I went to have my truck aligned yesterday and they told me pitman arm was bad. Said there was slack in it and it needed to be replaced before they could align it. I was reading some previous threads and saw in one someone said pitman arms do not go bad that it was something else. Any ideas? Is this a true statement? If so what would cause the slack.

 

Yes pitman arms do go bad but not all that often, overtime they might crack or sag but it may be that the joint is worn out and it has play but also make sure that its not your drag link or the steering gear.

 

Only it they are bent and cracked, most likely the tie rod ball joint that goes into the pitman arm is loose.

 

thought mine went bad, so i replaced it, was a little worn and it did take up a little slack but not enough. I opened the hood looked down where i could see the steering shaft and arm and had a friend turn the wheel, could tell it was in the steering box itself then. replace the box and it's much much better now. Might try that to see if it's in the box itself. Hope it helps