Originally Posted by
dsaul
The ones I've encountered with play in them usually have a clamping plate with a bolt under the front of the pivot like the one in this picture. It can be hard to see if the stem is pointed down. Tightening that bolt usually gets rid of the play in the stem.
This+ In my experience, if the bolt won't remove the play.. the stem should be tossed. No reason to risk it over such a cheap part.