1997 Chevy Malibu can't turn steering wheel

this may sound stupid ,but did you have power steering fluid in your vehicle?.even if there was alittle in there , there may not have been enough. a belt wouldnt cause this burning smell , It would just make the steering hard.

I haven't gotten a chance to check it, as it just happened about an hour ago and it's very dark where I am, but I will make sure to check that during the daytime tomorrow. I just wanted to see what I was in for when I took it to my mechanic in the afternoon, and if I can possibly avoid going there and spending too much money!

if its low on fluid make sure you fill it up before you go anywere, lets hope it didnt do any serious damage.

The power steering fluid was extremely low when I checked it this morning and was not able to drive it to my regular mechanic, I ended up taking it down the street to one who has ripped me off before because I didn't want to push it. It seems theres a leak in the power steering fluid but I'm not sure why, or what's damaged, as he hasn't looked at it yet. The whole way down the block when I was driving it there it made an awful screeching sound!

did you fill the power steering fluid up? if not , you should have, I would've had someone turn the steering back and forth wile I poured steering fluid in, so it can get worked back into the steering rack. as far as a leak, that couldve been a simple hose. I hate when this happens because I cannot stand ripoff artists. when I know it may have not been that serious. keep in touch and let me know what happens

I'm getting the car back today, finally. It was a hose that melted because of bad welding, and that's where the leak came from. Thank god! Of course his partner was the one to look at the car and not the shady mechanic who runs the place, which probably is going to save me quite a bit of money! Thanks for the reassurance

awesoeme, stay in touch. if you need any help , write back to the forum and request me specifically if you wish.
good luck