I have never personally torn apart a steering column, so I can help you specifically, but I told you where you can find your answers. Here are 2 pages from an entire section devoted to steering in the aforementioned FSM that may be of interest to you...

steering1.jpg?t=1266811050

steering2.jpg?t=1266811073

 

Okay so he says the grommet moved? I would say the grommet keeps oil, fumes and water out of the cab correct? So all that does is protect the housing when it moves around when shifting? So that means if the shifter moves back and forth , there may be something not catching in the gear box or the wire is not connecting somehow to the gears?

This would lead me to believe that the cable is not connected to the gearbox inside properly. If the grommet was stuck outside the housing near the firewall there, it would make it more difficult to shift, or not even effect the shifting if the cable only moves inside the housing.

One more thing, can he not undue that universal linkage and pull the steeling shaft out inside the cab? If the grommet is way up there, that is the only way I can see being able to retrieve it. Probably have to take the steering wheel off too...

 

Thanks oxygen454 but the steering shaft is internal and this grommet is on the external if you know what i mean There are 3 shaft the steering the gear selector and the steering column housing

The cable and gearbox shift fine when its not connected to the gear selector and i move it in out myself

OK I got the grommet out, i went through the impact absorber holes in the cab with a wire and pushed it out.

Its not rubber is like a strong plastic
I whink it does more than simpy prevent fumes entering though i may be wrong. The reason is it has 3 groves on it and when it is in right the shifter shifts great it is firm and shifts well but then it slips again and i have the same problem and the column is quite loose!! This is really getting to me its been 3 days full time on this with no car to get around in either

 

Okay I think I see now what your getting at. The rubber grommet is like a spacer which sits partially inside that hard case black tube so the shaft can move around but not back and forth? And its not shown in your picture because it was stuck up inside that black housing? I was thinking a zap strap but that would move up too and complicate things even worse. Its almost like there was a ring clip and washer holding the rubber ring from moving upward... or something lol. Do you know what was holding the grommet from moving before? Im guessing not?

 

I wonder if you could cut a washer in half and tack weld it just inside that housing to prevent the rubber from going up? (cut the washer in half to be able to get it around the steering shaft and tack back together) You would have to either move that black collar out of the way or lower the steering shaft down so you could tack the washer on. This is a tricky one...

Who made the steering system? Do they have a parts diagram?

 

Thanks for all your help guys but it ended up being the interior out column had worn and was slipping instaead of turning the shaft up and down!!
All sorted now