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The early Powerglide transmissions had a cast iron housing and weighed 240 pounds. In 1961, General Motors replaced the cast iron Powerglide transmission housing with one made from die-cast aluminum. The use of the aluminum housing reduced the weight of the Powerglide transmission by one third.

The aluminum Powerglide transmission that was used with six-cylinder engines had a 1.82:1 first gear ratio and a 1.00:1 second gear ratio. The Powerglide transmissions used with eight-cylinder engines had a 1.76:1 first gear ratio and a 1.00:1 second gear ratio.

General Motors produced over 17 million Powerglide transmissions. Today, Powerglide transmissions are popular for use in racing. The Powerglide transmission combined with a high gear ratio rear end gear is used for drag racing.

The NP229 is a part-time unit with an aluminum case. It is chain-driven and features an offset output. As a part-time 4WD case, it should only be used in 4WD mode when on a slippery surface. This is because the front and rear axles are locked together, and binding may occur on regular surfaces, causing damage to the driveline.

The NP229 transfer case was installed in XJ Jeep Cherokees and XJ Jeep Wagoneers from 1984 to 1987. The case was also used in full-size Jeeps as the "Selec-Trac" option from 1982 to 1991.

The NP229 used vacuum and mechanical shift with viscous coupling. A vacuum-actuated switch was installed on the center console or dash to change between 2WD and 4WD. This switch was routed directly to the transfer case. Early models featured a lock-out mechanism to prevent on-the-fly switching, which would result in severe damage to the unit.

Depending on the age of the Ford F1-50, there may be two fuse blocks in the vehicle. All F-150s have a fuse panel located under the dash on the left side of the steering column. Later models have a power distribution panel located in the engine compartment. This panel is mounted to the drivers side front fender.

Both the fuse panel and the power distribution panel use blade type fuses. These fuses are designed to be installed and removed without the need for tools. When removing a fuse, do not twist it from side to side; this may spread the terminals in the fuse panel too far and cause a bad connection.

The cover of each fuse panel identifies which circuit a fuse protects. If an electrical component fails, always check the fuse first. If you replace a fuse and it immediately fails, do not replace the fuse again until you have located the source of the problem. Blown fuses are usually a result of a short circuit caused by deteriorated or broken wires.

A typical automatic transmission contains computer controls, hydraulic systems, electrical systems and mechanical systems, combining each component into one piece of machinery that provides a car with necessary power. Within each automatic transmission are sets of gears, seals, gaskets, bands and clutches which have specific functions in the operation.

Car engines perform best when kept in a certain rotations per minute (RPM) range. An automatic transmission is designed to not only provide power to the cars drive wheels, but to keep the engine operating within its optimal RPM range. This is accomplished through several gears, each designed for different engine speeds.

In most automatic transmissions, there are four forward-moving gears, a neutral gear and a reverse gear. In first gear, the drive wheels turn at a slower rate than the engine while in each successively higher gear, the drive wheels turn more quickly while the engine turns slower. In neutral gear, the drive wheels are disconnected from the engine and in reverse gear, the transmission causes the drive wheels to move in the opposite direction.