Steering wheel stuck after sitting outside a few days

[maxbraketorque]

I've got another vehicle in my garage for maintenance, so my XJ has been sitting outside for several days in cooler, rainy weather. When I drove it this morning, the steering wheel initially wouldn't turn until I put a bit of effort into it, and once it broke loose, the steering wheel was temporarily sticky at the point of rotation where it was initially stuck.

The entire steering linkage is only a year old and hasn't been exposed to adverse weather, so I don't think its anything there. However, the ball joints on the axle are original as is the remainder of the steering system. Power steering fluid was flushed about 2 years ago and is at the proper level.

Any thoughts on what caused this?

 

[Saudade]

Do you have a steering stabilizer? If so, disconnect it and see if the steering frees up.

If still sticking, I'd jack up the front, put safety stands under the axle, then disconnect the tie rod end from the pitman arm. Then try turning. If it's still sticky, it could be the box, the steering shaft, or the column.

If not, grab one of the wheels and try to turn it. See if any of the linkage is binding.

 

[maxbraketorque]

Do you have a steering stabilizer? If so, disconnect it and see if the steering frees up.

If still sticking, I'd jack up the front, put safety stands under the axle, then disconnect the tie rod end from the pitman arm. Then try turning. If it's still sticky, it could be the box, the steering shaft, or the column.

If not, grab one of the wheels and try to turn it. See if any of the linkage is binding.

Thanks. I was hoping this would be a common issue, but apparently not. I'll start disconnecting stuff to figure it out.