I will try to explain this. 84 Bronco2 2.8L all Stock.
My mom started to complain that her steering was acting funny, She explained it to me like this. When she turns right it turns ok but the steering will not spring back to center unless she physically turns it back to strait. Well after looking at it, it appears that something is messed up in the 4x4. When she turns right it goes smoothly when she attempts to bring the steering back to center it looks like her front passenger axle shaft is binding up and then LETS go, Whenever she turns her tires her front passenger axle shaft also turns. I looked at my Big Bronco and my axle shafts do NOT turn when turning the wheels unless in 4x4. Mom's bronco is NOT it 4x4 the front hubs are unlocked. With the wheel up in the air it spins freely but when you turn the wheels right and then try to turn them back to center they bind up and then the sxle shafts jumps and turns about a 1/4 turn and then the wheels will go back center. I don't know if my explinantion makes sense or not, it's hard to explain what it is doing.................Any ideas?? can I take the front 4x4 componets out of the front hub and drive it without causing any damage to anything???? I belive it has something to do with the front hub I don't know for sure.

 

By the way I forgot to mention that it has manual hubs. I looked at it again this evening and it seems that both front axles turn a 1/4 turn or so when you turn the wheels. The hubs are UNLOCKED I locked them and unlocked them to make sure.
I looked at my Big bronco(auto hubs) again and my front axles DO NOT TURN when you turn the wheels, so I would imagine that the little bronco's should not either.
So, any ideas?

 

Bad hubs. It's not unlocking.

 

That't what I thought, I jacked it up and locked the wheels and they both locked, I unlocked them and both wheels would spin freely. SO I don't think it is the hubs anymore but now I don't know what to think. The steering is ok turning right but when you bring the wheels back to center they are stiff and once you bring then to center it pulls to the left and then pulls to the right a little(always pulls to the right a little. This pulling to the left and then pulling back to the right is a little dangerous to say the least. I have to find the problem and fix it, we don't have the money to have a pro look at it. So far we have lubed everything that had a grease fiitting on it(all ball joints ect..) The passenger side radius arm bushing(it went bad due to this problem) has been replaced. I am at a loss as what it could be, it turnes smoothly when turning left and back to center and it turns smoothly turning right but it is STIFF to bring it back to center after a right turn and then pulls to the left and then pulls back to the right, stange problem to say the least.
THANKS for any help.

 

Could it be the u-joint binding? Even though the axleshaft isn't turning, the u-joint at the wheel has to "bend" when you steer.

 

U-joint is my next thing to look at, I have been looking through manuals trying to figure what it could be, for the cost I think I will replace the u-joint and see if it helps.
Thanks for the help,

 

Does the front suspension seem to be ok. on my 88 B2 Iwas having a somewhat similar problem even after replacing all steering linkage and having it aligned. I replaced the front coils and shocks because they were worn out and the problem went away.