tie rod/ball joint check

got a question....trying to play 'what's that noise?" with my 4Runner.
I jacked up the front tires individually, grabbed wheel at 12 & 6 and tried moving, no motion at all.
then, grabbing at 3 & 9 positions, tried moving the wheel. no rocking movement at all, but if I really put a little muscle to it (and I'm not a huge dude, not a wimp either but whatever) I can get it to move just enough to notice. again, not rocking back and forth but I can make it move a fraction of an inch maybe. so the question...does *any* movement at all indicate a problem or is a tiny bit of movement normal?

 

I have very minimal play in mine as well if you really work it. If you get excessive movement from grabbing it at the 3, 9 position then I would suspect more of a wheel bearing issue than ball joints or tie rods. The tie rods would cause more obvious symptoms with the steering or uneven tire wear. I would imagine there has to be some play, as if it was tight with no movement it would be more prone to failing under stress. I’m no expert, so do your own diligence.