Able To Slightly Wiggle/Teeter Steering Wheel When Held At 3 And 9 & Pushed Back & Forth

I doubt it, but to be sure grab your front wheels and see if there's any play in them when car is off and trying to term them left and right... Also look for uneven tire wear. That's the other end of your steering rack and that's where the concerns will most likely be.

But please clarify what you mean by "some play" in terms of measuring the amount of movement? Are you talking1/32nd of inch or more than that?

 

It's probably just the nut that's holding the steering wheel to the steering column, needs to be torqued down.

 

it takes 5 minutes or less to tighten a nut....if that's the problem.

 

Go to another vehicle and take the assist system out of another car I can send pics thres a few things that could wear. Once on floor there's a bit to look over. You're talking about pulling up on the steering wheel and door pushing down not turning on its intended path .?

 

This nut, however, is behind the airbag that you must remove first, and that's after disconnecting the 12-volt battery in the back of the car and waiting 90 seconds for airbag backup power to drain before messing with the airbag.

And you may then find that the nut is nice and secure and the play is in something else, like a worn bearing near the top of the column. But that's ok, this is probably the procedure you'd have to use to find that out anyway.

By the way, for your 1/8 inch or so of play to be coming from the nut, the nut'll have to be pretty obviously loose, like daylight visible between the nut flange and the wheel and that daylight moving around as you wiggle the wheel.

If you get there and the nut is sitting there tight and snug, don't just grab a bigger wrench and crank on it harder hoping that might be the problem. Look elsewhere nearby for the play.