1988 Dodge Dakota Sloppy Steering Wheel Loose?

by Jay
(Tennessee)

I have a 1988 Dodge Dakota pickup and the steering wheel has some slop in it. It is loose and it is in the column itself not the steering wheel. It is a V6 239 carbureted engine with tilt steering and cruise control. Since I purchased truck it has had this issue and sometimes will not start unless you wiggle the steering wheel a little, it also does not move shift needle when you shift into reverse, park, drive etc. Can this be repaired by removing wheel and tightening up some bolts and replacing ignition cylinder or do I need to replace the entire column?
Thanks,
Jay

Steve Says,
Thanks for your question Jay! First of all it is important to keep in mind that almost every vehicle has the problem of the steering wheel locking in position when you put the key in and you have to wiggle the steering wheel to get the key to turn. It is normal for this to happen every once in a while, especially if you park with your wheels against a curb. If, however, this is happening quite often then you will probably need to replace your ignition lock cylinder. The lock cylinder is the device that causes your steering wheel to lock when you remove your key.

As for the gear position indicator not working, that is probably a completely different problem. It is likely that the shift indicator linkage inside your steering column is either damaged or not adjusted correctly. You should be able to replace or adjust the shift indicator cable so it will show the correct gear. You should not have to remove the steering wheel to check this. You should just have to remove the steering column cover and that should give you access to the shift lever rod and shift indicator linkage.

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking me your question.