Got a 91 Camry 4 cyclinder; had the engine rebuilt two years ago and it has less than 10,000 miles on the new engine.

This past week, the steering has started acting up; wheel turns fine, then it's hard to turn for a few inches, then easy again. It's like the pump is intermittantly working. I checked the fluids, and the pump was a little low, but not much, and I topped it off.

Could I have air in the pump or lines? Could I have some coponent in the actual rods, etc. going bad? Can a pump work one second, then fail then work again?

I should note that my Alternator, also rebuilt a couple of years ago, is also acting up- my lights dim a little and the A/c fan slows at idle, but no warning lights. I'm assuming the two problems are totally unrelated and it's time to replace the rebuilt alternator.

 

Jack up the front of the car then turn the wheel, determine if it still binds. To purge the system of air turn the steering wheel lock to lock a few times.

Lights dim and A/C fan slows when at idle or at RPM over 1500ish?