Danny, Bricklef, Thank you for your quick responses. I am always super impressed at how responsive everyone is on here.
I detached the lead nut from the carriage and it seems like the issue is the plastic piece connected to the lead nut. It was making a decent amount of noise. The carriage seemed to slide easily and without sound, but I wasn’t able to move it too far either direction with the lead nut in the way. So the plastic piece definitely seems most suspect at this point.
I’ll try the axle grease and see what happens, but if there’s anything else that could be an issue I’m all ears.
I used white lithium grease and it’s sounding good so far. It took a couple of rounds since I snuck up on the amount of grease and didn’t just want to glob it on there.
I also have heard a squealing sound when the carriages are moving. I cleaned the black marks off both gantry tubes and the sound was reduced. I think it is the bearings running over dust and dirt on the tubes. I also notice that both lead screws are getting black in the area with the most travel. I’m planning to clean the lead screws and lubricate with dry-slide or some other lube that won’t attract dust.