Yeah I was thinking it may be the cam tensioner seal and/or plug. I replaced the valve cover gasket about 6 weeks ago and can't see any leak from it.

Do you know if it's possible to replace them w/out removing the timing belt?

 

book shows camshafts have to come out, so no unless there is another way to cheat

 

sorry for the delayed response guys. I've had some computer issues also. Anyway, it turns out the problem was the rack and pinion. I checked with the a few shops just to get an idea of how much it would cost to replace...they were all pretty consistent around $1600. No way! I ended up doing it myself a couple weekends ago. Not the most difficult job, however it still consumed the whole day just b/c I was unfamiliar with this type of job. Besides, I enjoy doing the work myself. Aside from the rack and pinion I also replaced both motor mounts as they were leaking too and finally the thermostat. I couldn't believe it would cost over $600 to replace a thermostat. I purchased a tstat kit from ECS Tuning for $100 and installed it over this past weekend.
After a couple days of driving she seems to be running extremely well.

I did notice on my way home from work today that I wasn't able to shift into "S" mode...any ideas what this might be? I will look for a thread or start another for this subject.

Thanks again guys for the helpful tips. Much appreciated!!!