hopefully someone can help me out. im getting a slight squeal at idle and sometimes a loud screech under my first acceleration after starting the car when its cold. it also running a little hotter than usual and warming up faster. not to mention my gas milage has gone down. im guessing this is a serpentine belt, now the only problem is i dont know where in the engine it is or how to change/adjust the tension or how much it costs for a new belt if i do need one (how do i tell if i should change the belt). does that sound like the problem? If so any help would be greatly appreciated, and if i come out of this with a non squeaking car and without losing alot of money maybe the person helping me will recieve total conciousness on their death bed. thanks in advance.

 

If the belt is frayed or cracked, get it replaced; a belt for my '96 GXE was $70 at Firestone. My pulley was a little loose which contributed/caused the degradation of the belt.

~THT

 

is this something i can do myself i think i found the belt itself for like 8 bucks?

 

yes you can do it yourself, go buy the book for your car (Hayne's manual) if you don't know alot about mechanic. Be sure that the sound is really coming from there.

I will give you a little tip, start your car when he's cold. You said the sound come from the power steering belt so use a can of WD-40 and spray some on the belt to see if the sound you describe dissapeared. If yes, it's your power steering belt and if no, you will have to search somewhere else.
Best of luck friend!
WhiteMax96