With only 41k miles on the car, upon closer examination then disassembly, the lower steering column bearing was shot. After some research, it appears the bearing is no longer available but several places sell a retrofitted end piece with new bearing for around $80-$100. So I started looking for a bearing that’s close and found it on Amazon. The OD of the bearing was just a little too big so I used my brake cylinder hone and after about 45 minutes of working the plastic end piece, it fit perfectly.
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