Long story Short:

2003 Touring w/ 75000 miles.

In early Spring when I first got the car out for the year I changed both Serpentine belts. Shortly after on cold mornings i would get a horrible screech and loss of battery volts and a general loss of power. I removed the belts and put belt dressing on them. This seemed to reduce the amount of screeching until recently when its starting to dip into the upper 40s in the morning again.

Today after detailing my car i went to take it to the car wash and it started overheating. Not horribly bad but it normally runs just under the halfway point on the gauge and today it hit the 3/4 mark. Fans were spinning like crazy and so on the way home i turned the heater on. It blew cold air the entire time and the guage stayed just over halfway until i was almost home and it dropped back to normal operating range.

Last issue is a pesky P0300 code that will not go away for the life of me. It comes and goes with no logical reasoning.

Planned Repair Procedure:
1. Remove belts and check if all pulleys spin freely
2. Flush radiator and purge of any air
3. Replace thermostat
4. IDFK - the missfire problem is a mystery

I've read so many forum posts that i want to make sure I am on the right track in diagnosing my issues before i start tearing into things. Also if I have missed anything please let me know. I'm hoping I don't have to replace the water pump but I'm afraid the screeching sound and loss of power could be caused if the bearings in it started to freeze up. I'm open to any suggestions and ideas that will help me get this repaired quickly. Right now the evenings in Kansas are perfect weather for driving and i dont want to miss out.