power steering question

First check to see if you can force any more fluid into the unit and that all rotating points are greased- if you already did this and still have the tight steering, mechanically isolate the steering gear, remove the links to both sides so steering wheel can move freely without moving anything of the steering other than the pitman arm. This should turn easily from stop to stop without even the engine running.

If there is binding, check the actual steering gears for wear, incorrect assembly, bad bearing etc.

If it does turn freely, start the engine and run it and see if it still moves easily. If it does, look to see what the assist cylinders are doing. If they do not move from the position they were in when removed, check for a mechanical bind on each side of the front end.

If there is no mechanical bind, attach one side test, then remove that side and test the other side.

If each side tests okay, and everything else tested okay- the pump is probably the source of the trouble, either wear, dirt, kinked or damaged pressure or return line.

Once the box is mechanically isolated from the rest of the steering you should be able to feel if there is a problem, or even hear if there is a problem without the engine running. If the steering wheel itself does not spin smoothly from stop to stop, something is bent or broken, or a bearing is damaged, worn, or gone.

If the box itself is binding, and it could very well be localized there, the problems are internal to that, and also potentially explain the excessive play.

Isolating the steering box in and of itself is time consuming, but so is doing a repair that is not necessary, or at least not immediately so.

At that point it becomes a repair and replace.