Is it going out? It "whines" really bad whenever I turn the wheel. I have only had this car for about 3 days and everyday something new goes out on it. Last night it was the headlight, I spent all day figuring out what to do because with the civic you just pop out the bulb and put in a new one, with this thing you have to take apart the whole freaking headlight! Then, not five minutes later, the stupid steering wheel magically starts whining when I turn. Seriously, how much will this cost me and what does the problem seem to be? I opened the hood, and I just shook my head and shut it again because I don't even know where to start...Help???

 

If it's making a whiney noise, I would expect it to be one of the following:

low pwr steering fluid
clogged hoses
loose pwr steering pulley
bad drivebelt
bad pwr steering pump

Is the steering wheel difficult to turn? Does this happen all the time, when turning a certain direction, at high or low speeds only, or randomly?

 

it literally just started. and the wheel is a little harder to turn but not much, it could've just been me. and when i take off it just whines. and i hear it the whole time the car is driving, but when i stop the car, and put it in park, no noise. but when i turn, either direction it whines. and there is a red fluid leaking out of my car.

 

You might want to check the power steering fluid,it may be a line leaking .

 

thats what i'm thinking it is, too. but isn't tranny fluid red, too?

 

Try to locate the leak ASAP. Sounds like you've got power steering fluid leaking. If you catch the leak soon enough, and keep the fluid level topped off, you could prevent damage to the pump itself. I hope it's not the pump itself leaking.

If it's one of the hoses leaking, you're in luck :0)

 

If it was tranny fluid, it wouldn't be leaking under the hood. The tranny is basically between the front seats.

 

oh wow. how do i tell if its the pump? and the worst part of the leak (there seems to be a few leaks, but this is the only colored one) is right behind where i guess my driver side headlight is, like its on that side of the car, we put "puppy training pads" under it to catch the drips and to tell where they are coming from, and its just a red liquid on the left side of the vehicle for now.

 

Do you have an auto trans ? Either way you need to do what nnewquist said, and find that leak ASAP.

 

yea its automatic. well idk where to even begin looking. i don't know where the pump is and all but the leak is coming from behind the driver side front tire...somewhere in that general area lol...idk if thats where the pump is, or a bunch of wires...