whining when engine starts

My 92 accord EX whines when I start the engine. It sometimes stops when I put it in gear, but usually goes on for a couple minutes. If I turn the A/C on, it changes frequencies and kinda slows down. Anyone know what this is, if I can do it with almost no car maint. experience, or how much it should cost? Thanks a bunch!

sounds like your timing is off but if it sounds more like squeaking then its loose belts

Could be a bunch of things - alternator, compressor etc. You need to get a better idea of exactly where the noise is coming from.

first thing you can try is take a can of dw-40 and spray the pulleys. if the noise goes away then it's probably 1 of 2 things. the tension of the belt is incorrect or the belts are starting to crack. next thing to check for is if any of the pulley's are damaged or worn. most common pulley to give out first would be the idler. you would need to remove all the belts in order to check the pulleys. once all the belts are removed...spin each pulley to see if there is anything restricting it to spin.

I dont know where they pulleys are...Are they hard to get to?

I'm a little concerned that if you don't know where the pulleys are, then you should seek the advice of a mechanic.

Avoid the Honda dealership and most places like Midas. Often a small gas station that also does repairs can give you good advice - their (sometimes only) mechanic is often very experienced.

I'm also not in agreement with spraying the pulleys with WD-40. It's a petroleum product, and if your belts weren't wearing out before, they will pretty soon after.