Bicycle Mechanics - hub dustcap friction

hi I just decided to change out my cones on my rear wheel. I am mechanically inclined, but by no means a mechanic, so feel free to tell me what you think. I might just be messing with fire, and I wouldn't even know it.
hi I ride a flip-flop hub, and the dust cap is recessed on the free wheel side. The dust cap seems to make a lot of contact. I have no way to measure the friction, but When I removed the dust cap, my wheel will spin x number of times with a good push. With the dust cap on is spins roughly x/2 times.
hi I know I have been riding with this friction before, but I don't want to continue riding with it. Grease helps to a certain extent, but what else could I do? I just got really excited to see everything spin so well when I was testing my new bearings out, only to have my dreams ruined by this oh so significant* piece.

cheers,
k

*I know that without a proper dust cap I will be back to replacing the bearings in three months, but the significance is questionable.

what hub? I have that problem with my suzue loose-ball promax, but they don't have a freewheel side. in my case the dustcap slipped in with the very first repack--sort of like it was *placed* and not *pushed* into position at the factory.

The hub came with the bike, it is an 04 langster. Specialized put this oem flip flop hub on some Alex rims.

The compromise I have made mometarily, is to lift my dustcap away from the freewheel side. It makes less contact but is probably less effective.

So I guess then I have decided to "place" my dustcap. Maybe that is how it should have been.