spotty steering after C-ROK brace

so i had a C-ROK brace sitting in the shop someone gave me, so i decided to install it. i also needed to fix the power steering pump/res from leaking. took the pump off, cleaned everything real well, new o-ring and attached the res to the pump. i installed the steering brace with both sides inside and out (inside replaces the aluminum piece) and followed the directions to a T. though there were no torque specs. after getting the brace on, steering box bolted up, and the pump back together and installed, i filled it up and tried it out. no leaks. but now my steering has hard spots as i turn. does this in both dirrections, and has i think 4 hard spots each way. as i turn the steering wheel it feels good for a sec, then gets stiff, then releases for a sec, then stiff again. did i torque the steering box too tight and distort the box some? i know the inside C-ROK plate bent to form to the frame rail some. did i maybe mess with something in the pump when i drained it and reattached the res? steering was working great prior, just leaked from between the pump and reservoir.

Did you get all the air outta the steering set up? Easiest way is to jack the front up so both wheels are off the ground then start her up and cycle the steering a bunch of times. Having no weight on the wheels let's it bleed the air off faster. Just like any hydraulic set up it needs to be bled.

i figured it was just air in the system, but i cycled it a good 15 times just in the yard, then drove it around town a little too. doesn't seem to be getting any better. i suppose i can keep cycling it while on a jack and stands, but how long should i do that before i realize i just screwed something up? lol

proper way to bleed a power steering system

with the tires off the ground and engine off cycle the steering till no bubbles, the place the tires back on the ground with some cardboard between the tires and grouns so you dont flatspot the tires and cycle the steering , ive never had a issue with this method

Did you check the fluid level after all the bleeding?

Sometimes you just get a bubble that takes a while to work its way out.

i will go out right now and do the engine NOT running thing with tires off the ground. no need for cardboard, i am on soft dirt. (until i can afford lots-o-concrete.)
fluid level is good. i know it sometimes does take a while for it all to cycle through. learned that doing those GM hydro boost systems. steering was tight for a while after replacing the hydro booster. all of a sudden it got easy and all was good. so you guys may be correct that my issue could just be air in the line. i will try it now (T-Ball is over and kids are away) time to work on the jeep.

Could be a bleed problem, but I doubt it. You have no assist steering, do you?

You need someone to turn the wheel while you look and see what's going on, if you can see anything. Sounds like you might be sucking air through the seal or something. Pretty hard to figure it out while not seeing and feeling what's going. Look for bubbles in the fluid, if you're bleeding it and the bubbles don't go away the seal could be bad or not seated properly.

ok that didnt work. although all the bubble are gone. no bubbles at all after doing the wheel turning with both techniques. (engine off, engine on).
what i did notice is that the sticky spots are pretty much at each half turn. as if the shaft was bent or something. and i can feel it with the engine off aswell.
unfortunately i do not have a helper to turn the wheel as i look at the components in cycle. since the only two thing done was the pump, and the box brace, i am going to rule out the pump at this point. and now look at the mounting of the brace and steering box. it must be binding somehow.

Could it be the shaft rubbing against something in the engine bay? I had this same issue with another vehicle and that's what the problem was.

i can not say no, but highly unlikely. i can see pretty much see the entire steering shaft. although with the brace installed, it may have put the shaft at a slightly different angle, and that what i am feeling are the u-joints (small ones on the steering shaft) now having to turn a tad more.

well i found the problem. as i suspected the steering shaft u-joint is binding. the upper joint actually. i put the axle on jack stands and lied underneath as i pushed/pulled the front tires back and forth. watched and listened to everything. couldnt tell. so i started disassembling everything that could be an issue. wasnt the steering stabilizer, check. loosened the steering box from the frame (just loose enough to slightly move), nope. removed the drag link from the pitman arm, nope, still draging. pulled the steering box off the frame and off the steering shaft, hey steering box turns smooth. went to spin the steering shaft and found the problem. either the upper u-joint dried out, or has worn a ridge inside itself not allowing it to spin. taking a short break (and letting my wheelchair charge back up) and will completely remove the steering shaft to see what i need to replace. or repair. probably replace.

well i freed up the u-joint with a little PB blaster. but the joint has more play in it than i would like. no torsional play, but the joint will move in and out the cups quite a bit. meaning side to side motion. probably a good 1/16" i should have never cleaned with degreaser and water, it would have never rusted.lol looked on local suppliers sites and couldnt find anything, but i did find them at Quadratec. $108. so i took the one off my parts jeep (87 XJ) and to my surprize it was pretty good. almost no play side to side at all. so i think i will just use that one. and i am not even going to clean it. ive learned my lesson.