Originally Posted by
goldfinch
It is in the freehub body per your diagnostic.
Previously I took the freehub body off, soaked, flushed, and oiled. It made no difference. So ignore? I assume it isn't a safety issue, just an irritation issue.
Yes, ignore it unless you want to replace the freehub on suspicion alone. Often these are the result of uneven distribution of lubricant in the ratchet ring or elsewhere, or maybe a tiny piece of metal chip that didn't flush. It might not matter at all, or one day the freehub will fail (slip or more rarely lockup) and you can put butter and jam on it.