[AJT1961]

That's exactly what happened. The linkage mechanism is attached to the motor by some kind of cheap ball joint type connector. I put it back on, but whatever plastic ridge is supposed to hold the plastic semi-sphere part onto the ball part must have worn out or broke off because it did not feel like it would have stayed on for very long when I rejoined the two parts. Because of this, I decided to remove the assembly, clean and re-grease the joint, and then drilled a hole completely through the cover and the ball and put in a small cotter pin with washers to hold it together (and function like an little axle). It will probably last forever, but out of an abundance of caution, I'm going to order a new linkage assembly which I can now replace at my leisure. Thanks for the response. I really could not afford to be without the car tomorrow and it going to be like a monsoon here tomorrow.