Got a good issue for you suspension people to diagnose.

When turning right or left about a quarter turn of the steering wheel, you start to feel tension, then it feels like it is not going to turn any further, If you keep trying to turn, you will then hear and feel a light "pop" and you then can turn the wheel freely. Does this worse while moving.

Here is my take on it, either the U joint that connects the steering column to the rack is shot.

OR! my rack pinion is getting worn out and getting in a bind.

Any other opinoins? anyone else have a similar issue?

My wife drives this car to work every day, and drops the baby off at day care, she can't be driving it like this, I don't trust it. The alignment shop I use is a week out. So I have a week to trouble shoot it
With gas at $2.85, I had better get at it! Her other option is the 05 Tahoe at 17mpg! vs the 88T getting 24-26!

HELP!

Had this same problem when I first got my sse. I have since replaced everything in suspension, rack and pinion, springs, struts, bushings and she drives great. Since you have your family in this car that would be the best and safest solution. By the way this cost me altogether about $900 in parts and labor, but well worth it!

can you reproduce this when the wheels are off the ground? i'm thinking strut mount bearings too, and so if theres no tension...or LESS tension on them, it narrows it down

Thinking back, our 89 Bonny did that. We were told it was the rack. We never got it replaced so we don't know if it was really the rack or not. But it did it for a very long time.

I installed new KYB struts on all 4 corners about 10K ago. Could be the strut bearings? I'll try jacking it up over the weekend and see if it will still do it with no load on it.

I am picking up another rack and u joint from the junk yard saturday. never hurts to have spare parts on hand!

Had that with a friend'* daughters old Grand Am, and it was the rack. It was worse turning right than left, however. If it'* the strut bearing, generally you'll hear more of a spring type "boing" as the tension releases. You should also be able to feel it if you can put your hand on the spring while someone turns the wheel.

I think its the strut mount/bearing personally, we had the same problem on our lumina.

take off the cap over the strut mount bolt in the engine compartment and theres 2 holes in the rubber, put some oil in there and see if the problem gets better.

found the problem man am I dumb....

And?