A purse almost killed my 300TD tranny!

[dsmess]

I posted about the intermittently shifting transmission a couple of weeks ago. Evidently this stumped everybody, as there were no replies.
After removing the pan, the fluid smelled a bit burnt...no particles in the pan, but the filter looked pretty brown.
I suspected the shifter bushings...the stick has about 1/4" of play.
This did not seem like enough to cause trouble. I had my wife move the shifter back and forth...it always dropped right into the drive cog (observing from under the car)..no problem there. Finally I asked her more questions.
Do you lean on the shifter while you drive? 'No......but I do like to keep my purse there'....turns out she wedges her purse between the shifter and the seat (holds it there real nice).....I expect enought to force it part way to neutral! I changed the oil and filter....she shifts fine still after 400 miles....I can think of no other explanation.
Evidently the filter had enough restiction after this event to intermittently cause the pump to suck air......I hope It lasts a while.