I don't have a huge library of automobile knowledge to draw from, so I come seeking others help.

I currently own a 97' Dodge RAM 1500 with 5.2L V8.

Here are the problems I've been having...

1. Often times when I start the truck in the morning, the car will make this high-pitched chirping sound. Almost sounds like Tweety Bird is stuck inside my engine or something. Often times, after 30 minutes or so, the sound will go away. And... It seems as if the sound is more pronounced on cold and wet days. Any idea what might be happening here?

2. When leaving the truck in idle, on numerous occasions I've noticed that it will sit in the low RPMs, then - for whatever reason - it'll rev up to a higher RPM for a few seconds, and then fall back down to a low RPM. It's gotten to the point now, where I feel like it's starting to happen when I've just put the truck in forward - it hesitates at this low RPM and takes a moment before it actually starts to move - even if my foot is pressing on the gas. Any ideas on this one?

I just find going to most automotive shops to be a complete nightmare and wanted to do some of my own research before I did anything. Any help is much appreciated!

 

1: Tweety Bird - Probably your belt ... nothing to worry about ... more of an annoyance than anything. Might be a bearing on one of the driven components but I can't see why it would quit chirping. They have a tendancy to squeel rather than chirp ... actually ... so would the belt ... just thinking out loud here.

2: Ratty Idle/Hesitation - Dirty TPS (Throttle Position Sensor). Don't you hate fly-by-wire?