83Cutlass - Finally someone who has seen the inside of one of these things and dealership experience! I like what I am hearing!
I have got to say this has been my suspicion for some time.. That there is excessive drag common in this clutch pack setup..
I have a 2000 and the previous owner was given the run around by repair shops who really did not know what to do. so that it hopped and clicked like mad in a tight full stop when I test drove it.
I did fluid changes and that helped but there is still noticable drag anytime that the wheel are turned tightly. I suspect that my MPG is suffering somewhat as you really never feel that it is in 2WD. I do not know what the smart trac felt like new? should it feel like any other 2WD system when not engaged?
Before I do anything to the transfer case.. I would like to test the transfer case motor to see if it is part of the problem. Can I just test this off the vehicle with 12V? There is a warning about doing this - What is the concern?
Also I assume that the motor applies pressure to the clutch pack? to engage the transferr case? Can i manually check that the motor is retracting all the way? If so what is the disengaged position? Is there a measurement or a clock position?
Thanks,
Matt