Mysterious Belt noise

[a30mayne]

MY 240 has been making some weird screaming noises. I know that it is most likely the belts and at 144,xxx they have yet to be replaced, the thing is that it only happens when its cold out and once I drive for a while it stops. Another thing that is weird is that every time I turn on my heater i hear it scream again. Also my heat isn't as hot as you would think heat should be so I'm just looking for any advice on what is going on with my whip. Any answers/ideas/opinions are much appreciated. Thanks, Auzzy.

[Towncivilian]

Are you sure it's the belts? Power steering pumps often groan and make loud noises in the cold with mineral based fluid. Synthetic ATF in the reservoir helps quiet down the P/S pump. You can use a turkey baster to suction the contents of the P/S reservoir, then fill with ATF. Do this a few times with several days in between to change out the majority of the fluid. But if the belts are indeed original at your mileage, they could be slipping somewhat - I'd get those replaced as soon as possible. Your heat might not be very hot due to deposit buildup in the heater core, in which case a coolant flush or at least flushing the heater core out with water should help.