I thimk all you need to do is tighten the belts,if you don't feel your power steering cutting out on you then it's your alt belt that needs tighting

well.....the belt for the alt and the ps is the same.......but why do you think the belt needs to be tightened? It does'nt make a loose belt sort of a screetch......it's a little lower than that, and steady.

A timing belt that is adjusted a little too tight will make a noise much like a whining p.s. pump, and may get quieter as it warms up. Do you know if the timing belt has been replaced recently? Is it at that mileage and you recently acquired the car, maybe? An engine is at its most efficient when it is at operating temperature, so late model engines are designed (by EPA mandate) to warm up as soon as possible. Normal coolant operating temperature is usually around 195 deg. farenheit. Anything above 150 feels very hot to a human hand, so I don't think I would be concerned as long as the guage reads normal and there are no other signs of overheating. Sorry, the rattling noise doesn't ring any bells with me.

I did just aquire the car, and it's at about 94,000 miles. Where is the timing belt located? Because the sound is eminating from the area of the ps pump, and the alternater and the belt around them........there is something else there sharing that belt but i don't know what it is.

The timing belt is behind a plastic cover just behind the serpentine belt that drives the alternator, p.s., etc. You can't see it, but it is in exactly the same area.

So is there anyway for me to make certain this is the problem........and if i want to try to loosen it, how would I go about it? Also...would the bearings in the alternater make the the same sound if they were wearing out? The sound does'nt just get quieter as the car warms up, it dissapears completely.