I have a 2000 oldsmobile intrigue; i went to go get new brake pads and when i got in my car to leave from the shop my wheel was stiff. I told the shop and basically they cleaned out my power steering fluid and it ran smooth for a little while but then my wheel got stiff again. It loosens and stiffens randomly, but it seems like when i accelerate it becomes looser and when i am decelerating or stopped its tight. Any suggestions on what the problem is? Does it take a while for power steering fluid to go in the system?I don't know why the mechanics didn't figure it out the first time.

If the power steering was ok before the brake job, I would suspect something went amiss while the mechanics were working on the car. And why, when you returned to the shop, would they clean out your power steering fluid? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone doing that before. Unless they knew there was something wrong with the power steering fluid. This may sound crazy, but I'm thinking they topped your power steering reservoir off with hydraulic brake fluid when they were working on your brakes. If, in fact, they did put brake fluid in the power steering, changing the fluid would only remove the brake fluid from the reservoir. The rack and pinion assembly would still have the contaminant inside it, which could cause the steering problem you described.

Sometimes when brakes are done mechanics will move the wheels from side to side by the wheels to get to the brake caliper and pads, for some reason this can cause air to enter the pump and cause foaming & whining, sometimes jerking. Check the low pressure hoses, clamps & replace any O-rings that may be assoiated in the low pressure side of the pump.