I've seen t-cases around for less than 500. Lat one I priced was $350... Perhaps it's just the circles I run in that get me these deals but $2k would prompt me to swap the drivetrain rather than replace.
I don't know if there is a bench test, I guess you can test to see if you can rotate the...
Viscous coupling center diff is great in the snow and in general wheeling
open center diff with no VC in the snow = spinning one front tire often. This is based on my real world experience, I've removed my VC and wish I had just replaced it honestly. It's great but unfortunately very vocally...