Clunking / grind in first gear, second, and reverse

I recently bought a 2009 2.5i 5spd with 37k on the clock. It has been a dream to drive and I have put a couple hundred miles on it so far. I have had it a little less then a week. The problem started today and I am at a loss as to what it is.

 

It seems to happen when I am in first or second and let off the gas to coast. I hear a grinding or clunking noise that sounds like it is coming from the front of the car, almost from the transition. This also happens when I go in reverse but happens when gas is applied.

 

Needless to say I am pretty upset about this. Car was working great and out of the blue bam, weird noises. I should add, this noise has enough weight behind it to make the car shudder a little. Car still shifts fine and is smooth in that sense.

 

Please help me.

it might not be a transmission problem. A usual Subaru annoyance is that some of the metal guards/bits or w.e underneath the car become bent and vibrate along with the engine. My 08 2.5i MT does the same thing. Had the same problem on our outback but bending the metal guards the other way fixed the problem.

I think you might be right. About twenty minutes before the problem started I had actually removed the heat shield which had constant pressure on the exhaust. If I move it by hand now it seems to contact the underside of the car.

 

About to go out and see if that the problem. Let's hope it is.