Posted by Paul on Sunday, October 22, 2000 at 18:46:42:
In Reply to: 79 power wagon posted by charles b from tenn on Sunday, October 22, 2000 at 11:19:51:
The Power Wagon name was used until the '81 model year when it was changed to Power Ram. The full tiem 4X4 system works fine. I had a '78 Trailduster that had it and it didn't give me any trouble and the truck had been neglected by it's previous owner.
Your shift lever goes from lock to unlock 4X4 when you move the selector. In unlocked mode, your power is sent to the wheels 60/40. 60% to the rear wheels and 40% to the front. When you go all the way to the lever limit, you go into locking mode and it's 50/50.
The gearing is slightly lower in the front to keep the vehicle tracking straight. For instance, your rear end might be 3.55 to 1 but the front will be 3.54 to 1. This can cause the chain inside to tighten up and you can't get it out of lock mode. All you have top do is back up a few feet in reverse and it will uncatch and slide right into unlock mode. There should be a light on the dash that says "lock". This is to let you know the transfer case is in lock mode other wise you'll eat gas and tires up on the highway.