If the shift lever has been replaced by one of the recent off-shore replacement levers, it is possible that the "weld" that holds the upper portion of the rod to the lower portion in the tower has broken. I am on my second new shifter lever, having replaced the first one when it broke. When the second one broke, I gave up and welded it myself to replace the skimpy defective welds done at the factory. Look carefully at the shift lever and see if it is rotating at a joint just above the top of the transmission tower; if so, this is your problem.