97 bonnie NEED HELP!

[pontiacfreak_81]

i have a 97 bonnie with 120,000 miles....i have had a violent shake in my steering wheel at freeway speeds (70+) and also has a clunk i can feel in the steering column when going down mildly bumpy roads...almost like the column itself is loose. anyway ive had it into a couple of local gm mechanics one said i needed to replace my drive axles....did that and no help, they also said the "clunk" in the steering column is "normal"....i dont think so. The second mechanic said 3 of my 4 wheels were bent and that was causing the shake...ok so i bought a new set of rims and tires....the shake is gone. That mechanic told me the "could not duplicate the clunk in the column"...go figure. anyone have any ideas on whats casing the clunk????
Also...i recently had to replace my intake (naturally) and now my engine is running at the normal temp...its only running about 115, i have replaced the thermostat, burped the cooling system of any air, and even replaced the temp sensor...to no avail...the only time it will get warm is if it sits in idle for 30+minutes, and soon as i drive again the temp drops back down....any ideas???????

[pontiacfreak_81]

ok...well the temp problem is fixed turns out my new thermostat was defective....so i sprung for a high end one and that fixed it....still got the clunk in my column tho, and just today the shake has resurfaced with the new rims and tires on it. anyone got any suggestions?? i dont seem to have alot of luck with getting advice here.

[oldguyhd]

My son has it in his 95 Bonnie. His is caused by a bearing in the top of the column having come apart. Actually had a plastic bearing retainer in it! It is located under the air bag and is the LAST thing you can get to. Real PITA to do. It is a dealer only (or junkyard) item. You would be able to tell because the steering wheel actually moves side to side and up and down because of the play in the brg.
From what you describe it sounds like something loose on the steering linkage. I'd be checking everything the column attachs to; idler arm ect for worn or damaged parts. You could also check the ball joints/tie rod ends for play. Jack up the wheel to check. Try to move the wheel by grabbing the sides and moving it back and forth. Alot of play and tie rod bad. Grab top and bottom, play there is typical for ball joints bad. I don't think it could be a wheel brg or you probably would have burned it up by now.
I picked up a manual for the kids car and it helped a lot. The only thing not woth the paper printed on is the electrical diagrams.