Common issue on older designs when water gets down inside the gear box it trashes out the bearing on the end of the steer rod then everything goes south from there.
The steering wheel, dash, fuel tank and what is connected to these will all have to come off to remove the gear box. Once you open up the box you can see if parts will fix it or if it will have to be replaced. The gear boxes whole are available all over the internet for around $500.
I just bought an L245 and the steering wheel nearly turns an entire turn before it catches so it is not far behind where yours is at.
Did your steering wheel have a lot of looseness before it let go?