Drives thick carrier shims into the housing saddle on Dana 44, GM 8.5 and Ford 8.8 rear ends without bending or scoring the shim.
If you are setting up gears in a Dana 44, GM 10-bolt or Ford 8.8 and the carrier shims will not go in without a hammer and a punch, this is the tool that saves the shims. The Yukon YT SD-01 multi-shim driver is a set of steel drivers shaped to the outside diameter of the carrier shim, so each tap lands on the whole arc of the shim instead of one corner. Shims go in square, stay flat, and come back out undamaged if your backlash check says you need a different stack.
On these axles the carrier bearing shims sit between the bearing race and the housing saddle, and the thickness of the stack on each side sets both backlash and carrier bearing preload. Getting preload means the final stack is a tight fit on purpose. The usual shortcut is a screwdriver or brass drift on the shim edge, which chips cast service shims, folds thin steel shims, or knocks a few thousandths off the face of a shim you just measured with a micrometer. A damaged shim changes the stack, changes the pattern and sends you back to the shim box. Yukon says each driver is contoured to the shim outside diameter so it applies even, uniform force, and a few blows with a dead blow or ball-peen hammer seat the shim.
Set pinion depth first, then install the carrier with setup bearings and measure backlash. Choose the shim stack for each side to center the backlash and add preload. Start the shim by hand at the saddle, pick the driver that matches the shim diameter, sit it flat on the shim edge and tap until it is fully seated. Check backlash and pattern again before final torque on the bearing caps. Dana housings are commonly spread slightly with a Dana housing spreader so the carrier and shims can go in without force; the driver finishes the job where the stack is still snug. To pull carrier bearings off for shim changes, a clamshell carrier bearing puller keeps the cage intact.
The set includes five drivers. They are sized to shim outside diameter rather than one axle, and the listing covers GM 7.5, 8.2, 8.5, 8.6, 12-bolt passenger and 12-bolt truck; Ford 7.5, 8.8, 9.75, 10.25 and 10.5; AMC Model 35; Dana 44HD; and Dana 44 JK front and rear. Shipping weight is about 3.25 lb. Other housings that share those shim sizes can use it too; measure your shim diameter if your axle is not on the list. Browse more axle and transmission bench tools in our tools section.
Keep the shim faces and saddle clean, since one grain of grit under a shim adds to the stack. Use a dead blow or ball-peen hammer as Yukon recommends, not a heavy sledge. Never drive the shim with the bearing cap bolts loose and the carrier cocked; seat it, then torque the caps to the spec for your axle. A fresh Dana 44 carrier installation kit gives you new carrier bearings and shims to work with, and pairs well with a new gear set such as a Dana 44 4.56 ring and pinion.
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Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
The listing covers GM 7.5, 8.2, 8.5, 8.6 and both 12-bolts; Ford 7.5, 8.8, 9.75, 10.25 and 10.5; AMC Model 35; Dana 44HD; and Dana 44 JK. Because the drivers match shim diameter, other axles with the same shim size can use it as well.
Five drivers in different sizes, each contoured to the outside diameter of a carrier shim.
A spreader is the common way to install a Dana carrier without forcing it. The driver helps seat tight shims and is not a replacement for spreading the housing where the service procedure calls for it.
A dead blow or ball-peen hammer. A few controlled blows seat the shim; heavy hits are not needed and can damage bearings.
No. Even contact across the shim edge is the point of the tool. Chipped service shims usually come from a punch or screwdriver on one spot.
