[Blue Tank]

Yes the noise is the pump itself, belt and pulley are good. That's a good link i'll read thru it tonite, thanks.
Maybe i'm wrong but I keep going back to it being a very cold day when it started. I'd take the bypass valve in the pump out to see if it's stuck but i'm afraid i'll damage the square o ring and then i'm poked. I would think that would be the only place in the pump itself that could cause bubbles/air. I'm thinking the cavitation caused by the fluid being forced thru the bypass orfice for an extended time.
It growls at idle now and increases if you touch the brakes or the wheel. Sometimes at low rpm the steering assist isn't there without a small increase in rpm. After the motor is shutdown it's a built up pressure when I remove the rez cap. If you watch the foamy fluid you'll see a good size bubble come up and the fluid level goes down a bit a few times.
I'm including as much as possible so when we figure it out the next guy has a good list.