Thanks for all the replies gents. I'll try to answer all questions from today, and provide more info. Please bear with me since it's my first time opening and seeing inside of a diff. Also here are some pics. Please note that C clip is already removed at the time of taking the pictures.
After removing the diff and before even opening the cover, the driver side yoke had an approximate 1/4" in and out movement, while the passenger side yoke did not have any play at all, as it should not. After removing the cover, the problem was apparent. The inner part of the driver side yoke that butts against the spider gear cross shaft is worn out by about 3/16th of an inch, just enough where the C clip was almost resting against the cross shaft. You can see from the pictures that yoke is worn. I guess I lucked out that C clip did not fall off the yoke and cause more damage. Now this could have been an ongoing issue that maybe even started before I got the car. The side bearing does have a little bit of play in it, but I’m no expert. I will replace both side bearings and seals as a precaution. I believe that the worn out bushings in the spindle rods along with the extra weight in the trunk and me going over a dip at a higher speed than I should have with the extra weight somehow put too much strain on yoke or the bearing or both and caused this issue. I'm going to replace the yoke and the bearings and I think I should be okay. Please tell me if I'm missing something here. Thanks!
