Steering wheel clunk/notch

I've got a '97 4wd 4Runner with 188K miles that has a "catch" or notchy feeling in the steering about 5 degrees left or right of center. It's most noticeable on freeway lane changes where the resistance has to be overcome before the wheel turns freely. It's slowly getting worse and is making lane changes more jerky than they should be.

Any ideas as to the culprit, and approx. cost for repairs? Just wanna be somewhat informed before turning it over to a repair shop.

Thanks,

David

 

I had a POS Dodge colt back in the day that had the same problem. It's the rack and pinion steering. The rack gets clogged up then there is resistance then a sudden jerk of the wheel. I would start looking there first.