No, It has never been low or out of fluid.  Yesterday I tightened the
belt a little and I also tightened most of the fluid hose connections
and the smell went away, but the whining is still there.  The hose
connections for the power steering system seem to come loose on these
cars pretty often.  I've discovered them leaking before, and a couple
of them were leaking a little bit again.  I keep my eye on the fluids
real regularly since I have to use the car for my job.  I did notice
that the Haynes manual says that I can loosen the lower mounting bolt
for the steering pump from the bottom (through the wheel well).  But I
found that no regular types of wrenches will fit in there on that bolt.
I'm guessing that I'll have to loosen the upper motor mount and lower
the engine an inch or two to accomplish this.  I've found that the
Haynes manual isn't always accurate, but it makes a good guide and it's
better than flying blind.