First post here so hello!

Now the problem, I have a 2000 Ranger XLT 4door 4X4 with the 4.0L. Automatic.

I have been plague with this pain in the but clunk/popping that you can feel through the steering wheel. Usually when you feel it is when you come to a stop and then again when you take off from a stop.

I took it to the dealer and they spent all day looking for the problem but found nothing wrong with the truck anywhere, and they didn't even charge me for the look

I myself did a little more investigation and found that the clunk is coming from the steering column itself and not the drive train or ball joints.

If you look under the dash and grab ahold of the steering shaft coming out from behind the steering wheel and move it up and down you can hear and feel the pop. It seems to be coming from inside the steering column.

So now my question.....What could it be? Is there a bearing in there? I plan on tearing it apart this weekend but would like to find out what I may run into.

Any help would be great!

 

Welcome to FTE RangerGlenn.
Now would be a good time to buy a service manual.
Look for any type of collar that would fix the depth of the steering shaft. If there is one, it may be as simple as adjusting the depth of the steering shaft??????
Keep us posted as to what you find.

 

Watch out for the airbags. If you are going to do this, disconnect the negative terminal, then the positive, and wait 5 minutes. The airbag system has a "backup" and can activate if you don't let it discharge. I think there is a U-joint on the steering shaft before the firewall, but it may be under the hood. Sounds to me like a good place to start, and no airbag worries.