power steering

[85lolo]

Ive got a 96 lumina 116000mi, 3.1
when turning wheel at low rpm or idle it is near impossible but if you hit the throttle a tad it works fine
not a problem most of the time, but parking lots and parralell parking are tough, especially for my wife, and daughter
could this be a bad pump or need I look deeper??

[jeffcoslacker]

I would first check the serp belt tension, and make sure there isn't anything slick on it. Sometimes anti-freeze on the belt will do that. Sometimes a bad water pump will seep onto it.

Is it consistent, or goes away after driving a while?

If it happens all the time, it may have an issue with seal bypass in the rack and pinion, or the power valve in the pump might be stuck (I think they still have those)

Try running some KW power steering conditioner in it before giving up. Sometimes it will help seals and stuck valves.