I have a 97 Honda civic DC 5-sp Manual (97,000 miles). While I was driving back from a 2 hour journey and as I entered my town, I head a scratching noise (sounded similar to a thin metal piece being dragged/scratch on the road) as I moved in 2nd or 3rd gear.

The noise is quite prominent in 2nd and 3rd gear and stops coming after some 2-3 seconds. It does not seem to be coming at higher speeds- I'm not sure because there is a chance the noise might have got drowned in the road noise.

I put the car on hand brakes & neutral, pumped the accelerator a bit... as the acceleration dies, I could hear the same scratching noise (milder). Any idea what this could be? I replaced my battery 1 month ago...

 

Are you sure something isn't just vibrating?
What part of the car / engine does it sound like it's coming from?

 

I have a pretty good feeling that this sound is coming from the front bottom of the car. I'm also pretty sure that nothing is vibrating.
Also, it looks like the noise is coming only after the engine warms up.
Checked all the fluid levels- good. Checked the engine oil - good. Last changed engine oil only 1 month back. By any chance, could this noise come from distributor?

 

I finally found out the reason for the noise. The exhaust shield that protects the heat from getting transferred to the engine bay was the culprit. One of the clamps that held the exhaust shield got loose and fell somewhere, so the shield was vibrating against the exhaust pipe - the metal scratching sound was because of this.

I made a video this morning, but the noise is hardly audible.

Thanks for your response and time.