i have a 2001 1500 with steering problem, when i turn the wheel to the left and move forward or backward the wheel continues to spin until it`s fully turned. it doesn`t return after making a left turn either, just keeps going all the way to left. not the safest way to drive in the snow!! tires are wearing fine. went to get front end checked out today, mechanic said he had to call around cuz he had no clue. said my front u-joint was bad any ideas ??? tried to find similar problem in previous posts but no luck

 

possible causes could be binding in ball joints, tie rod ends, excessive caster and binding in the steerin column. My first guess would be a ball joint.

 

It could also be the spool valve in the steering gear itself. It is located in the input of the steering box, and is used to direct the assist pressure from the pump. I've seen this a few times before. It's pretty rare, but it does happen.