20002 inpala power steering not working well at low speed

There are a couple of things to check. If your power steering pump is low on fluid, or a bad bearing is in the Alternator, they will whine. The PCV valve or any hole in the Vacuum lines will whine as RPM is increased. Even having the Air filter box not fully seated will make a whining noise.

Now both automatic and manual transmissions can whine as RPM is increased. Check fluid for each.

Serpetine belt and pulleys-can make noise.

Sometimes you can shift into neutral at any speed and the engine rpm will drop almost instantly as the car rolls at speed. If the problem disappears as soon as the rpm drops, then an engine part probably is the reason.

Check your power steering fluid level ?

There may be 2 possible causes for this problem. THe first may be cv koints failing or excessive turn angle of the wheel which would be binding up the cv joint. This can be checked by a wheel aligner testing the maximum turn allowed at the wheels.. The second is that power steering pumps should never be operated at tight full turn. To umnderstand this consider this. Power steering pumps are only under load when you move the steering wheel ans if you turn a bit the pump moves the wheels and then the pressure is let off until you move the wheel again. You have to move the wheel to shut off a valve in the box that allows the pump to build up pressure. When you hold the wheel hard against the stops at full turn you are making the pump work at maximum pressure and if you continue to do this you can expect premature pump failure. Jusat turn until you hit the stops then ease off a fraction. The noise I expect is the pressure relief valve in the pump is releasing rapidly and it probably sounds like a hammer hitting something metalic. Try the alignment and try not holding the turn hard at hard full turn. Haveing the pump pressure checked might also point to a fault

Whining should be low power sterring fluid.
Check the power steering dipstick and keep it in the range.
If you have no power steering fluid, automatic transmission fluid ( Dexron) works fine.
Leaks best found with a flashlight, you should not need the engine running, but you will need to get under the car, and you may need to push or bend some of the plastic sheilds out of the way to look.
Most often it is a hose, high or low pressure hose to the power steering pump that leaks.
High pressure hose has fittings, low pressure hose may have a hose clamp.

The most common source of the whine is the power steering pump is low on fluid or the pump is defective. Check the owner's manual for instructions on how to check the fluid in the pumps reservoir.

Sounds similar to my Sable.. I was told that it is the power steering pump making the whine and that if I couldn't stand it, I'd have to have it changed.. Other than the whine, it works just fine.. SO, it's whined for about 10 years, now..

Did you check the fuelid level today? A loud whine indicates low fluid or a defective pump in most cases.

Power steering pumps whine when they are low on fluid, or if they are goin bad. Serpentine belts also whine in cold weather or when they are goin bad. Tru spraying just a little WD40 on the belts when its running, if it goes away, you should be thinking about a new belt. If nothing changes, check the power steering fluid, if its full, take to a mechanic

you can hear your power steering pump working and if it's whining, it may be low on fluid.
Check the fluid level with the engine running and be very careful of moving or rotating parts.
Locate the pump and check the level (the cap will usually have a dipstick to measure the level attached to the cap and you read it the same way as your engine oil dipstick). DO NOT overfill the pump as it will just leak out and cause other issues.
If the level is very low, top it up then work the steering from side to side a few times then recheck the level. Careful, power steering fluid can get very hot!!
If the fluid in the pump looks dark or black, take the vehicle to your local mechanic and have the fluid replaced and the system flushed.

Pump is starting to fail. Good news is that it isn't too hard to change. Hope this helps...