This weekend we went out on a light trail (dirt, gravel, rocks from golf ball to basketball size, uneven, holes, etc...) nothing even remotely crazy. As we're going along about 3-5mph (in 2WD) I hear a noise, sounds like a bolt fell out and hit couple things on the way down.... Millisecond of quiet and then a scrapping sound, metallic like a shield rubbing in something. I stop, look underneath and nothingness looks out of place. I walk about the 30-50' and can't find anything that belongs on the Jeep. Get back in, put it in drive and just taking my foot off the brake the scrapping starts immediately. After about 30min of moving a foot at a time, laying under it and rocking it forward, shifting in and out of 4whl, looking over every inch I could see/touch underneath I could not find the source of the noise although it did appear to be somewhere around the front drive shaft/transfer case to left front wheel area. We finally decided to try moving slowly up to the next point in the trail where we might see someone. After about 100' of making the scrapping sound, it makes the same original "bolt falling out" sound and the scrapping immediately stops... Never returning (so far).

It sounded like a shield or piece of metal was rubbing on something in the drive line. Moving in reverse made the same sound but louder and deeper as if it was moving against as opposed to with the drive line.

Any ideas?

 

Rock wedged between the brake plate and rotor? There are a lot of things it could be, however - there is a big gap between the rotor and brake plate/shield. That tends to get stuff all up in there.... If not that, sorry.... gonna have to start checking one by one.... good luck dude

 

Same thing happened to me. I took off my wheel and a pebble fell out. The sound went away.

 

Thanks for the help and information!

 

Appreciate the help!