Trans help

[coolbrze]

'02 Ranger, 4 cyl., 5 spd. manual, 2WD - today it's sounded like part of the truck is scraping the ground or I'm dragging a bunch of wrenches under the truck. I actually pulled over to look underneath and make sure I wasn't dragging any metal objects. The gear shifter is vibrating slightly more than normal also. I looked at the trans and noticed that it's missing 3 bolts on the passenger side, is this normal? The one I could see clearly looked like it was broken off 1/2 way in, but maybe all three are supposed to be like that. I'm guessing trans but any idea what the metallic grinding noise could be? It doesn't do it all the time but does it often enough I need to take care of it!

Edit - took it for another spin today and noticed the wrench dragging/scraping sound comes on strong when I hard brake or hit a bump. Also, the check engine light is NOT on...