2000 cougar manual tranny issues
 

Hello,
I'm new here and hoping for some help.
My son has a 2000 cougar. 4cyl manual transmission.
The problem is this. When you move the gear shift there is no resistance and you can not feel it going into gear. It is like it is not connected to anything.
I have traced the linkage cables all the way to the transmission and found that the knuckle on the side of the tranny is moving correctly.
I pulled the plate off of the top of the tranny where the knuckle shaft goes into the tranny and found that the rod that moves up and down and turns moves freely like it is not connected to anything inside the tranny.
I hope this makes some sense but I'm not really sure how to describe it. The plate that I removed has an electrical switch on it (neutral switch I am assuming) and is held on by 4 bolts...three 10mm and one 8mm.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.