Its been cold around here around 15 - 0 degrees and lately my cars been ackting up.
Problems:

1) when I first start the car up the power steering pump or something around there screams for the first 10 minutes until its warm.

2) When I backup after turning the car and the steering wheel is turned I get this horrible violant poping noise continually from the steering you can hear it outside the car and feel it hard in wheel, really hard. It doesnt ever do it when on the road or warmed up.

3) My heater works for the floor and defrosters but when I turn it to have it come out that 6 or so vents on the dash nothing comes out and it sounds like some valve isnt opening. They won't open until the car gets real warmed up like 20 minutes of driving.

Any help?

 

power steering whine is normal. It just started on my car as your describing a few days ago when it got cold

 

If the air doesn't flow to the dash vents when you turn the control, it could be a problem with the vacuum line(s) for the HVAC controls, the check valve in the main line from the intake manifold, or the vacuum reservoir in the front fender.

 

Of all those things which one would be effected the most by cold temps? This car sits outside throught negative temps so what would be likely to freeze and not work until warmed up? Check valve?

 

None of the above would be subject to freezing. Maybe the cold causes a crack in one of the components to open up more?????

I wouldn't accept a screeming PS pump (or other related component) as "normal". Mine never made a sound at 0*F. GM makes a special PS fluid for cold weather. That might help. Sounds like what you have is not circulating fully until everything warms up.

 

It's been around 0 here for the last week or two, and my LT1 has done similar things as yours.

1. I get the same whine from the power steering (goes away when it gets warm). This is normal, and should go away once the temps go back to above freezing for a while.

2. I also got a thumping rumble after turning the wheel in reverse. I think my tires got a little low from the cold though, and froze with some flat spots. Since I have added the appropriate air level in, this has gone away for me.

3. The other day when it was -13 below 0 here, my vents didn't want to open at all in the car either. Once the car got to a warm operating temp though, my vents probably un-froze themselves, and started putting out warm air.

All these things I consider to pretty much be normal, and I am not to worried about. I don't think you have anything that sounds to different either, so I wouldn't let it worry you too much.

2.

 

Cool thanks call911, mine does it in reverse as well.