Goosepoop302

Alright so i have been tearing into the car the last couple of days and have hit a snag. I have a fair amount of play in my steering wheel and have located at least part of the issue. On the side of the steering shaft that goes into the engine bay, 2 parts of the shaft come together above the rag joint. I can see that one of these parts moves within the other creating steering play. Now my issue is the removal of the steering column. does the "steering gear" (rack?) have to come all the way out to remove this?? Anyone with some input on this would be great, been trying to find info online but having little luck.
Thanks again!

AdderMk2

the rack doesnt come out at all. You remove the 1/2" bolt from below the rag joint, and the torx bolt up under the dash board. The steering shaft will slide up off the rack and collapse into itself, and then you pull it out of the firewall into the engine bay.

Goosepoop302

thanks for the info. i have backed out the bolt under the dash as well as the one below the rag joint, the shaft seems to be free from those. so far i havnt been able to get the to collapse at all. is there a good way to get the rubber boot of of the firewall? im assuming this needs to be done?

Goosepoop302

Thanks adder, with a little cursing and wrenching I was able to get it out.