Steering wheel is tight but front end wanders in my 1999 Lincoln continental

Check your power steering pump may be low on fluid, check belt.

It may be a good idea to take a look at it or have it checked , if there's a loose joint ready to pop off it is not safe to drive .Grab a wheel and see if there's any play in the linkage .

Could be a loose tie rod end or even just a bad alignment. Best to let a shop make the diagnosis. Some repairs (like tie rods) require an alignment afterwards, so find a shop that can do alignments as well as repairs.

2 other things to check......... the strut bar bushings, those are the rubber bushings that are on a rod that bolts up and goes thru the engine cradle and connects to the lower control arm, and have your rack and pinion checked. I'm having the same problems with my 99 as well. I've replaced all the bushings on mine and it still wanders around. I was told it could be something wrong with the rack and pinion.