so i just bought a '98 escort sport zx2 2.0l and i was in reverse and all of a sudden heard a clunk and grind and it got stuck in reverse after a couple minutes of jamming the shifter to get it out of reverse it finally budged i then out it in 1st drove away and it wouldnt go into 2nd i then noticed not lower gears would work ( 2nd, 4th reverse gone) once in awhile i can get it into one of them but rarely then i here it rattle and i took a look and the bottom of the shifter where it connects to the shift linkage is resting on the exhaust heat sheild idk whats wrong its a big mess please help me if you can ...btw its 5speed

 

This is just a shot in the dark, but check your motor mounts.