Okay, so I installed a new pump a week or so ago. Been driving fine for probably 500+ miles until a night or two ago.

Suddenly after 100+ miles of driving, it begins to act like it'* low on fluid. Making groaning noises and vibrating and all that. I stop and check it, fluid level is fine.

So I make my way home. Along the way it begins making scraping noises, light ones in straights but audible ones in turns. These scrapes are associated with fluctuations in the amount of power steering assist. All the while it still acts like it'* low on fluid.

So I removed the belt today, checked the fluid level again and it'* fine. Checked the pump itself and there is zero play in the pulley and no scratching noise or any resistance when the pump is turned. What is going on?
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Also, I don't know if this helps or not but when I opened the reservoir to check the level (before it started scraping) it was making bubbling sounds like crazy. Like it had a bunch of air in it or something. I don't know why, it'* never done this before.
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Well, after doing some thinking it'* possible I might have ended up with a crappy pump. I'm not so sure I want to use the lifetime warranty this pump has on it, though. I'm not so sure I trust the brand now.

It was a Cardone reman pump. I wanted to get brand new but the price difference ($70 vs $270) and the fact that I am a college student is pretty much keeping me in the market for a reman pump right now. If I don't get another of the same brand, I'll head to NAPA and see what they have I guess.

Any recommendations or insight would be welcome.
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Okay so...

I moved it today to a better location so I could work on it. Problem was gone. No vibrations, no strange noises, everything worked as it should.

Could it just have not been bled properly? Please help, I don't want to go spending money unnecessarily, especially right now. Any insight at all would be very welcome. I don't know what to do other than take it somewhere to have it professionally drained and flushed to see if that fixes the problem.
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You may want to take a real close look at the fittings on the rack and the pump to make sure that you have not sprung a leak that is introducing air into the system. If you find no evidence of leakage, perhaps it is just trapped air working itself out of the system. If it is fixing itself, I would be hesitant to mess with it right away. As long as it is not causing a safe driving issue, I might be inclined to see how it acts in a couple more days or a week.

Thanks for the reply. I checked both the high and low pressure lines and both seem to be fine. No signs of PS fluid on either. Also I haven't been noticing any puddles under the car since I changed the pump.

Upon doing some researching, I found I didn't bleed the system properly. I misinterpreted one post that merely stated to turn the wheel lock to lock a few times. I did so with the engine running, I now notice from other posts it'* supposed to be with the engine off. I turned the wheel lock to lock about 15-20 times just now in an effort to bleed the system. Re-checked the fluid level and it'* above full. Somewhere in between the full hot and full cold marks so I guess I didn't get any air out. Steering worked smoothly though so at least I know my rack is ok. The PS fluid had a light brown/tan color to it. Don't know how normal this is. The fluid I put into it was clear, but I'm sure there'* still some old fluid mucking about.

I'll give it a while to see how it does. As long as I have gotten all the kinks worked out by the 27th, I'm happy. I'm taking my dad to Talledega.

If it does start acting like it'* low on fluid or making that noise again for no apparent reason (other than possible air pockets) I shouldn't be worried about damaging my pump, should I? It seems that either keeping on driving or letting it sit for a while makes the problem go away. At least that'* what happened the only two times it'* acted up on me.

Also, this is completely offtopic but for a while now I've been noticing a clunk coming from my right side when I hit a bump. While I was under there I noticed that the top nut on my end link (above the sway bar) was gone. Could this be the source of my clunk?
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Here'* a little update:

After I bled the system and did all that I went for a drive. Performed flawlessly until about 20 miles, then it began to make noise (more steering whine, not a groan) and have slight vibrations in the wheel. I continued on for another 5 miles or so, didn't seem to get any worse. Perhaps marginally better.

I let it sit for a few hours and came back.

Completely back to normal again. Steering performed flawlessly for my entire drive of about 20 miles. There does seem to be a "twitch" to the steering, as in there is a slight variation in assist as the wheel is turned. I guess that means there is still some air in the lines. But at least it has stopped making noise and vibrating (for now).

Hopefully just driving it periodically will help work the air out of the system. I'm glad that the problem is definitely not permanent, meaning the pump is okay. One less hassle.
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Maybe. Sounds like it is time for some new end links.

The one on the left side is new but the one on the right was still ok when I replaced it. Wished I'd gone ahead and done it too. How easy would that be to change with only a set of jackstands to assist me?
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Drove it today for a bit over 50 miles before it began having vibrations again. This time only while turning the wheel left.

How long should this continue to happen before I should begin to suspect there is a problem other than air working it'* way out? I don't drive this car much during the week, usually only on weekends.
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