I have a 2001 Dodge Dakota sport with AWD and a 4.7 engine. There is a poping or tapping in the steering column. The ball joints are good and it has 4 new tie rods. The alignment was done and it drives straight as an arrow. The steering is not sloppy but as you turn the wheel it gets stiff the loosens, stiff then loosens. This happens in both directions. There is NO noise or sensations when you just turn the whell it is only when driving and occurs constantly when driving straight down the road. When I am under the hood and I pull on the steering column there is a slight tapping noise/sensation as if something may be loose but it is not as pronounced as it is when driving. I am trying to get an opinion if the steering column is bad before I drop $200 bucks on a new one. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if this sounds grumpy but I've been on line for an hour and all anyone talks about is this problem only when you turn the wheel.

Thanks, Russ

 

answer well should be

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...03-dakota.html