[Scoob]

Thanks for that link. I'll be really confused if the rattle turns out to be that problematic piece - there is no play in the steering at all. I don't get the rattling noise or reverb through the wheel; it sounds like it's coming from the dash or under the hood. But I'll still replace it to see if anything changes.

I forgot to mention that the groaning noise from the steering column goes away when the outside temps get below about 40 F. It gets worse the warmer it gets. I put a bunch of red grease on the u-joint today but the temps are in the 30s so I won't know if that helps until it gets warmer. I put some silicone grease on there when I replaced the rack but it didn't help at all.