Hey y'all. Newbie, first post. I did look but couldn't find much on this issue.

I have an '05 Outlander AWD yet I was stuck in a few inches of snow the other day. Only the front left wheel was spinning in either drive or reverse. Even worse, I have the shop manual and should be able to find the answer to this. BUT...

Why didn't the viscous coupler tell the rear wheels to engage? I can feel the awd working when I'm driving on icy and snowy roads, the coupler isn't seized. I have good control drifting around icy corners. Why didn't it engage in deep snow when the vehicle was stationary yet it seems to work fine when actually moving forward? The vc is a passive mechanical system, no electronics involved.

I didn't hold the brake pedal down, did use a little harsh language which seemed to help.