Nissan Repair: Power Steering, power steering fluid, trans x

Question
I am hearing noise when I turn the wheel on my 2003 Xterra (159K miles) early in the morning when it is cold. It doesn't matter what direction I turn the wheels. The noise does seem to go away when it is warmed up. I don't think the power steering fluid has ever been changed. Could this be the problem? What else can I check? The fluid looks a little low but not by much.

Thanks

Answer
David,

It is called morning sickness in the auto industry.  When a vehicle gets old and the fluid is old the noise is the first thing to start.  Then, it becomes hard to turn in the morning and eventually it will make noise and be difficult to steer all the time.  I would first replace the fluid and if that does not do the trick you could drain a little power steering fluid out and replace about a pint with Trans X as a conditioner.  If this fails you are looking at a new power steering unit and possibly a rack.  Replace the components in this order in order to save money.  Usually, the pump goes first.