for the help.

If you mean that the metal part slides on the bushing, that is normal. If it wobbles, that is not.

--DD

Not sure what you mean by wobble. Should the head (metal part that the bushing fits in) move around like a hinge or should it stay on plane?

with engine off and clutch in - you shoud be able to shift thru the gears.

would be good to have someone do this while you look underneath to see if things are moving well. clutch clable and shift mechanism.

That bushing should be tight, but move in two ways. DD's wobble could happen in either case.

1. The metal ball should not have any discernible side-to-side play between it and it's plastic socket. Greasy and smooth is good.

2. The plastic bushing will move in and out of the metal bore, with a vent hole at the bottom of the metal cup to allow air to move as the bushing moves. Again greasy and smooth, but not flopping around at all in the bore.

If those are good and you have a shifting problem, the issue is elsewhere.

The joint between the bushing and the thing coming out of the transmission is a ball-and-socket joint. It will be free to move in any direction. The shift rod head can slide on the bushing.

You don't want a loose sloppy fit between the bushing and the rod head. A little play is expected between the bushing and the ball on the part going into the transmission, but a lot is a problem.

As Jim said, try shifting with the engine off. Can you select gears with the part that is going into the transmission? If not, the linkage isn't the problem.

--DD

when you say "can't shift into any gear" what exactly is happening? i.e. is the clutch engaging properly? Is it that the shifter won't move back and forth properly? is it that you are only getting one or two gears but not the rest? or is it that there is so much slop and play that you can't find the gears?

Check also the set screws, one where your thumb is, and the one on the joint out of the firewall. if it's loose at all, it will make shifting very difficult.

It's a little hard to see, but it looks like you're missing this bushing.

Good point, let me be more specific. It will go into the gear, it just will not stay there. When you move the shifter into first, it simply slips out whether the clutch is in or not.
Thanks for the help. I am just at my wits end, can't figure out what the problem is.
This problem just started overnight.

if you hold it there will it stay in gear?
Check the bolt below the shifter that connects the shifter to the shift rod. If it comes loose, it will allow you to move the shifter without it moving the shift rod completly.

The suggestion above is what you need to do, have someone shift it when its off, and watch it go into and out of gears. See if anything is binding or hitting.

I had a problem once that had the coupler hitting the bushing that McMark pointed to (the bushing is there, right??). no clue why it started to happen, just out of the blue. It hit the bushing which kept it from moving all the way into gear.

It does not matter if the clutch is in or not, if you put it into 1st or Reverse, it simply slides into neutral. It feels like it is going into gear, it just slips sideways to neurtal. I will do some more investigating and report back tomorrow.

i say - pop it into first by hand at the console - start the car with clutch in and take it for a very short drive - if it stays in 1st gear - linkage is the problem.

That was a good catch, the bushing slipped out of the hole. I could not tell until I completely backed the cover off. It snapped back in and appears tight now. Thanks for the extra set of eyes.