10w-30 here I come.

Let us know how it works.

Can you post pics of how to do this? I don't really know what I'm looking for and it should give me an idea of what to do. My '02 Bonneville just started clunking within the last week and I'd like to stop it before it gets bad. I put 140,000 miles on mine before it started so I'm not to surprised by it.

I do not have pictures, however if your remove the hush panel on the drivers side you'll see what needs to be done. There are 2 screws and a plastic pin that holds it on. When you drop it, be careful with the sensor on the right (temp sensor) that will come out by just twisting it, and the interior light on the left that can be disconnected. Then you can move the panel out of the way.

Look straight up where the steering column is, and you will see a black sleeve maybe about 3 inches in diameter, which then connects to a clear sleeve reinforced with wire spiralled through it. If work has already been done on it, the black sleeve, or both, may have a slit in it. The top u-joint is right about where the two sleeves come together.

That ujoint sounds like a good candidate for chain lube, a thick sticky lube that comes in a spray can with a straw. May be real similar to the 5th wheel lube. I'll try it sometime, see if the clunking quiets and for how long.

There is a lubricant for motorcycle chains call "Chain Wax". This stuff sprays on from an aerosol can and then becomes very sticky to keep it from being flung from the chain. I just wonder how well this stuff would work on the Intermediate Shaft?

It probably won't penetrate well. That product is actually a paraffin wax that is thinned slightly. Remember the intermediate shaft doesn't spin quickly. I'd stick to a grease product.

I agree. It has to work its way down into the roller bearings inside the U-joint, so it has to be thin enough to get in there, yet thick enough to do some good. I even tried the spray white lithium grease, but it just didn't work its way in well enough.

One I just did, I had to use some PB Blaster to free things up first, and then some motor oil. It'* fine now, except for the smell that will take a few days to go away.

Sounds like like there might be some temporary success with some PB Blaster and 10W-30. My 01 SLE with 57k on it has been clunking for about 3 months. I'm going to give it a try. It'* a good thing it'* paid for. Grrrrr......

I just bought my 2002 a week ago with the steering problem. I have done a lot of research on this forum before I tried this way out. What I did was remove the shaft and put it in a vice. Then with the bearing cap facing down I applied some thick grease on the part of the cap where it slides on. Then I took a propane torch and heated the bearing cap up which in turn melted the grease so that it could soak into the cap. I also worked the u-joint well so that it got very easy to move. (Mine was stiff)
My car had 111k on it when I bought it and it looked like it had a new shaft installed. It didn't make any noise but you could feel an intermittent drag as you turned the wheel.
I haven't driven it yet because I also had to replace the intake and lower intake gaskets but I think it may work real well. Just want to add another option out there.