Steering Column Collar (1 Viewer)

[slappysalmon]

I have a new / used tacoma I am trying to fix up. I did a little off roading / gravel roads today and there is a nasty clunking noise coming from the steering column. I can feel the steering shaft with my hand moving in sync with the clunks. I took a look under **See picture** and the bearing / collar / retaining has clearly come loose. When I apply hand pressure on the washer pushing it towards the steering wheel the clunking is reduced. Is there a way to fix this and reattach the part or do I need to buy parts?

 

[slappysalmon]

Also I recently replaced the lower intermediate steering shaft. There is a gap between the rack and pinion input spline and shaft spine. Should I hammed down the shaft spline to reduce the gap and potentially take up slack in the steering system?

 

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

Does this look like the issue you're experiencing (and hopefully the fix)?

Butt