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Okay. It’s also important to realize that those reverse locks do not get forced up and locked by the cam, in reverse. The idea is that the hook should move freely and be returned to up/tilt position by a spring. When you lower the engine on to the tilt adjusting pin, the reverse lock hook should just gently move right around the pin and be in a position of being hooked, in appearance. Then, when you shift into neutral or reverse, the cam on the lower shift shaft moves into a position to HOLD the hook control rod from moving. You see? The cam doesn’t PUSH the rod into a hooked position, it just HOLDS it in a hooked position. This is why they can get away with a plastic cam. When the engine is tilted up and in forward gear, you should be able to move the hook freely with your hand and it should spring back. If you can, then the problem will either be that the cam is not clocked right on the lower shift shaft….or completely missing, which happens when somebody doesn’t put it back on. However, the hooks very often get rusty and will stick.
Long live American manufacturing!