Fixing tire broke shifter

[houseguy4]

My second post. I'm not a mechanic, just love driving perfection and beauty.
Took my '86 911 Carrera to the tire shop with a slow leak in the left rear tire. Nail. Routine repair. No problem getting there.
When I got in to drive home, I could not get the shift lever into 1st. The second I put my hand on the stick and moved it into reverse I knew something was wrong. It felt wrong. Maybe just my mind playing tricks. Push it toward 1st and I cannot find it. Double clutch. Still no 1st. Try 2nd. Cannot find it. Shifter feels odd.
2nd has been getting hard, (I'm cheap and I can live with it) but 2nd would not take either. Pulled forward by using 3rd. Reverse works. Shift lever feels wrong - not aligned, linkage not connected...I don't know. Something is loose, bent, or broken.
If I force it left and hold it up for 1st, release clutch, I can grind the gears, but does not feel right, won't stay, and does not engage.
The neutral gate does not feel right. It won't go to the left for 1st. Rather than rest between 1st & 3rd, it naturally goes between 3rd and 5th (upper right).
Going into 3rd feels funky.
Clutch works OK. Worked the clutch in and out many times hoping to re-align things. 3 of us tried to shift it with no success.

The tire shop uses a center post lift with 4 arms that swing out. I gave them a photocopy of the lifting instructions from the manual and made a speech to the service manager about special care. Don't know if that got to the tech. Next time I'm staying to watch!
Could something have popped loose when they raised the car - and the tires / CV joints hang down?
Any help is truly appreciated! You guys got me out of my oil overfill/smoke problem last time!
As I sat there in the parking lot, unable to drive my car home, a guy drives by, slows down, rolls down his window and says NICE CAR!. Thanks! (if you only knew WHY I'm sitting here!!)

[Won]

Do you know if the tire shop guy took the car out for "test drive"? There are a few bushings and couple hard connections in the shifter linkage that can be easily damaged by ham-fisting the shifter, unfortunately.

How much play do you have now at the top of the shifter handle front-to-back and side-to-side when you're in, say, 3rd gear?

[john walker's workshop]

pull off the cover over the shift coupler and check the bushings. they can break and fall out. it's on the tunnel under the carpet in front of the rear seats.

[dicklague]

sounds like a broken coupling as John suggested.

[FPB111]

Search for this in the parts catalog above
911-424-024-04-M260
The bushings go into it after you drive out the pin.
They look like this
911-424-223-03-DEL
Your coupler may have come loose. If it is just the pointed allen screw all you have to do is tighten it. If the spline end came loose then look up
Pelican Technical Article: Installing the 911 Factory Short Shift Kit
go to step 29

[houseguy4]

Thanks! You've helped me relax! Will try those great suggestions!
So I drove it home today. With less panic and your responses, I have a better picture.
What I thought was 3rd was really 1st. If I'm careful I can find it.
I cannot find 2nd, so I go to 3rd, then 5th. Got me home - about 3 miles from the tire shop.
When I search left and up to where I THINK 1st should be, I get grinding.
Sounds like a great Sunday afternoon project. Weather here is a fantastic clear fall day!

[porsche930dude]

when you get this problem sorted look into a seine gate shift kit. Cheap easy way to give you much better feel of the shifter

[safe]

It could just be that the screw that holds the shift coupler has worked loose, has happened to me.

[houseguy4]

FOUND IT!! FREE REPAIR!!!
Opened up the shifter console and found a bent piece. Thanks Porsche930dude for mentioning the name to investigate. Googled name a there is a picture of MY piece!
Previous owner had installed a Seine Quick Shift kit. It aligns 1st & 2nd for no-miss shifting. Nice add on. If I was a speed-head I'd add this in a heartbeat.
Seems the guide piece had some wear, explaining the sticky 2nd, but the tire shop driver crammed the heLL out of the shift lever and totally mangled the guide. It had to take 4 hands and two strong men to bend that thing! It took a hammer and vise to straighten it.
I called Seine to order a replacement even tho we got the old one straightened out. The guy was great and sent me a free replacement!!!
Great piece and great service!
Thanks to all who replied.