Identify Bad Idler Arm

Q: How can I tell if I have a bad idler arm?

A: Take off the idler arm and it you can spin it around with ease, then it’s probably bad. It also might have slop in the vertical axis where the two arms are connected, so there will be "give" when pressing the two arms in toward each other. It’s recommended you replace it with a beefier arm like a Moog or DANA unit that’s lubable. You might also want to check the ball joints for wear too.