Sometimes, if the van has been sitting for a while, the steering barely works until it warms up. It squeals and the steering wheel bounces as if it is hitting some sort of stop, well before the ordinary amount of rotation. Once it warms up--a couple of turns against the pressure--things are fine. I topped off the power steering fluid, but the problem persists. Ideas?
Squealing means the PS belt is loose or frayed. Replace the belt and adjust the tension correctly. The "bouncing" is caused by the PS pump starting and stopping because the belt is loose.
SOURCE: 2001 camry when turning wheels the power steering
Try adjusting the power steering belt and also check the power steering fluid level in the reservior.
SOURCE: replaced pressure line on power steering. now
If you have a 4cyl then the belts for PS and alternator are separate. Taking a peek under the hood when the engine is running should give you a better idea if a belt is slipping, broken, etc. A common source of squealing is an alternator belt that is too loose and slips under heavy load charging the battery after startup. It's possible that some sort of problem happened due to replacing alternator belt but that belt slipping should be pretty easy to see. (again ... speaking of the 4cyl / 22RE enging)
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