manual transmission question

[Sergey]

Hello,

I have problem with manual 4sp transmission on 240D 1976 I bought one week ago. First I could not engage the reverse - it was making loud grinding sound when I tried, but other gears seemed to work fine. The next day this was the case with all gears.

I looked under the car - the rubber bushings on 3 levers on the gearbox were gone, but otherwise everything seemed fine and the levers on gearbox are moved fine by the rods when engine is not running.

So, my question is: could such severe symptoms result just from bushings or that means that the problem in transmission itself? Is there any way to diagnose it on the parking lot? If the problem just in the linkage I can get it from dealer and replace myself, but if transmission needs rebuild, then this car is probably going to wait on the street untill I get rich...

I would appreciate any advice on how to tell the difference..

Thanks!
Sergey