2001 Crown VIc PI Steering problem

Hello,

I have a 2001 Crown Vic PI... with 128k miles on it... Every once in a while I notice that the steering wheel gets harder to turn and does return to center.. then all the sudden the problem goes away.... Weather does not affect it nor does how long the vehicle been running... SOmetimes it does it and sometimes it does not...I would greatly appriciate any help...

Check the little u joint under the master cylinder. Disconnect the shaft and see if the u joint moves freely. If it is stiff, use trans fluid or penetrating oil to free up shaft. If that does not cure it, ll the steering connections,(ball joints, pitman arm, idler arm, and tie rods) need checked for stiffness. If these are all OK, the box needs replced.

thank you ...oiling the u joint worked... thanks for the help

Thanks for the reply. It may help someone in the future.