whining noise

[2001 GT Coupe]

Hy all. Wouldn't you know it, it's text book. I just made my last payment on my 2001 Grand Prix Coupe and now some sort of new problem surfaces. I think it might be the power steering pump but it's sporadic. It usually sets in during accelerating through a left turn and it's definitely something belt driven. The fluid is at a healthy level too so it's not that. Also it seems like it takes a little more effort to steer but I can only tell between driving my car and my wifes '06 G6, which is still fairly new and lesser miles than mine. I just turned over 82,000 miles a few days ago. So if this is a pump issue, what else do I need to be checking that's related to it? Thanks.

[BNaylor]

Power steering pump is possible. How does it feel at a dead stop and turning the steering wheel full left and right right before hitting the stop points?

Other sources of whine could be the alternator or any pulley in the serpentine drive belt system. In a worse case rack and pinion since the noise is present in a left turn which matches issues GM presented in technical service bulletins (TSB).

[2001 GT Coupe]

Thanks for the reply,

This problem isn't continuous as it goes away when I park the car and turn off the engine. After some close checking it only sets in during accelerated sharp left turns like a u-turn although it has started making the noise during a few regular turns that are not so extreme. It's not the alternator or water pump and there is no signs of fluid leaking out from underneath except a small oil leak from around the oil pan which is another issue altogether. Doing as you asked regarding turning the wheel to the extreme left and right while parked produced no changes other than what I think of as the usual sound of a power steering pump working hard at the extreme points.

I know this is off topic to this thread but you're a pretty knowledgeable guy considering these cars so about that oil leak, it looks like maybe the gasket is not making good contact near the forward portion of the pan. Say it's not just loose pan bolts like what happened with my SHO (caused a fire which is interesting due to this new recall btw since it actually happened to me) is this gasket easy enough to replace? My mechanical skills are ok and I have replaced pan gaskets before but never on one of these. The Ford made me reconsider some do it yourself stuff but I don't have the green to pay out right now. Thanks for your input.