AC compressor issue?

[ugharin]

HI guys...I have a question about the ac compressor. I have an 02 QX4 which is in a very good shape. I got a good vehicle when I did and I take very good care of it. Keep it very clean and uptodate. Recently, around 3 months back, I moved here to Dubuque, IA for my job and since then I have been seeing a huge drop in performance in this cold weather...Its also a RWD and am having a hard time drivign in this snow...fish tailing and skidding around a lot...dont know if thats bad for the truck mechanically....

Off late, there seems to be an intermittent noise coming from the ac compressor. Especially during startup and acceleration. Its not exactly a squeal but sounds like it will eventually turn into one. Its kind of like the sound you hear when you rub pieces of metal. Along with the sound, there is also a struggle during acceleration from startup and It feels like if I push too hard, I might snap the belts or something...
Is the compressor about to seize? Anything I can do to test/check and prevent issues?
Dont kow if this has got anything at all do with it but fwiw, , I, recently for the first time, had the oil change(quaker state 5w30) done at Walmart nearby..And its been acting up since then...Also, there seems to be some knocking (not sure) during cold start and warm up but its fine after 5 or 10 minutes.Or maybe a valve tapping noise? Any help with diagnosis? Thanks.

[Towncivilian]

Check your belts; do they look cracked or worn, or loose? If so, replace as soon as possible. Does this squealing only occur only when the A/C (or heater) is on?

The noises at cold start is probably due to the oil being quite thick especially on colder starts. Unfortunately you can't use synthetic oil with 02-04 R50s (IIRC) to help alleviate this issue.

[ugharin]

Check your belts; do they look cracked or worn, or loose? If so, replace as soon as possible. Does this squealing only occur only when the A/C (or heater) is on?

Thanks for the reply.

Its not as much a squealing noise as much as a metal grinding on metal kinda noise...with bursts of louder, odd noises every 30 secs or so (and these carry a hint of a squeal)....its as if there is no lubrication or something...

The belts look pretty firm and good. This noise occurs only during cold start and then during acceleration which is when I feel like if I push too hard, I might screw something up...maybe seize the compressor and snap the belts up...Does the cold weather cause the compressors to seize/lock up?

The noise occurs irrespective of whether Im using the ac/heat or not. I stopped using the heat and today the truck as well lest I screw something up. I want to take the precautionary measures rather than break and fix something. I walked a little over a mile to work tonight. Cold as f#$%..was a b**** to even smoke my cig..damn..missing the south..although Im a newyorker at heart...