My car(2002 Protege) overheated yesterday and I had the belts changed. Now when I turn my car on there is a loud sqeaking noise. If my AC is off the noise is not as loud and tends to go away after a couple minutes of driving. What is causing this problem? and Is it important to get fixed right away or is it okay to continue to drive?

 

sounds like the altenator belt is either not tight enough or too tight. I had a '94 protege and put on one of the V belts and it pulled to tight all the time especially with things that draw a lot of power like the AC. So have someone check the belts again for tightness.

 

Sounds like a waterpump failing to me. I had the exact same problem 3 weeks ago. I brought it back to the mechanic who had changed the timing and the belts to check to see what would cause the squeek. He told me all I needed to do was change the belts again! So that's what we did. The following week I went for a long trip with some friends, on a desert highway I hear a very loud squeel, loud noise and my battery light came on. I turned off all the lights in my car because I thought it was my alternator. I couldn't see the temperature gauge needle rising. I kept on driving until I noticed large amounts of smoke coming from under the hood. Pulled over to realize it wasn't my alternator but it was indeed my waterpump. My waterpump had been failing for a while and the mechanic failed to recognize it. This resulted in a blown headgasket and many many other problems...