Orbital sander making weird grinding noise - help!

Hey all, my Ryobi orbital sander started making a grinding noise mid-sanding. It still spins but sounds awful, like metal on metal. Battery is fine (tested in another tool). Any ideas what it could be? I'm halfway through refinishing a table and need to finish this weekend.

Sounds like the bearing might be shot. My old Bosch did the same thing. Take off the pad and check if there's any side-to-side play in the spindle. If it's loose, you'll need to replace the bearing. Could also be that a screw backed out and is rubbing inside. Pop it open and look.

Before tearing it apart, check the dust collection. I've had sawdust build up and make grinding noises. Blow it out with compressed air. Also, make sure the pad isn't loose. If the screws on the pad are tight, then yeah, probably bearing. But don't buy a new sander yet - bearings are cheap and easy to swap.

Thanks guys! I'll try blowing it out first. Paul, I checked the spindle and there's a tiny bit of wobble, so you might be right. If air doesn't work, I'll look up a bearing replacement video. Appreciate the quick replies!

No prob! If it's wobbling, definitely the bearing. Get a puller if you don't have one - makes it way easier. And use some Loctite when you put the new one in. Good luck with the table!