2005 chevy impala, the steering whel is hard to turn at low speeds, had pump and pullies replaced, was told it is not the rack and pinion or the steering box. What else could it be?

The first thing you need to do is find the leak, then once that is repaired if the problem persists you need to have the pump pressure tested and if that is ok replace the rack and pinion steering gear.

This can be caused by many things.
A worn or slipping belt.
Low fluid in the power steering pump reservoir.
A bad rack and pinion.
Bad power steering pump.
Tire pressure low.
I did have a power steering pump go bad and cause this problem.
I was told that, no way a power steering pump could cause this, and after I had the rack replaced guess what, it was the power steering pump after all.

Hey Kumar,
Does the steering get easier when it gets hot? If it get easier when hot, its the rack and pinion gear. The valve body (actually a teflon composition ring(s) o-rings/valve bore housing are getting worn to the point where they are not controlling the fluid flow when its cold,, when the rack and pinion gets hot, the valve bore expands and "corrects" the clearance which in turn, controls the fluid flow. The valve body bore in the rack and pinion housing is worn where the teflon rings ride against the bore.
This is nothing that can be fixed except by replacing the entire rack and pinion gear. Drain ALL the power steering fluid from the pump also and fill with fresh new fluid.

I dont know much about the impala steering but most rack and pinion setups are the same . i had a loud clicking noise in my Camry when on full lock and it got woset I though also rack n pinion ,but it turned out a high pressure hose from the power steering box had a leak . So check fluild in power steer box and check it is not leaking onto tierods there should be no fluid in a tie rod end boot . If the fluid in the box is low or none top it up with auto trans fluid and see if it stops the clicking noise

Was it a new rack & pinion? If so it will be under warranty

Your PS pump is fine.

This vehicle has:

Variable-assist power steering: A power steering system that uses valves and speed sensors to vary the amount of steering assist according to engine or road speed. At slow speeds more steering assist is delivered and steering the wheels is easier; necessary for parking, etc.. At higher speeds, steering assist is reduced and more steering effort is required to steer the car, giving the driver greater feel of the road. Also known as Speed-sensitive power steering.

Loss of current to the magnetic coils would cause a loss of power assist at low speed. Coil resistance can be checked with an ohmmeter, and should read about two ohms. An infinite (open) reading indicates a bad coil (requires replacing the rack since the coils are not serviceable). Checking for shorts between both sides of the coil assembly and rack housing is also recommended.

Best wishes

The trucks like yours have a rack and pinion steering, and when rack and pinion steering need replacing they get hard to turn in one direction just as you have described.

From the sounds of it, that pothole messed up your steering. Something is binding in the steering train, could be a damaged tie rod end, one of the other steering joints, or even the rack and pinion steering itsself. When it's binding, the power steering pump has to work too hard, slowing the engine down, making your lights dim because it's also slowing the alternator(on the same belt drive) and furthering your steering problem. You need to get it checked out immediately before something breaks and gets you into an accident. Remember, if steering linkage breaks, you have NO control of your vehicle, and it doesn't care if you're driving 70 mph on the highway.

6 weeks is less than 90 days so you should have a warranty for a different pump.

Remember to use the correct fluid for the car. If you have rack and pinion steering it can be a different problem besides the pump.

Get a front end alignment so they can check the balljoints which contribute to your problem.