Toyota Repair: AC Problem 98 Toyota 4Runner LTD., toyota 4runner, drive belts

Question
98Hi Ted, I’m hoping you can help me out here.  I have a 98 Toyota 4Runner LTD 4x4, and I turned on my AC recently and noticed that for the first few minutes it would feel cool and then it starts to feel a little warmer than cool, but still felt better than fan alone.  I also noticed that after a few minutes, the RPM would “hiccup” a little every few seconds when I turn on the AC.  The hiccups affect my acceleration at times when I slow down and then accelerate again without coming to a complete stop. This does not happen with fan only operation.  Like all do it “yourselfers”, I bought a ReChill Kit from my local auto shop hoping that it would solve the issue with the warmer air after the initial cool air, but it didn’t and the “hiccup” still occurs when the AC is on after a few minutes.  What do you suppose is wrong, and on average, how much would something like this cost to fix?  Thanks in advance.

Also, a problem I hear often on cars, but not related to mine.  When the car starts for the very first time and you hear this loud screeching sound as they pull away but disappears after a few minutes; what makes that noise?  Is the shocks/struts?  

Answer
The screeching sound is normally caused by loose or slipping drive belts or in some cases a rotating component on the engine that is driven by the belts that is starting to seize up causing the belt to slip. The A/c problem may be caused by an A/C compressor that is starting to go out, I would recommend having the actual refrigerant pressures checked with the a/c on, that's the first step in diagnosing a/c systems, the pressure readings are a very good indication of what is going on with the system.