my steering column has come loose and now just flops around in the dash.... is this a common problem for the steering column on the older XJs'

 

if it has tilt steering, and seems to be in the tilt knuckle, then yes, it is a common problem in xj's up to 96 when they changed the column to the chrysler column.

i went through a few, just replaced rather than repair. i realized it is because i pull myself into the jeep using the steering wheel, most likely with taller lifts.

 

yeah its tilt... how hard are they to replace?

 

easy to replace the column, much more work and difficult to repair the tilt as you need special tools to get into it.