I just recently purchased a 1996 dodge dakota 4x4 single cab. I also recently noticed a horrible scraping sound when I'm in drive, completely stopped with brakes depressed. It seems to be coming from under/behind me. The sounds is similiar to scraping metal on metal. I'll describe a few situations I'm in when it happens. Whenever I'm in my garage after I pull in and just sit without taking it out of drive, or when I was in the drive-through at mc donalds just sitting there. Please if anyone can help me post some problems/solutions or inspections I can do to see if its the problem.
Thanks, Trevor

 

Is the noise intermittant, or does it happen pretty much everytime the trans is in drive and your stopped?
It is in anyway related to engine speed? (While in drive, with brakes applied, if you rev the motor, does the sound get worse/louder/etc)

Since you have 4WD, shift the transfer case into Neutral and see if the sound than goes away.

If the noise doesn't go away, get a friend over. Chock all the wheels (put something in front of and behind them so the truck won't move) and with the transmission in drive, transfer case in neutral, a friend applying the brakes, and parking brake applied, see if you can locate the source of the noise.

If the noise goes away, I would do the same steps as above but with this differant: transfer case in 2WD, and jack the rear of the vehicle up so the tires are off the ground (think safety).

 

It doesn't happen every time I am stopped in drive but I only notice it at that time. I don't think engine speed is related to it because I've never heard it when im revving, although it could just be harder to hear when the engine is revved up. Could a bad u-joint cause that kind of noise with these conditions?

 

You know, I was thinking that, and I was also thinking it could be a bad mount.
The thing of it is, why it would only (apparently) happen when in drive and stopped. Because the driveshaft (and therefor the u-joints) don't move when your stopped.

 

edit..

 

what about in rev. or neautral.??