when i start my car up, there is a loud screeching noise like something rubber is being rubbed really hard. what is it and how can i rememdy this? mr. if it isnt one thing its another!

First guess since you said "screetching". Can you safely rev the engine from the front of the car(hood up of coarse). This way you can hone in on the area of screetch. My guess would be loose fan belt. Or power steering belt. If not, while revving, see if the engine tilts alot to one side. That would be a broken or worn motor mount causing the fan itself to rub on the fand shroud.

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thanks!!! it was a loose belt.....i just tightened the tensioner is all. but i have another question: how can i tell if my alternator is good and the car is not just running off of the battery? i had an issue earlier where my car died after i just bought a new battery a few days ago....come to find out it was my alternator. someone told me alternators rarely go bad and i should check the brushes on the back of the alternator......sure enough they were worn and one even fell out of place. so i had already bought a new alternator and just switched the brushes......i took the battery to be charged and now the car runs fine, but i wanna make sure its not runnung on the battery.