Steering wheel makes groaning noises when turning

[Alkasquawlik]

This has just started happening within the past couple days.
Whenever I start my car in the morning and try to turn my wheel, it makes this really loud groaning noise. It doesn't sound like metal on metal, but pretty close to that. If I turn the wheel and hold it, the noise stays. I feel like I'm going to snap the wheel off.
After driving my car a few miles, the sound goes away when I turn the wheel, but I can still hear it.
I still have power steering and just replaced the PS belt about 3 weeks ago.

any ideas? I'm lost.

[Mako18]

sounds like low fluid? or maybe a bad binding rack?

Does the wheel feel tight and contected to the car?

[Alkasquawlik]

The wheel feels tight, yes.
Like I said, after driving a few miles, the car feels totally normal.

[el-nino]

my car started to do that yesterday as well. Hopefully its fluid. I will check in the morning.

[nando]

sounds like low fluid

[lordofthewaters]

Mine does this on cold mornings. Then goes away. I'm thinking the cold causes the fluid to thicken up. But my other cars didn't do it, so I dunno.

[Alkasquawlik]

What fluid am I checking and where is it located?
sorry for the lame question

[808BMW]

The black round cap that looks like a gear on a ugly yellow/brown reservoir, between your strut tower and intake boot.
That would be power steering fluid.
The clear reservoir with the blue floater is brake fluid.

[Alkasquawlik]

OK thanks, I'll check tomorrow to see if it's low. If it is low, is there a recommended power steering fluid? Or can I just get something at the local kragen.

[Nic01101011]

haha, just today I went to kragen to get a quart of fluid to fix the same problem. you want dexron spec ATF, I got the $3 one supposedly for GM/Fords

[E30_Pare]

Wow. I just fixed this problem yesterday. Is there a way to drain the fluid? The steering fluid that was in the reservoir was brown like chocolate milk. I ended up using a turkey baster to suck it out, but I figure there must be a right way to do this.

[Nic01101011]

thats actually a common way of doing it, nothing wrong there

[E30_Pare]

^cool. I wish I could do an oil change that easily, but then again oil changes are simple anyways...

[Alkasquawlik]

haha, just today I went to kragen to get a quart of fluid to fix the same problem. you want dexron spec ATF, I got the $3 one supposedly for GM/Fords

So I just get this and top off the reservoir?

[Nic01101011]

youre supposed to do it with the engine running (this affects the level) and there's a dipstick with two lines on the bottom of the cap, get the level between those two lines