YES!!!!
Anything is possible. Yoke could be damage, this a new yoke?
The pinion uses a "crush sleeve" to set pinion bearing preload. Pinion bearings work sortof just like front wheel bearings, that is you have two tapered bearings and the yoke nut pulls them together just like the spindle nut.
But in BETWEEN this is a crush sleeve, and if that nut is not tightened enough, the bearings are loose, sloppy, don't have proper preload
Too tight, and you will damage or destroy the bearings.
You have a shop manual?
