a different kind of wj tilt column issue...
 

Hi all, i have inherited my wife's parents 2000 wj laredo. they have had it sine almost new and i got it tagged/registered ect... but it failed the state inspection because of play in the steering wheel. not the kind of play when turning, but with hands at 9 and 3, it will wobble quite a bit fore and aft, same at 12 and 6. i thought it might be the tilt housing with the two bearings but the bearings seem to be a good fit on the steering shaft. i noticed when i removed the steering wheel and the outer tilt housing that the pin in the ball and socket of the outer shaft (where the steering wheel bolts to) was not in the same axis where the tilt housing bolts to; seems like they would be in perfect alignment. i was also able to remove the outer shaft, and in doing so, i noticed that the next part of linkage (inside the column) and the linkage under the dash that goes through the firewall can push in and pull out. am i missing something in this series of linkages that holds everything from moving? anyone else have this kind of problem with their wj? i have searched for almost two weeks and have come up empty handed. i would really like to fix this thing myself with minimal expenditure so any help will be greatly appreciated!

just got a message from her folks saying they paid someone to replace the clock spring and, it seems, the steering wheel; all done with used parts. the wobble showed up after the hack repair job. i am now looking at used columns on ebay, but still would like to know just what is wrong with the one i've got - if it can be repaired, or if it's junk. any ideas out there?