I just had a strange issue the other day my car was cold and i was moving it but when i turned the steering wheel it felt like the assist was kicking in and jerking the steering wheel around just a little enough to feel it.

is this that dreaded power assist thing that fails on the bottom of the steering wheel shaft?

Oh well i want to get a head start because itll probably fail soon

Disconnect the connector on the pump and see if it goes away.

I may be in the same boat with replacing my pump, as the thing makes a lot of noise when cold. It stops shortly, but can't be good.

I did add that Lucas power steering oil stop leak, which it did stop my leak (at the box), wonder if that is my noise source?? Too thick oil for the pump to work properly when below 40F?

This has only happened to me once theother night but I was wondering if this was the assist feature or the pump itself.

Well, FWIW, the FSM shows teardown info. So that might be an option. But not sure it is worth the effort for a fairly reliable piece. I haven't priced a new one yet. I am just plain curious what makes the noise, is it the seal or the vanes or ??.