temp should read halfway buddy. the bottle is an overflow and should be empty, when the car is cold open your radiator cap and make sure its full to the top. The belts can make noise in the winter when they are cold and usually quieten down after it warms up, If you think its the water pump pully just remove the belt and turn it by hand it should spin freely if you can feel friction on the pully then I would recommend you change the water pump. Hope this helps.