Manual transmission shift control mechanism having a reverse inhibitor

A control mechanism for a manually shifted transmission including an inhibitor mechanism which prevents direct shifting from the highest forward speed ratio to the reverse speed ratio, the transmission having a neutral condition, a plurality of forward speed ratio positions including a highest ratio and a lowest ratio and a reverse ratio position, said control comprising;

• a housing;
• selector lever means movable linearly along a selector axis in the neutral condition between preselecting conditions for each of the forward speed ratio positions and the reverse speed ratio position and being rotatable about the selector axis from the neutral condition to a select position for the desired speed ratio;
• and reverse inhibitor means including a support pin secured in said housing and defining an inhibitor axis parallel to and offset from the selector axis, inhibitor lever means having two abutment pads and being slidably and rotatably disposed on said support pin and spring means for simultaneously urging said inhibitor lever means linearly and rotatably to one position to force one of the abutment pads into abutment with said housing to position a portion of the inhibitor lever means in linear alignment with said selector lever means, said selector lever means moving said inhibitor lever means linearly against said spring means when said selector lever means is moved in the neutral condition to the preselection condition for the highest speed ratio position and the reverse speed ratio position, said selector lever means moving out of linear alignment and out of physical contact with said inhibitor lever means when the highest forward speed ratio position is selected by pivotal movement of said selector lever means, said spring means returning said inhibitor lever means to said one position when said highest forward speed ratio position is selected to align said inhibitor lever means with the path of pivotal movement of said selector lever means, said selector lever means contacting and pivoting said inhibitor lever means upon pivoting of said selector lever means from the highest forward speed ratio position to the highest ratio neutral preselecting condition and said inhibitor lever means pivoting against said spring means until the other of said abutment pads contacts with said housing to prevent further pivoting of said selector lever means toward said reverse speed ratio position prior to linear movement of said selector lever means in the neutral condition toward said lowest forward speed ratio preselecting condition.