[C5GTO]

I had a similar symptom on my CRL one time after I had pulled the steering column to work on the brake vacuum booster. After re-assembly, there were spots during the turning of the steering wheel where I could feel some binding but only in spots.

Upon further inspection, I found the the splined end of the steering column shaft was inserted too far into the upper U joint and the shaft contacted the U joint cross at a couple of points while turning. On contact, it became harder to turn, no contact, no binding.

The fix was to loosen the U joint bolt, use a large screw driver to add clearance, and re-tighten the bolt to maintain clearance. No problem at all after that.

I don't know if you have a similar problem but I'd suggest you try to rule out simple things like this before big changes or wholesale replacements.