car is overheating and smelling like old people

It's hard to narrow down. WIth the alignment aspect, a bad caster adjustment is what causes a lack of self-centering. Worn components like strut bushings can cause this (or anything else that locates the strut relative to its other mount). Or hitting something can knock alignment off.

In bad cases, I've read of a worn pump or rack causing the issue, but it's kinda rare.

Good luck.

Did the steering issue just start with the a/c problem? If so, it was because of the belt slipping when the a/c compresser locked up and smoking the belt.