Any ideas on what the possible problem could be if the steering wheel does not center after turning? Had the car on a hoist and its difficult to move the wheel from lock to lock (using the actual wheel not the steering wheel).

The part the wheel mounts on is the spindle, that's where the bearings are. The spindle sticks out of the part that turns for steering, which is roughly vertical. That is called the steering knuckle. The steering knuckle is turned by an arm, the name of which I forget. That arm is pushed and pulled by the tie rod.

The tie rods’ lengths are adjustable so as to be able to adjust the aim of the wheels. With those adjustments you can make the wheels point away from each other at the front (toe out), or toward each other at the front (toe in) by making both tie rods longer, or both shorter.

When the steering wheel is not level while driving straight ahead, making one tie rod shorter, and the other longer -- by the same amount -- will correct that.

It should be hard to turn the wheels (aim them) by hand. The steering wheel has tremendous mechanical advantage over the aim of the wheels, which is why you can steer them while the car is sitting stationary, literally scuffing the tires on the ground while they bear the weight of the front end of the car, using just the strength in your arms.

When you try to steer the wheels manually, you are pushing against any friction (which is pretty slight) in the steering column, which friction is multiplied by the mechanical advantage that the steering wheel has.

A front end alignment is needed if the wheel is off centered