Steering Column Repair: 2003 Silverado 2500 HD Steering Wheel Clunk, intermediate shaft, torx screws

Question
Jay, I've been through the intermediate shaft deal a couple of times and just replaced the shaft with a new after market one.  It feels pretty good and no longer has the clunk when going slow, turning a corner runing over bumps.  However, now when I gover larger bumps at higher speed with the steering wheel straight, I feel some clunking in the column that seems like it may be in upper portion of the column.  My question is, could this be the four torx screws coming loose you mention or something else?  Are the 2003 columns the same as the older ones that you have provided hyperlinks to diagrams for us? This truck has only 50K miles on it.  Another thing I noticed is that both times I've taken the steering wheel off, it easily slides on and off the steering shaft into my hands without any pulling force at all.  Is that normal?...Thanks!  

Answer
Hello John,
Everything I have provided is typically the same "basic concept" of the tilt steering column. On your column, I would first make sure there isn't anything that has come loose either under the dash or hood that is clunking on the column. The steering wheel will radiate every bump in a road and everything else in between in varying degrees in as many different vehicles. I've seen a loose shock that felt like the steering box was loose. I guess what I'm saying is there are a host of things that can cause a clunk in a steering column.
There should be 3 or 4 bolts holding the upper end of the column to the lower end in the same basic concept. On your 2003 column, the tilt mechanism assembly will be different. But once you disassemble it, you will be able to tell if any of the bolts are loose.
If the wheel was loose, it's hard to say why, but this could have been part of the source of the noise. I've had wheels come off rather easily before in situations that did not have any problems similar to yours. So I'm saying it isn't surprising the wheel slid off easily. Be sure to inspect the bearings, then clean and pack with fresh lightweight grease.
I hope that helps.
Have a great Memorial Weekend!
-Jay