Several years back I swapped in what was supposed to be a matched set of pittman arm, and idler arm. It has never felt right since. For one thing there is a bit of bump steer to the right when going over a speed bump, which would suggest a slightly different geomerty on the two parts. For another, the idler arm just did not look very strong. It has a thinner cross section, most notably where the mounting bolt passes through. The idler arm casting is not as deep as the space for it on the K member. The tube that the bolt goes through is long enough, but the casting is only about 2/3rds that long. It seems as if this part is just not going to stay parrallel to the pittman under stress.
Can anybody recommend a GOOD part that looks like the OEM part, or even heavier? This is a Moog part. I have checked Federal Mogul, and they look the same. I kind of whish I had left the old stuff on. I do n;t mind replacing both parts. These are big bolt parts, with the everything from ball joint to ball joint coming off a donner car. The steering gear box was replaced at that time too. It was a rebuilt unit from NAPA, and felt stiff, but has gotten better with use. All in all, the old stuff worked better initially after replacement than the "new" stuff. As Ross Perot used to say. "Now that's just sad!"
Sam
Was this pair you installed actually offered as a specially-matched set?