I did a search and know that either my ball joint, idler arm bushing, or strut is screwed up. my question is where is the idler arm bushing? is it part of the steering linkage that connects to the passenger fender well? I'm pretty sure that's what is popping when i turn or hit a bump. are these expensive/easy to swap? i don't wanna be driving down the highway and have my front tire turn in its own direction...

 

Idler bolts to the passenger frame rail. Gives sloppy steering. Ball joints will show up on hard bumps. Changing the idler isn't hard. Rockauto seems to be a preffered seller, get the Moog unit.