Power Steering First thing in the morning the car steers OK, as the car warms up the steering becomes difficult at low speeds and when turning sharply into a parking space.

I would flush the steering box really well and re-fill with fresh fluid. If you can get to the lines, it is not too hard to do. There are some additives available for power steering fluid, but the use of them is debatable.

Unless your car is very light, you really don't want to disable the power steering. It will become nearly impossible to turn the wheels at low speeds, such as during parking. Try steering while being pushed, for example.

Power steering pump. If the gears in the pump become worn or "galled" the pump will whine and it will be harder to steer until the pump is replaced. **Check the power steering fluid level first. If it's low add to the correct amount. This may help if it's just low on fluid. If this doesn't help it is probably new pump time.

Priority Action Part Type Cause
1 Inspect Power Steering Fluid Low Power Steering Fluid Level.
2 Inspect Power Steering Pump Worn out or Damaged Power Steering Pump.
3 Inspect Power Steering Hose Leaking or Incorrectly Installed Power Steering Hose.
4 Inspect Belt Tension Incorrect Belt Tension Will Allow Belts to Slip.
5 Inspect Belt Incorrectly Routed, Adjusted(Tensioned), Missing or Worn Drive Belt(s).
7 Inspect Ball Joint-upper Worn, Damaged, or Faulty Ball Joint.
8 Inspect Ball Joint-Lower Malfunctioning Ball Joint.

What happes when a vehicle experiences a loss of power steering, is that the car reverts to a
manual steering car (like in the Model T days), making steering difficult, especially at low speeds,
and during low speed maneuvering.

There is no adjustment on the power steering pump.If you have slack or a lack of response most likely you have a worn part such as tie rod end or idler arm.Low pressure in the power steering would cause the steering to be stiff , mostly at low speed.The faster you go the less need there is for power steering,for example turn off the engine while sitting in the driveway and see how difficult the wheel is to turn.You cand jack up a front wheel and check for slack in the steering components by trying to move the tire side to side and back and fourth.Good Luck!

Check the level of power steering fluid, under the hood, it's labeled, it has a low/full line on the side. If it's low, that could be the easiest solution. The noise is usually caused by air in the lines. The noise will probably be more prominent if it is cold and when it warms up it should go away or be less noticeable. Unless you are losing power steering fluid or the steering becomes harder to control, it is not a problem to worry about. It's a very common problem with these vans. Most people just don't fix it unless the steering becomes difficult or the fluid leaks quite a bit. If that is the case you should take it to your mechanic because you might be losing fluid in the rack and that will need to be professionally repaired.

Sounds like power steering fluid is low,if full, power steering pump might be starting to go bad

it may be the drive belt or the return line for the power steering or its low on power steering fluid wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year also wish you the best of luck Michigan Man

this could be one of 3 problems .1 are you low on fluid ,2 bad power steering pump.3 bad rack and pinion .

low fluid is the first thing to check.And find out if it has speed sensitve steering. The pressure valve may be faulty ,that system overboosts p/s pres at low car speeds to steer easier