When you hear the noise, is it while you're sitting still or are you moving slowly and coming to a stop? Sounds like it could be the famous compression rod bushing. You'll find endless threads on it.

The diffs and transfer case are very easy to drain and fill. The transfer case fill bolt is odd; you'll need a 1/2" square end to get it off, I just stuck the end of my 1/2" drive socket in there and gave it a hell of a crank. Don't forget to put some grey permatex on the threads of the fill bolt when you put it back in.

I've done everything I originally said I would. I also installed an AEM dry airflow filter. I had installed a basic fram air filter but it somehow got muddy so I figured I'd replace it with something better. All in all, a very easy car to work on.

I just recently had my front right wheel bearing go out on me, so next week I'll be replacing both!