2002 4.0l auto "noise" when i let off the gas

[spaz45]

First time posting here. I can usually find what I'm looking for without having to bother anyone. But not exactly sure whats going on with it this time.
180k miles, sits alot. when I'm on the hiway and i let off the gas sometimes i get a buzzing/grinding sound like its trying to shift into 4wd. If I tap the gas pedal for a second it stops. No flashing lights. 4hi and 4lo work fine. Some times it seems a bit slow coming out of 4wd and the dash airbag lights are always on since the seats were replaced.
This doesnt always happen. But i sure would like to fix it before something fails. Does it sound like the shift motor or 4x4cm. Thanks for any help.

 

[spaz45]

So i have some gear lube leaking from the front left CV boot. I just removed the front drive shaft and unplugged the shift motor on the transfer case. I'll be taking it for a little drive and see what happens.

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[spaz45]

Went for 5miles on the hiway. It happened again. I plugged the shift motor back in, another 5 miles and it did it again but this time it bangs when i tap the gas pedal. So I shifted into 4 hi and back out on the hiway. No more noise. So I either have a problem developing in the transfer case or the shift motor isn't taking it all the way out of 4hi & into 2hi.

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[spaz45]

I'm leaning toward a transfer case problem because I'm not getting warning lights in my dash. I'm not familiar with the inside of the transfer case. Anyone have opinions on whether to repair, rebuild, replace, or upgrade it to something else?

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[spaz45]

Since I can get low (85k) mileage tc for $200 that im going that route and i'll tear apart the old one and see what happened.

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