3 on tree / a903

Have you tried connecting the linkage to the transmission and putting it in neutral AT the column linkage? It will need to in neutral at the transmission, too. I know up to this point, you've said it was disconnected at the transmission, right?

And hay, it's not the end of the world if it is broken. If you do confirm that, get the column out and get it apart. It's not a difficult system to repair.