legacycentral bbs

The high pitch humming noise is there whenever the car is idling and it gets louder when the gas pedal is pressed. The noise can also be heard when driving and gets worse when accelerating. The serpentine belt was replaced 10,000 miles ago, the car has 202,000 miles on it. The noise slightly changes when the steering wheel is turned all the way to the right or left but not significantly.

What could be causing this noise? It this an urgent matter that needs to be addressed as soon as possible? Or can I at least wait until I get my next paycheck. +/-150 miles of driving.

More than likely the noise is either your power steering pump or alternator. You can take off the belt that drives both of them, turn them by hand and see if they spin freely or if you feel any resistance. I'd also suggest checking the power steering fluid to make sure there is enough fluid in there.