Having a couple of issues (post-idle smoke, LF strut "loose"?)

[h2oskiphil]

So my 04 4.4 (110K miles) is having the dreaded post-long-idle smoke cloud walk of shame. Really only started after an oil change, when they took me down to 5W30 instead of the 10W30 I had been running. I've read a million threads about valve seals, and I've also read that the 04 4.4 is prone to vacuum leaks that can mimic the seal issue. Started mine, pulled the dipstick, and there was zero difference in the way it ran. Am I looking at the "replace every o-ring, seal, and gasket from the valve covers up" fix?

Also, I thought I might have a tie rod end bushing going bad on the driver's side-there was some thumping and rattling going on when going over bumps, and an occasional wiggle in the wheel when applying the brakes. Got it up in the air today, and I've got probably a half an inch of play front to back in the front tire, and the entire strut assembly is moving-it's not a steering component issue. Strut is tight up top, so I'm thinking strut mount, possibly? Is there something that should be holding that strut in place on the bottom that I'm overlooking? Thrust arm/ball joint, perhaps?