I've got an 88 MJ, 4.0L with power steering. For quite a while now I've been noticing a small "catch" or bind, for lack of a better term, at a spot about 1/8 of a turn, maybe 30 degrees, from centered position of the wheel, if I make a slow turn while I'm moving. Does the same thing at the same place in both directions, more noticable to the right. OK, steering gear is going. Couple of things that bother me, tho. At a dead stop, I cannot find the bind no matter how lightly or slowly I turn the wheel. I've tried taking weight off the front end and checking at several spots on the way up but I still can't duplicate the problem sitting still, even with the wheels off the ground. The other oddity is that this doesn't show up until I run it for a few miles and warm up the ps fluid. When it's happening, it feels just like a bad worm gear or a cracked ball in the steering gear. I've had a similar issue with older GM cars when the spool wore out, but it's not quite the same.
I thought I'd ask for ideas before I just swap out the steering gear - I would hate to replace that (damned pitman arm!) only to find that it was really something in the suspension. This is the same front end that is under the 87+ XJ so if anyone has any better ideas than the gear box I'm all ears.