what is causing this slight squeel? it seems to only appear when the car is cold. can anyone help?

 

same here ...

 

Its your belts, check to see if they're tight, if not tighten them up a little, make sure they're not cracked

 

I concur. It's most likely a very slightly loose belt. Once it and the engine warm up a bit, it gets better "traction" on the pulleys and stops making noise. It's important to get this corrected relatively quickly, or the belts will develop a glaze on their surface which will make the problem worse, and requirement replacement vs. simple adjustment.

 

I actually get the opposite now--when turning off, I hear a rattle. I'm thinking mine is the muffler because the whole outside has rusted away and is gone. But I hope it's not a rattle in the CAT......95k by the way.

 

is it hard to tighten the belts? should i just replace it if i have to take it apart?