HotSawce

So I have this noise coming from what seems to be right under the middle of the car; not the engine bay. It comes and it goes, it's not there constantly. It sounds like... gosh idk how to describe it.. kind of like rotating metal piece lightly scraping on another piece of metal i suppose; not sure.. I tried taking a sound clip of the noise. Please excuse all of the wind but this was the best I could come up with. PLEASE SKIP TO 2:05, listen to 2:50, and let me know what you guys think the problem is.


Thanks!

HotSawce

Can anyone please shed some light? I'd really like to get whatever is causing this noise fixed.

telcoman

Did you ever put your vehicle up on a lift to inspect underneath your vehicle?

Sounds to me that perhaps the fiberboard shroud underneath was not securely fastened and is flapping in the wind?

Telcoman

hurleyguys

or have you checked your brakes. it sounds like some pad drag or something. it sounds like it only happens when moving? is there something hanging and scraping your drive shaft? does it get louder when going faster? any modifications?

WillCo1

Could be a damaged/misaligned driveshaft? Bad wheel bearing? Does it happen when the car is coasting in neutral, or only in gear?

HotSawce

Thanks for the response, but I definitely don't think this is something flapping in the wind, for a few reasons. 1) Idt it sounds like that; sounds more like a scraping or dragging of a metal piece. And 2) It's inconsistent. The noise doesn't always occur when driving, whereas if it was wind-related, it probably would.

HotSawce

Hmm, I should definitely test that. That is, if the noise occurs and then I put it in neutral, and it goes away, that means it's driveshaft related, right? If not, then it may be the brakes.

crookncastle

sounds like something is scrapping as you described. i would check your under carriage and see if you have something dangling and touching the driveshaft. also check your brake backing plates to rotor clearance. perhaps drive it on a lift or put it on jackstands and climb under the car and do a visual as it is being driven.

HotSawce

Not the driveshaft. The noise appeared and to test what was mentioned, I put her in neutral, and it persisted. That said, if it was the brake dust shield or something, wouldn't the noise be there constantly? In fact, if it was anything mechanical, wouldn't the noise always be there? I can't fathom why it comes and goes..

BSG1

I think your best bet is to have this inspected by a shop. Perhaps there was something caused during the accident that salvaged the title of your car that the body shop didn't catch? Did they offer you any type of warranty, or does the car have any warranty through Infiniti? If not, take it to a dealership or independent mechanic to identify for you and hopefully it's nothing significant.

HotSawce

Yeah I agree. I just wanted to know what was going on so the shop/dealer doesn't try and pull a fast one on me. No warranty through Infiniti once salvaged. He gave me a "60 day warranty". Let's hope he has integrity.

WillCo1

The driveshaft will still be turning when in neutral. So that doesn't rule out a drive line problem.

Having the car in neutral and not hearing the sound would have pointed to the transmission making the noise.

crookncastle

did you drive it on jack stands? or did you pop it in neutral while driving down the road? you know that the driveshaft still turns when you coast in neutral down the road right? noises are not always persistent just because there is some sort of mechanical malfunction. don't assume anything, check it.

HotSawce

I took it to a shop. The guy said it was the brake backing plate. Now I'm trying to narrow down the other problem i just posted about. Maybe you can chime in on that as well.