88 Cherokee steering

First, let me say that I have just purchased my 88 Cherokee Pioneer and so I have just registered here. I am sure that I will get good advice and will offer any knowledge I stumble upon in return.
My issue is this. The steering works OK and I can even drive as is, but the steering column is loose. If I grab the wheel with both hands, I can move the whole column (back and forth, circular, etc.). The gentleman who sold me the vehicle made me aware of the problem and suggested that this might be a somewhat common problem. An engineering flaw, perhaps?

Anyway, I inquired about this issue at 2 Jeep dealerships and several national auto parts stores in my area and no one has a clue. I am quite prepared to take the column apart and go piece by piece as they suggest, but I wonder if anyone here can shed any light on this. Thanks.

-Blues

Have you checked the mounting bolts under the dash? A few could be missing or loose, and that could easily cause your problem.

the problem is inside the steering column. you need to take the steering column apart to get to 3 bolts that hold together the knuckle for the tilt steering. take the bolts out one at a time and put thread lock on them. IIRC, i could only get to two of the bolts. i needed a puller to get the steering wheel off.

there is a link somewhere for this fix. try a search for a gm colomn fix.