Intermittent pop/thud when turning at slow speed.

I'm filing this under OEM since my steering components (except track bar) are stock.
I have an intermittent pop/thud you can feel when driving slow or just turning the wheel back and forth while parked with it running. I won't have a 2nd pair of eyes to help me until Saturday, but wanted to field any likely culprits. Keep in mind, it doesn't do it EVERY time, when I got it in the garage, it didn't do it, but tonight at the gas station and when I got to my drive way, I could do it as much as I wanted sitting in the drive way.

Everything FEELS solid and tight. No loose bolts that I can see or feel. This is my 2nd track bar. My first, the heim joint came out of the track bar, as if it just came out of the threads, but this was a gradual process. NOT FUN! However everything is tight on that.

My steering box DOES leak and has leaked for like 2 years. N00b question, but could something inside the steering box be just failing? The leak is very slow, but my pitman arm is wet.

Thanks for reading. I'm looking to upgrade my steering, but I can't very soon.

Bill/IndyXJ

I've had lots of different clunks n thunks but I almost always needed help to diagnose it...someone to make it do it and another to look and touch...

good luck...and don't worry...it's probably something stupid. does your sway bar rattle?

No rattle, I can do chin ups on it. It's not a rattle or noise I'm worried about, it's the physical thud I feel in the steering wheel. Wish I had the coin to do all my steering upgrades now. Glad it's not my DD!

Be sure to look at the upper tracbar bracket mounting bolts when you have a helper to turn the steering. Loose bolts can clunk or cause a moaning/squeaking sound.

I chased one noise for days and it ended up being play in the output shaft of the steering gear.

Check ujoints, especially if it feels like it's shifting or clicking the front end over when you turn. I am sure you could find a thread on checking them on a search. Good luck. One sign is the ujoint actually wiggling while still on the shaft, look for fractures anywhere, this is just one way however.