Defective Idler Arms

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Franko

Franko

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
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I replaced my Idler Arm on my 69 Swinger about 5 years ago with a Moog Idler Arm. I heard a clunk recently while turning the steering in the garage and noticed that the bushing end with the large bolt and nut had slop. I removed it, secured the bushing end in a vice and tried to rotate the arm. The arm was locked up on the bushing and the whole bushing rotated, not the arm around the stationary bushing.

I ordered an AC Delco Idler Arm and had the same result. Then I ordered another Moog…same thing. I called Moog Tech and they told me that maybe I needed to “wake it up”, by whacking the arm back and forth sideways on the bushing with a hammer. I did that with all 3 Idler Arms and not one budged. It seems to me that the tolerances must be off and there was no quality control in that regard. The Moog Tech also told me to return the last one and order 2 more to test, which I haven’t done.

Has anybody ever purchased a defective Idler Arm? Or did you check the Arm movement in a vice before installation? I didn’t think to check the Idler Arm movement years ago with the 1st Moog, which wore a groove in the upper part of the K Member Bracket (I had put the 1 washer that came with it, under the bushing).

Has anybody bought an Idler Arm recently that works properly and if so, where?

Thank you for any forthcoming recommendations.
 
I don't know. Some of these replacements you have to pay attention to the specific mounting hardware, as it "spaces" end clearance for the bushing.
 
Sorry to say all replacement parts suck now a days.
Replaced 25 year old axles in a Toyota Camry. 3 years later the boots are blown out. My 318 truck fuel pump was replaced 5 years/20K miles ago. Started leaking like crazy.Damn near set the thing on fire.
Rebuilt the front end with parts from Year One. 3 years later all the boots rotted away.
Nothing is made to last anymore...
One more . Ordered a front end kit from Jegs. Got a notice that the ball joints were recalled. The wanted me to send them back on my dime and pay shipping for the replacements. I just thru them in the scrap. Was cheaper to buy new. Junk parts .
 
I had a near new Moog idler arm on my GTS back in the 1980s. It was too loose, as well. I don't remember what I replaced it with, though....
 
There is a ball bearing kit for them, see them on e bay.
 
i had a bad new in the box moog lower ball joint that drove me nuts for some time. i've been reading more and more posts here and various other car sites about poor moog parts.. i will not use moog any more after my experience.. its just run of the mill garbage anymore.. i moved to proforged..
 
66fs said:
Firm Feel has them also. Problem solved forever. Anyone still have a bad MOOG 68-72 Idler arm I'd like to get a few to upgrade to roller bearings.
Click to expand...

Can someone post a link for the Roller set up.?
Thanks
 
Same thing happened to me. The first Moog idler had the center pin in the wrong location compared to the original. Rockauto replaced it. The second Moog had the pin in the correct place but it was locked up. I put it in the vise and worked it back and forth a couple hundred times. It did free up to where I could move it through it's range of motion but it got really hot to the touch after doing so. I installed it but it was always in the back of my mind.(The car is a project and has never been on the road.) I was tired of it taking up valuable thinking capacity in my brain so recently I replaced it with an AC Delco.(also from Rock) It was smooth operating right out of the box.
 
I sell the arms new with the roller bearing installed. McQuay Norris made the roller bearing kit in the 70s and discontinued it somewhere along the line. They made them for many other makes with similar type idler arms for applications back to the 50s.
 
BergmanAutoCraft said:
I sell the arms new with the roller bearing installed. McQuay Norris made the roller bearing kit in the 70s and discontinued it somewhere along the line. They made them for many other makes with similar type idler arms for applications back to the 50s.
Click to expand...

What options do you have for a 64 Valiant?
 
Unfortunately, that's a stud mounted idler that doesn't share the later, captured mounting. Mopar woke up in '68 with a much better design.
 
BergmanAutoCraft said:
Unfortunately, that's a stud mounted idler that doesn't share the later, captured mounting. Mopar woke up in '68 with a much better design.
Click to expand...

Yeah. There is a discontinued kit that upgrades them, but you don't see them pop up very often.
 
Question, when an idler arm is properly installed.
Is the steel sleeve (red arrow pointing to) suppose to be clamped by the center bolt and held stationary so that Idler arm will pivot around it?

102_6828.JPG
 
I ordered a Moog Idler Arm from Firm Feel Monday afternoon and they installed their bearing kit on it. They told me their kit only works on the Moog Idler Arm (K7042, I think). My old Idler Arm rotated around the bushing. This seems correct because that 9/16" bolt (with washer(s)) is torqued to 65 lbs. Thanks for the bearing advice.
 
Franko said:
I ordered a Moog Idler Arm from Firm Feel Monday afternoon and they installed their bearing kit on it. They told me their kit only works on the Moog Idler Arm (K7042, I think). My old Idler Arm rotated around the bushing. This seems correct because that 9/16" bolt (with washer(s)) is torqued to 65 lbs. Thanks for the bearing advice.
Click to expand...
So, what I called the "steel sleeve" is the same part that you are calling the bushing?
And I will assume that when the 9/16" bolt is torqued to 65 ft lbs the K frame bracket will clamp the the "bushing", locking it from turning. Does that sound correct?
 
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