During idle, I seem to get an on-going squeak from the drive belt. I checked the belt w/ the engine off and it seems to be in good shape (no cracks or anything like that). I sprayed a very small amount of WD-40 on the tread and it seemed to go away. I'm worried that the squeak will come back after the WD-40 dries up. I was also worried about spraying too much and causing the belt to slip so I used it very sparingly. The car has 66.5k miles on it and to the best of my knowledge has the original belts.
Is this squeak a sign to change the belt? What's causing the squeak? Is the belt too tight/loose? Is the replacement of the drive belt something that I can undertake myself with basic tools in my garage?
thanx in advance!

 

I had the same problem. I was always adding lubricant to the belts which helped it until the next cold start. The dealership warrantied it as a bad belt, possibly caused by cleaning my engine bay too often. Hope this helps.

 

thanx Mike, since it was warranty work, any idea how much it would normally cost?

 

If it's original,the belt should be replaced at 60k miles.

With the exception of the RX300,ES250/300,and LX450 these belts require no belt tension adjustment;it uses a spring-loaded tensioner. You need a 14mm wrench (I use a socket and large ratchet) to turn the tensioner to allow some slack for belt removal.

 

I did a much closer inspection w/ a flashlight and did see more cracks than I liked so I am going to replace it. The belt pattern seems pretty straightforward. Is it difficult to put the new one back on?

 

The new one goes on just as easy as the old one comes off. Just make sure you get a big(i.e. long for leverage) rachet/breaker bar/wrench to turn the tensioner bolt. It will help you not having to strain holding the tensioner with one hand, while trying to slip the belt in place with the other.