The steering wheel in my 03 was wobbling side to side about half an inch and driving me crazy. It would do it with the key out of the truck, so I knew it was something in the column. After doing a little reading on Mud, I decided to order the following parts:
2 bushings, part no. 9038908124
2 bolts, part no. 4585560010
Total cost shipped was about 20 bucks.
The hardest part of this job to me was successfully removing and reinstalling the plastic 2 piece steering column cover. First, extend the wheel all the way out and down. To remove, there are 2 screws, one on each side of the cover facing the driver. You have to turn the wheel to access them. There is also a screw on the underside of the column. Once all three screws are removed, you have to pry the two plastic pieces apart. I had to pry harder than I liked, but it separated. Once the plastic cover is off, two hex head bolts that hold the column must be removed to access the bushings. They are kind of awkward to get to. The best way I figured out was to stick a bit for a driver in the head and then loosen with a wrench. Once the two bolts are removed, the wheel and column will basically fall out of alignment, which allows you to access the bushings. I was skeptical that such a small part could be causing all of the movement, but I pulled out the old bushings, one of which was visibly damaged, and replaced with the new bushings. This was simple. All I then had to do was realign the column and screw the new bolts in using the same method I had to remove the old ones. Once installed and tightened, the side to side wobble was gone. My steering wheel now feels rock solid. Reinstalling the plastic steering column cover is the hardest part. The upper portion has a plastic nub that sticks down inside it and has to stick into a specific place in the column. I forgot to take a picture, but you will see what I mean. It's just a pain to align all the plastic connectors properly without breaking anything. The whole job took me about 15 minutes. Between diagnosing and replacing parts, I imagine the dealer would charge a couple hundred bucks, assuming they didn't try to sell you a bunch of expensive stuff that not needed.
2 bushings, part no. 9038908124
2 bolts, part no. 4585560010
Total cost shipped was about 20 bucks.
The hardest part of this job to me was successfully removing and reinstalling the plastic 2 piece steering column cover. First, extend the wheel all the way out and down. To remove, there are 2 screws, one on each side of the cover facing the driver. You have to turn the wheel to access them. There is also a screw on the underside of the column. Once all three screws are removed, you have to pry the two plastic pieces apart. I had to pry harder than I liked, but it separated. Once the plastic cover is off, two hex head bolts that hold the column must be removed to access the bushings. They are kind of awkward to get to. The best way I figured out was to stick a bit for a driver in the head and then loosen with a wrench. Once the two bolts are removed, the wheel and column will basically fall out of alignment, which allows you to access the bushings. I was skeptical that such a small part could be causing all of the movement, but I pulled out the old bushings, one of which was visibly damaged, and replaced with the new bushings. This was simple. All I then had to do was realign the column and screw the new bolts in using the same method I had to remove the old ones. Once installed and tightened, the side to side wobble was gone. My steering wheel now feels rock solid. Reinstalling the plastic steering column cover is the hardest part. The upper portion has a plastic nub that sticks down inside it and has to stick into a specific place in the column. I forgot to take a picture, but you will see what I mean. It's just a pain to align all the plastic connectors properly without breaking anything. The whole job took me about 15 minutes. Between diagnosing and replacing parts, I imagine the dealer would charge a couple hundred bucks, assuming they didn't try to sell you a bunch of expensive stuff that not needed.
