First off, for the play in the steering column you can repair it yourself. Here are a couple sites to read for that information.
http://www.aros.net/~rbuck/column/tiltcol.html and
http://www.gnttype.org/techarea/suspension/t_steering.html . If you feel like you can’t do the fix yourself…The column is really easy to remove and send out. It will cost you about 125-350 dollars plus shipping. If you are going to remove it, let me know, I’ll tell you how. Another problem you may be having with the steering is the intermediate steering shaft under the hood. It’s the shaft connecting the column to the rack and pinion unit. Have someone sit in the drivers seat and move the wheel back and forth (car not running) look at the coupling connecting the shaft to the R&P unit. You may see it move, (especially when cold) it shouldn’t. (see picture below) If it is moving, you need to repair it, the part is not available any more. Let me know I have a fix for it.
If you want to jack the car up, look at the runner below the doors. In front of the rear tire and in back of the front tire, you will see arrows. That is where you jack it. Be careful you do not pinch any lines. You can also jack the front up using the crossmember under the engine.
Here is a site to get a manual (invaluable better then gold)
http://www.helminc.com get the manual and the electrical supplement.
Here is another site for you to join…it’s a CrossFire site.
http://www.crossfire.webhop.net/
Check the fuses for the rear hatch, there is also a button on each door for the hatch (jamb) and also one in the middle compartment. I don’t remember if the key has to be on or not. If you need the manual operation follow Eagle suggestion below.
