power stering pump whined on my sunfire i could hear it coming from around the block never wend bad though (while i owned it )

My 97 is making noise and it'* the ac compressor bearings.... sounds are engineered to warn us of upcoming repairs.

Same here. . . . .grrrrrr

You guys can hate me for this, but I called Dan the man yesterday. Aka my mechanic buddy. $350 to swap the compressor and refill w/freon. Gosh I love the prices I get from him. Of course if I go up and do it myself...I can probably knock $50 off that.....

Make sure you're full of power stering fluid. I have a leak in mine, and when it gets low the pump starts to whine.

Actually probably the best way to check for bad bearings is once you've checked all fluids like suggested above, let the tension off the belts and move each pulley by hand with an audible Ahhhhh as each one feels fine and a loud Awwww **** when you find it'* a water pump or A/C compressor.

lol
that'* what i'm starting to think it is now, everything on the belt has been shot with the WD, so i'm thinking power steering....though the fluids are fine and i haven't felt a difference in steering, me thinks that there may be a hose leak. Also the sound is most audible from the driver'* side wheel....does that help diagnose the problem?

Does the whine get louder if you turn the wheel one way or another? If the whine doesn't get louder or more urgent when you turn the wheel it may not be the pump itself.

eh, haven't tried just turning the wheel from one side to the other, but it {the sound} does "accelarate" with the engine when pressing the gas

Just start the car up (you can leave it in park) and turn the wheel. You'll know right away if it'* whining when you start to turn the wheel. When the wheel is turning and the whining is getting louder and more urgent, that is a good sign of the pump being starved for fluid. If nothing else top it off for good measure.