Had kids playing in car (not running) now I cant find first! I have to push super hard to the left to find first(if I can) . The rest of the gears are hard to find also, any ideas?

Check shifter bushing at the firewall and the rear bushing. You will probably find one or both are shot.

It would be nice if it was as simple as a loose cone screw.

Yes it would be. Since its a problem that just appeared one day, that would be my first guess.

Little cone shaped bolt where the linkage hooks to the tranny ... that's the first place I'd look.

Mine gets loose about once every year or so.

where's the cone screw? Is it where the shift rod connects at the firewall or at the transmission?
how can I tell if its the firewall bushing? thanks

I'd say start off at the shift rod clamp below your shifter.
Is it only first gear, or first and reverse (since they're both far left)?
If that clamp was loose, and the rod orientation has changed, all of your gears will have "moved".
Mike

I went through the same problem this past weekend, turned out the bushing at the rear of the linkage under the dust cover had popped out of the hole. I popped it back in an so far problem solved. Everytime I tried to go into first or Rev. it would slide to neutral.

Good luck

I think the kid that was driving hit first when he was speed shifting from fourth to fifth............

Before taking anything apart, take off all the boots and inspect everything for obvious problems... Then

The firewall bushing is in the firewall bulkhead and the shift rod goes through it. If it's gone the rod has to be removed to replace. There is another bushing in the side-shift housing that the rod also goes through.

There are two "cone-screws"

One is behind the firewall (in the engine compartment) at the swivel joint. Pull the boot back from the bulkhead and you'll see it. It's an allen set-screw in the aluminum collar, and it goes into one single hole in the shift rod. This collar has two bushings in it that center a rod. It's part of the joint

The other cone screw is inside the side shifter housing on the transaxle.

You'll have to remove the dust cover and the cone-screw will be attaching the actuator to the shift-rod inside the housing.

If I had one that backed out, I'd use blue locktight (or the equivalent) rather than "waller-out" the hole in the shift rod over time as it loosens. A little heat with a heat gun and it'll let go when you do need to change the bushings... and eventually you will.

If you do this next step, mark (with a marker-pen) the placement of your current collar before you loosen and remove it. Inside the car...

There is another bushing in the shifter itself. It's a plastic donut that centers the shifter as it moves. If it's disintegrated and finally fell out, you will have vagueness and perhaps the symptoms you described. You don't have to get under the car to check that out, but you will have to adjust the shifter from scratch if you take the shifter out to inspect. In case you've not done this before, there are springs under compression so be careful.

There is a fair amount of detail I've left out here. Do a little reading on this forum and the manual before tackling the shifter.

Good luck

one of them stuck under the clutch pedal?

solved it! it was cone screw at back of car, but I did notice I have NO firewall bushing! Reset screw shifts fine, now I gotta get the bushing and see how much better it is! thanks everyone!!

The cone screw has a plastic ball in the threaded portion that helps prevent the screw from backing out. The normal recommendation is to install a new screw.