Jeep: Transmission, jeep wrangler sport, jeep wrangler

Question
I recently took a road trip.  On the way back home I noticed that the transmission made a clicking/jingling sound.  Now it whines when shifting through the first 3 gears.  Is this just a fluid problem or could it be more.  I had noticed a small drip under the powertrain.  Also might this be covered by the warranty?  I have a 2000 Jeep Wrangler Sport with the 4.0 Inline 6 cylinder engine with 40k miles.

Answer
Somewhere around the mileage your Jeep now has, Jeeps start loosening up.
Last question first: call you Jeep Service Department and ask them the warranty question, I have no idea what kind of a warranty you have or what it covers.  If your Jeep is not under a warranty, it's kind of hard to collect from something that is not there.
My guess is that your transfer case is wearing and starting to show signs of that wear.  You have a four wheel drive vehicle and twice the parts to wear out. Clunking, whining and dripping are just part of it.
If you think it's something more, have a transmission shop or your Jeep dealer take it for a test drive or better yet, have them put it up on a hoist and listen. Don't be surprised if they say that "it's normal" but if you want it fixed, lay $ 1500 or more on the counter and they will see what they can do.