Tight Power Steering - Just Started

[DawgMach1]

Hi. Looking for some guidance on what might be causing this problem.

Car: 2004 Volvo S80 T6 with 102,000 miles

First off, no issues steering before this started, normal functionality, easy to turn.

After my commute from work, stopped by a store, turning the wheel left to lock position to back in to a parking spot. That's when the steering wheel became stiff / hard to turn. Since then, it is stiff at idle parked and at speed on the road.

I checked the fluid level and its full. I checked the belt and its good, with good tension. While at idle, parked, i turned the wheel all the way left to lock and then all the way right to lock. Normal noise from the power steering pump while turning and slight whine (again normal) when holding the wheel at locked position for a few seconds. No leaks at the reservoir, at the pump or underneath the car. Also, listened inside and out while the wheels were turned, no new noises.

I did notice when turning in to my drive way, the steering wheel seemed to get tighter/bind for a split second beyond what I'm describing above.

Any thoughts?

Pump issues? Ball joint issues? CV issues?

Thanks!

[Niva]

Mine makes a whining noise and is very heavy even after having the rack rebuilt

I thought that was normal hahaha

[chestermo]

In addition to the binding, if you notice popping noises from the front end while turning and going over a bump, it could be the upper strut mounts are worn out. The steering on my S60 was binding up at times. I replaced the struts with coilovers and all binding and popping noise stopped. I recently changed the power steering fluid and steering is as smooth as butter. Might be worth checking out.