The description in the thread title makes me think wheel bearing, but I hesitate because it isn't a rhythmic sort of wubwubwubwub, just a straight scraping sound—originally, I thought some piece of metal had dropped from the bottom of the car and was dragging.

The sound started today, after some spirited driving down a country road.

Over the past month or two, I've noticed some sounds like something rubbing or humming, but they only happened when turning to the left.

I know I have a warped rotor or two, but it isn't badly warped.

I plan on jacking up the car tomorrow or Tuesday and checking for debris in or around the brakes, which could be one possible cause. What are the odds I'll have to see someone about a wheel bearing, though?

 

Check to make sure the dust plate on the rotor isn't making contact or something isn't stuck in it. I have had a wheel bearing inhibit weird noises while going forward, but the grinding wasn't apparent until putting load onto it (i.e. turning). The noise going forward was more of a weird squeak. A faulty wheel bearing can exhibit a few warning signs. The most obvious would be a howling or grinding noise from a front wheel while in motion. This noise would get louder when you steer side to side. If worse when steering to the right, the left side bearing is usually at fault and the opposite holds true for when steering left. You can check for a noisy wheel bearing with the vehicle stationary too. Jack the front of your vehicle and rotate the front wheel; while rotating, place your hand on the front coil spring. You should be able to pick up a vibration in the spring. There may also be free-play in the bearing. You can try checking for free-play by jacking the front of your vehicle and wiggling the wheel up and down.

 

My completely shot wheel bearing made a straight up scraping sound. Kick the tire and see if it wobbles, mine did and it was ready to fall off.

 

Thanks for the tips, guys—looks like the right front wheel bearing is about done. (The spin-the-wheel and feel-the-vibrations test is a handy trick.)

Now to go rotate the tires and check for dust shield debris—I have the car up on jackstands; no reason to waste that. :P

 

Glad it helped. Here is a thread on NAM that can help with the replacement if you plan to tackle the job yourself: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...placement.html Bearing here: http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/...pg4.htm#item13. Yes, while you're in there it's not a bad idea to check everything out to make sure it's all in working order. Check your ball joints and LCA bushings and all other suspension components as well. That way you know if you need to order anything else while performing the job. If you need anything just let me know.