gcc search dirs

[frobnoid@yahoo.com]

I'm looking for documentation on what influences gcc's default search dirs for 
libraries (as shown via gcc -print-search-dirs). I'm hoping to avoid a dive into 
the gcc code and/or trial and error in tweaking my build environment to 
determine this, but that's my next steps if this list can't provide me with any 
alternatives. 


The background:
I'm trying to build gcc (4.1.2) and running into some complications regarding 
the default search order for 32 and 64 bit libraries. In some environments I'm 
finding the 32 bit libraries first, and in some I'm finding the 64 bit libraries 
first. I'm well aware of many possible workarounds and fixes to adjust this 
after the compiler build (in the code and makefiles I'm using this gcc build 
with), which are far more robust than ensuring the default search path ends up 
one way or the other. However, I want to gain some understanding as to the cause 
of this in order to produce a repeatable build of gcc which is insulated from 
this sort of problem. 


Thank you for any help anyone can provide.