American Turbine question

[Tacklebuster]

I have an American Turbine pump had have noticed the steering is getting stiffer than it used to. The linkage seems to be OK. The nozzle itself seems to be a little hard to turn when I take the steering rod off of it and turn the nozzle by hand. Any ideas on how to get that "new" steering feel back? I also noticed that I have about an inch of "play" in my steering. Any ideas on how to solve that? I would call my dealer but South River Marine in Corvalis is no longer there for whatever reason [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Thanks...