mystery noise HELP
 

i've owned my 2000 i6 selectrac grand cherokee for 6 months and 5000 miles. since then, there has been a noise driving me insane. its a rattle that occurs every time the engine is off balance (ie starting, stopping, bumps in the road) and whenever i take a hard left, the noise becomes very rythmic and grinding. all of my suspension is in good condition, i just replaced both hub bearing assemblies and cv axles. my exhuast system is in good shape as well so i know its not rattling. as far as i can tell, the noise is coming from contact with my transfer case and my transfer case "skid plate" or crossmember (whatever you call it). this would explain both my random rattles and the rythmic grind since the crossmember would act as a tuning fork. there is almost no space between the two and when i strike the crossmember with my hand, the noise it makes is dead on to my gripe. is this normal not to have much space between the two or what are some other possibilities that would cause the two to contact eachother (mounts, wrong skid plate etc)? anybody else have this problem?

i think the noise u hear when u are turning is the front track bar. my 93 zj is doing the same thing. cost around $65. just replace the bar and the bearings inside of it and it should b fine. as 4 ur transfer case question, i couldn't help u there

does anybody else want to second this opinion? i'm no 4 wheel drive guru, just a car guy with a noisy jeep, can somebody explain how this causes my problems of rattles (even when the truck is stationary on startup or turn off) and noisy grinding when ONLY turning left?