I replaced the 4 sleeves for the steering mechanism on my…

You want to check that those sleeves have no burrs or any mushrooming or distorting from installation that would cause the assembly to be tight when assembled. You want to be sure that everything moves freely. If it is moving too tight, you may want to retrace your steps and see what areas need to be addressed that are causing those tolerances or clearances to be too tight and address those each individually. It is a pleasure to help anyway I can.

If you are feeling a lot of resistance or some resistance, it's very possible that the tolerances are too tight. If the bushings are distorted some then that could be what had happened. Sometimes during installation the bushings can become distorted or mushroomed if pounded in with a hammer during the installation process. In those cases even though not ideal, you may have to dress up the edges where it may be mushroomed so it's not taking up those tolerances causing the problem like you're having. If that is the case then you will likely see a mark from it rubbing as well and know the area that has a problem. I would check for that.

The shocks are there to absorb or buffer any shock load or movement for smoother operation.

I understand. Keep me posted if you need any further help with this and the results after further inspection. I would see if there are any rub or scuff marks from close tolerances in any areas of the bushings.