This is a really stupid... dumb... question, but it's tickin' me off so I figure before I drop any more money, check myself.
A few months ago, my coolant elbow burst (not leak... burst). Coolant ehrwhere. Obviously resulted in a squeaky belt, so I replaced both serpentine and sc belt. They both needed changed soon anyway, so why not? All squeaking went away and my car was back to normal. Then came Hurricane Sandy. I worked from home during the hurricane, so I didn't drive. After weather cleared up, I started car as normal and it was squeaking again, but more of a chirp. Happens every time I drive when engine is cold. If it's hot, no squeak.
So, I'm thinking its the idler or tensioner pulley. Not a big deal to change. When I took off the belts before, I checked them and didn't notice them being hard to turn or any squeaking...so I'm really not sure.
Is there any tricks/tips of finding out which pulley (if it is a pulley)? Obviously I can figure out which belt it is by taking one off and starting car for a second, but... I really don't want to go changing pulleys one by one until I find it. I've always heard never touch the stuff, but maybe try a belt dressing to see if its just the belt got wet during the hurricane?
Two best cars I've ever owned are my GP's, but darn it... I always get the obnoxious little problems. Knock on wood...
