DodgeForum.com - Tight steering

Hi,

I was hoping someone could give me some advice. I have a 04 Dakota quad cab 4x4 with the 4.7 and auto trans. It has 130 000 km (about 80000 miles maybe) Its a great truck.

Recently the steering got kind of tight. If you turn it all the way, side to side it gets loose for a while, same if you drive around town and are turning a lot. If you go in a straight line for a while like on the highway she gets pretty tight. I don't have to wrench it hard but it is a lot harder than normal.

It has lots of power steering fluid and I haven't seen any leaks in the driveway.

Any thoughts on what it could be?
The belt looks ok, tensioner is working. The water pump was changed about 2 wks ago and I noticed it 2 days ago, although I don't drive it every day.

I'm going to take it to my mechanic but was hoping there were some things I could check/do myself first. I don't want to drop another $500 if I can avoid it.

Thanks a lot!

Chris.