i have a clunking noise when i turn the steering wheel. i dont see any tie rods or ball joints loose, but i do see the steering wheel moving up and down if i move it. i dont have tilt steering. under the hood, you can see a lot of movement in the whole column when you move the wheel. could it be the column that needs replacement or is there a loose bolt or something? could it also be the steering gear box?

 

Is the movement right where the column goes into the firewall? mine does the same thing.

 

its in the shaft that runs through the steering column. its not the whole thing. you can feel the steering wheel moving but the outer column doesnt move. you can feel it moving all the way down to the intermediate shaft under the hood.