Driving down a washboard road today, i got a loose feeling in the steering. Something was knocking with a turn of the wheel, and also clunking while going down the rough road. My mind begin to see a worn tie rod end.
After getting home, i found the steering column clicked when turned from a standstill, and further lookin into it, the steering linkage between the steering column and steering gear box was the culprit.
It is a 2 piece shaft, one inner and one outer that allows for expansion and contraction, like a slip yoke on a driveshaft. The thing has play between the inner and outer shaft where they join, and when a torsional load is applied like when you turn the steering wheel.
So, in my wanting to know how things work and hoping to fix this noisy thing I took the thing apart and greased the heck out of the inner shaft, hoping that would fix the problem. It still seems loose, and the only way possible to tighten the thing would be to put it in a vise and squeeze the outer tube or go buy a new one. I fear that squeezing the outer tube may crack it, leading to a loss in steering
Any one else had this problem, and if they did or do, what have you done to fix this annoyance.

Thanks.

 

I guess no one has had this problem!