strange grinding sound when starting!!!!

just recently my girlfriends car starting making this strange mettalic grinding sound just when it starts.. the car runs fine once its running.. sometimes the lights dim and it acts like it isnt going to start and then does.. this could be unrelated but there is a strange somewhat electrical smell from the belt side and the power steering fluid looks like it needs changed bad.. if you start the car and turn it off it doesnt do it again unless you let it dit a few minutes.. a few months ago the air conditioning started to sound like a turkey gobling but then just went out.. it hasn't given us any problems since.

my questions are:
does this sound like a starter?
could the burnt looking power steering fluid have something to do with it?
could the ac pump be really messed up and be causing it?
why would the lights dim when it doesnt start easily?
why would the power steering fluid look burnt..

Sounds to me that you power steering fliud is low or power steering pump is bad. I had a Sunbird that would do that when it got cold out which how I found out the fluid was low. The electrical smell could be your altenator trying to charge a badly discharged battery. Just a thought.

Homerr

i replaced the starter on several mechanics advise and that did not solve it.. any other suggestions..?