intermittently i get this high pitched noise from the engine bay as the motor runs. when i hit the gas, its still there, but does not (as far as i can tell) change pitch or speed.

im not sure if its weather related, it has been 50 degrees and below here the last 3 days, and just this morning it happened again.

is this a belt? i know i need my timing belt replaced, but i just want to know if thats what it is before i spend the 200 bucks changing it.

thanks for any insights!

 

also by the end of my 20 minute drive to work, it went away.

 

How loud is the noise? I thought it was a loose belt but you said the sound doesn't change with RPM's. It could be your ps pump. Mine squeeks at me every now and then but only when sitting still and I just have to turn my wheel a little to make it go away. Another possability is it could be one of your pulley's. The barings (why can't I spell today) could be going out and it takes 10 minutes for it to warm up enough to not make noise.
If you're extremely over due for a timing belt it could be the tensioner adjusted all the way out and still not able to take up all the slack. But I've never heard of this happening and it would probably change pitch with RPM's.

 

its like a churning eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee noise.

almost like weeee wee wee weee weee weee weee weee... if that makes any sense!

again, i dont know that it doesnt change pitch with rpms as i can barely hear it over the roar of the engine.