Play in steering component.
 

You got a welder?

That is a rubber isolator in the shaft. It is meant to reduce road surface vibrations as they make their way up from the axle to your steering wheel. It is normally pressed in between the two shafts, such that they are bound together with the tight rubber in between. If it shrinks and the shafts start to rotate independently, there are metal tabs (you can almost see them in the picture) that help ensure that you will at least retain some steering. It would appear that your rubber isolator has aged/deteriorated to the point that it is not binding the two portions of the shaft together. As mentioned above, some will simply tack weld the two portions of the shaft together (making a hard connection), with the trade-off being that vibrations can more easily make it to the steering wheel. Another fix would be to replace the entire part (called the steering intermediate shaft) Crown still makes them, I got mine on Amazon. Another possible fix could be to remove the part and try to use polyurethane to bolster the existing rubber. But this fix won't last, and if the part has to be removed, its not worth the trouble when a new part could be reinstalled instead.

Then its a 2 min fix. Put some tacks on the coupler and call it a day.

Edit - Jordan beat me to it!

That is a DOT requirement. Damn redneck mechanics... lol

Know what? I would too... :)

I was teasing man. I am a redneck mechanic and would just weld it also. Have you looked at the stuff 5speed works on? He is definitely NOT a shadetree redneck mechanic. lol

Sure about that? Haha. If mine had play, I would weld it. I prefer no slack in the steering compared to having a rubber piece designed to fail over time. Besides, what the rubber in there actually does is almost nothing. Not worth even having.

weld it, forget about it and be done.

Maybe not very functional in these, but required somewhat... But the concept with those is to reduce steering column to chest compression in an impact. They are meant to be a slip joint. But it has an airbag so at that point "why"? Another one of those redundant regulations that are no longer needed. Just weld it... :)

I get what you mean and agree. Yes a collapsible steering column is safer then one that could take your head off. But, that is why I recommended a couple little tack welds instead of fully welding it. They will still break off if needed.

edit - looking back at the picture posted, that doesn't look like the collapsible section of the column. Strictly just a damper.

Good... because it wouldn't make sense anyhow. Somethings like that they just tend to carry on with. Here's a little example...

Detroit two stroke diesels have always required a certain "turn over speed" before it will start. The reason why is because it needs to be pressurized from the blower and requires this minimum turn over speed to fire up. But four stroke diesels DO NOT require this minimum turn over speed to fire up. Yet... It took up until 2008 before the lightbulb lit up and they started to use gear reduction starters in four stroke engines because that is all they actually need. (still stuck in "turn over speed" mode) No longer does it take three very tip top batteries to start one, with the gear reduction starters it only takes two decent batteries. Only took 50 years to think outside the box on that one even though Chrysler set the standard way back when. :)

Have I mentioned how much I detest Automotive engineers lately... lol

Just an isolator/damper in this case. Not telescoping. I'm not sure tat 96 and under ever had the telescoping intermediate shaft (for safety). I know that my 96 does not have one.