Been there, done that, not too long ago, either.  My enduring thanks to Marcus
Glarner, among a few others, who pointed out the cause.

The universal joint in your steering column is getting sticky at some point,
causing the "bump" you have to apply extra strength to get over.  I had it,
stopped, moving, wheels off the ground, engine off or on.

I took the joint out and dribbled a little ATF on the exposed parts of the joint
and worked in in my hand until it loosened up, then put it back and and presto-
problem solved.

For good measure, and since it was such an easy fix, I changed the fluid in the
PS also.  However note that getting to the u-joint is a bit of a hassle.  I got
at it mostly from below, since the brake booster hides it from above.
Charlie
BMW CCHawaii
Brett Maraldo <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> My steering has gone wonky - when sitting still, engine on, turning 
> the wheel in a smooth motion from one way to the other it has spots 
> which require more force to turn than others. the pulsation as it 
> were in steering assist seems to happen at regular intervals as i 
> turn the wheel.
> 
> when i am driving the same is true - there are an even distribution 
> of assisted and what seem to be unassisted sections which makes 
> steering feel bumpy, as if the wheels are catching (which they 
> aren't).
> 
> what could be causing this?
> 
> i recently emptied out all the old steering fluid and replaced it 
> with redline atf which is supposed to be compatible.
> 
> brett
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Charlie
BMW CCHawaii