Here is the section from my service manual. The PDF is the full section complete. Hope it helps.

 

Thanks AK... as usual, you are a wonderful resource.

I wish I'd paid better attention to the retainer when I had the thing apart. I just ordered the bearings... as far as I can tell, it takes both bearings.

 

The repair is just the upper bearing. If you do the lower you have to disassemble the whole thing. The lower rarely goes out. The upper does. It is number 18 in the diagram on page 6.

 

Steering Wheel < ----

 

AK... I got them both for 20 dollars, so I guess I'll just hang on to the lower bearing. It's kind of strange looking at the bearing.... because it sounds like a needle bearing. I guess the shaft makes it sound different.

After I had it all back together and it still creaked, I tried poking the straw from my can of Kroil down there to lube it a bit. But looking at the diagram, I am guessing that not much, if any, got down there.

 

It has 3 bearings.
#4 FDZ3517B - Upper Small
#4 FDZ3517C - Upper Large
#38 FDZ3517A -Lower Bearing

 

The noise is definitely right behind the steering wheel though. In the diagram you posted, 38 is down there a ways. I was actually thinking that 34 was a bearing as well.... is it not? (for a total of 4 bearings)

 

#34 is just a bearing sleeve

 

OK... this is a bit better breakdown, confirming what you said wOlvez. I'm not going to touch the bottom bearing though, unless somehow it winds up being bad. I use my tilt wheel a lot, and I am guessing it's put a little stress and wear on the upper/outer bearing(s) nearest to the wheel.

 

Poor Returnability/Sticky Steering- poor return of the steering wheel to the center after a turn or steering correction. Binding Steering Column Bearing