How to Diagnose a Bad Idler Arm
If you feel too much play in the steering wheel, steering wheel shimmy, shake, or vibrate loosely while driving, it might be from a bad idler arm. Some trucks and older vehicles use a reciprocating ball steering system, also known as a drag link set up, which includes a steering box, pitman arm, idler arm, and a control rod that sits in the middle and connects to the inner and outer ball joints. There is a ball joint on the pitman arm and the idler arm, and sometimes it can fail. These steps will show you how to diagnose it.