Hello all.
A few questions for the XJS gurus.
I am in the process of replacing the inner tie rods( left side was bent) and tie rod ends on my 1988 XJSC and I am noticing that when I turn the steering wheel I have a tight spot.
I have 2 complete turns to the right and 2 tight spots. Returning to center I have 2 tight spots
The same thing happens turning to the left.
Please note that I have the car up in the air and I have no fluid in the system and the wheels are not connected.
I cannot start the car and fill it up with power steering fluid to see if anything changes
When I removed the gaiters, they were perfectly dry so I don't think I have any leaks
Shouldn't it be a smooth turn from lock to lock?
When the rain stops here I will check the steering u-joint to see if it is binding.
The PO had replaced the rack bushings with the polyurethane ones.
The rack says POW A RAC. Will check to see if there are any numbers on it.
How do I know if mine is a tall tower or short tower? That's just in case I need another rack.
Thanks.

 

When my car was in the wheels and the P/S lines were off, my rack would turn without issue from side to side. No rough/tight spots were noticed.

 

The rack is definitely faulty, and almost certainly the actual rack rod/pinion is bent or otherwise out of shape, accounting for the twin resistances as you turn the wheel and therefore the pinion. No doubt caused by whatever bent the track rods.
Pow a Rac is the Adwest factory-fitted rack as standard on all pre facelift XJSs.

Reconditioned ones are easy to find.

 

Thank you both.
Now the question is who would supply a decent one. I guess all the racks available today are rebuilt.
But as we all know there is 'rebuilt' and rebuilt.
I will start shopping around.

 

This might be caused by a bad u-joint in the steering shaft. You should be able to tell by disconnecting the rack from the shaft and moving the joints by hand.

 

I finally got around to seeing what was wrong with the steering rack.
The above issue was with the engine not running.
I replaced the bent inner tie rod. For good measure I replaced both. I also replaced the outer ends.
I guess the bent inner tie rod was causing the rack to bind. Also the PO had left the U-joint to rack bolt loose, so there was some play there.
After installing the LT1 to Jag power steering hoses, I filled up the power steering reservoir with ATF and started the engine.
The rack felt good but not as soft as it should be. I was told to switch the ATF out with Power Steering Fluid.
I bled the system and flushed out any residual ATF from the system which I had used initially.
The LT1 power steering pump did not like ATF and was a little stiff. Replaced with Prestone Power Steering Fluid.
Now, all is good.
Thank you all for your input.