on the noise . Mine has alot of noise over bumps and It is coming from the door pin bushings that very common part to fail.
The next time you hear your noise, find a spot that you can dupicte it and then try opening your doors if the door pin bushings are bad the noise will go away once you open the door.
read the how to section - it has a door pin article that covers this.
the hood pins and bushings are also a common source of noise. I believe there is a how to about those also.
My 2000 AWd was dragging and I did the fluid changes and it helped but did not go away completey until I drove it with the AWD fuse removed for a few days. I believe that the clutches and plates tend to stick and my take some work to get freed. do not expect miracles from one fluid change - just my .02.