Dodge: 1991 Dodge Sprit Steering colume and Shifter, george self, colume

Question
I have a 1991 dodge sprit that will not shift properly from the colume .It does not lock in to gear ie. reverse ,drive , second ,or first. the lock tumbler also pops out about 1/4- 1/2 ince when the key is turned to the run position. I am experienced with cars and trucks for the past 25 years but never came upon this . It also jumps out of gear under acceleration (heavy) to the point it has made it all the way to reverse. and that hurts {if you know what I mean }. Thanks for your help . George

Answer
Self adjusting clutch? Or cable manual adjust? It doesn't sound like the clutch is completely dis-engaging and that would cause the tough shifts and being it's not locked into gear it would be prone to popping out under heavy load. You mean the lock cylinder pops out? Sounds like it needs to be replaced. It's less than 60 bucks I believe. So when it pops out of gear it travels to the reverse gear?! Does it engage in reverse?! Have you removed the shifter boot and inspected the washer on the left of the shift mount? They are known to wear out and make it EXTREMELY hard to engage the gears. I know from personal experience. Checked the fluid level? What fluid are you using in the transmission. I believe it should be 5W-30 GL-3 motor oil. I have GL-5 synthetic in mine. Let me know what you think.

Rich