On an automobile or truck with a conventional Parallelogram steering linkage, the Idler Arm or idler arm assembly is a pivoting support for the steering linkage.
The idler arm consists of a rod which pivots on a bracket attached to the frame of the vehicle on one end and supports a ball joint on the other end. Generally, an idler arm is attached between the opposite side of the center link from the Pitman arm and the vehicle's frame to hold the center link at the proper height. Idler arms are generally more vulnerable to wear than Pitman arms because of the pivot function built into them. If the idler arm is fitted with grease fittings, these should be lubricated with a grease gun at each oil change.
Famous quotes containing the word arm:
“Man is but a reed, the feeblest one in nature; but he is a thinking reed. The entire universe need not arm itself to crush him—a vapor, a drop of water suffices to kill him. But if the universe were to crush him, man would still be nobler than that which killed him, because he knows that he dies and the advantage which the universe has over him; the universe knows nothing of this.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)