1996 P71 starting problems

Hello, new to forum!
I have a 1996 CV P71. Every so often for the past fe months I have had to giggle the gear shift to get the car to start. Now it will not start at all. I have read some of the past post related to this problem and have checked those issues. The bolt to the mount are tight, the bushings are good. Is there some part on the transmition that may be bad? the local Ford dealer has no clue. They special ordered the part they thought I needed. It does not go on my car!
Thanks for any help
Jan

You may have a bad Manual Lever Positioning Sensor--Transmission Ranfge sensor--Neutral Safety Switch, they are all the same thing. There is an adjustment where the linkage connects to the shift lever. They are not a hard part to replace or very expensive.

Thank you so much! The sensor is on the transmition and the adjustment is on the column correct? Is there anyway to check the sensor or should I just replace it? Thank you again for your time.
Jan

The adjustment is just in front of the sensor on the transmission. It should have a large nut on it. There is a way to test the sensor but it is kinda long and detailed. If you replace the sensor, be sure to line up the little marks with the car placed in neutral. There is a line on the center section that needs to line up witha line on the outer portion of the sensor.