front inner tie rod replacement

Hi everyone,

I have 2013 Toyota Prius C One. I failed the inspection, because of too much free play in the right front wheel. After looking by myself at the issue I see that I only have 3 to 9 o'clock play, not 6 to 12. The wheel bearing and the lower ball joint seem tight. The outer tie rod connection is also tight. When I check for 3 to 9 o'clock play I see that the inner tie rod boot is moving and there is a free play somewhere under that boot, probably at the inner tie rod/ steering rack joint. It looks like Toyota does not sell inner tie rods, only entire racks, which are expensive and difficult to replace. I believe, the part number for the rack is 45510-52351

Could you recommend an aftermarket inner tie rod? I found MAS TI74050 on the internet. Will it fit? Is it good?
Is there a chance that the free play is caused by something deeper in the steering rack and not this joint? As I understand, since there is no free play with the left wheel, the pinion gear should be ok.
Is there a way to slightly tighten the tie rod to reduce the play? Or is the ball joint worn and needs replacement? How do I get the tie rod out? Will the Autozone loaner inner tie rod tool work?

Thanks.

 

The update is that I bought an OEM steering rack from an online dealer and replaced the whole rack. Besides worn inner tie rod ends there was a large free-play between the steering rod and the inner bearing (inside the housing) on the passenger side. The rack would rattle like a rattle toy if shaken. It was not too difficult. Did everything myself. Took 2 weekends (4 half days to be exact). Here is the post Steering rack replacement | PriusChat I did not take the car for alignment afterwards, though it is highly recommended. It tracks fine, my tires were very close to the end of life, so I thought I would do alignment with new tires, but old tires are still in the legal limit and are wearing just fine.