4L80E Clutch Module 1997, new and ready to install. Fits the 4L80E. Ships fast from the USA.
If your 1997 or later Silverado or Sierra 2500 or 3500, Suburban 2500, Express or Savana van, or Hummer H1 has started to flare between gears with a trailer behind it, or the fluid on the dipstick smells burnt, the friction plates inside the 4L80E are the usual casualty. This is a Raybestos Stage-1 friction clutch pack module, part number RCPS-36, which Raybestos catalogs for the 4L80E from late 1995 on. It replaces every friction plate in the transmission with Raybestos red Stage-1 material, a heavier-duty plate than the stock tan lining.
Every gear in a 4L80E is a combination of clutch packs, bands and one-way clutches. The forward clutch is on in all four forward gears, the intermediate clutch joins for second, the direct clutch for third and the fourth clutch for overdrive, while the overrun clutch only applies in the manual ranges to give engine braking. Each pack is a stack of lined friction plates interleaved with steel plates. When the lining glazes or wears thin, that pack can no longer hold torque, it slips, and the heat it makes cooks the fluid and the packs next to it.
The RCPS-36 module holds 21 frictions: four intermediate plates at .070 inch, ten forward and direct plates at .080 inch (packed as a group of three and a group of seven), three overrun plates and four fourth clutch plates. Raybestos rates Stage-1 lining for more holding capacity and higher temperatures than a stock plate, which is the reason to choose it for a truck that tows or hauls on a regular basis.
The 3-4 shift is where most later units show wear first; our 4L80E 3-4 clutch failure guide walks through that pattern.
Drop the pan and look at what is on the magnet and in the filter. Fine gray paste is normal; flakes of friction lining and a sharp burnt smell are not. Then run a line pressure test. Low pressure from worn bores, bushings or an accumulator problem will burn a fresh pack just as fast as it burned the old one, so it has to be fixed in the same rebuild. Our 4L80E common problems guide covers those pressure faults.
This pack is listed for 1997 and Raybestos catalogs RCPS-36 for every 4L80E built from late 1995 forward, so it also suits later trucks. Units built before the 1995 change use a different pack (RCPS-31) with thicker intermediate frictions. If your truck is a 1995 or 1996, check the build date on the transmission tag, compare the intermediate plates you pull out, or send us your year and VIN and we will confirm. All of our parts for this unit are on the 4L80E collection page.
| Fits | 4L80E 1997 |
| Part type | Clutch Module |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | Raybestos |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
Yes, as long as the unit was built after the late 1995 change. Raybestos catalogs RCPS-36 for 4L80E transmissions from late 1995 on. Early units use RCPS-31 instead.
Twenty-one: four intermediate at .070 inch, ten forward and direct at .080 inch, three overrun and four fourth clutch frictions. Steel plates are sold separately.
No. Raybestos positions Stage-1 between a stock or high-energy plate and its Gen2 Blue Plate Special, and recommends it for heavy-duty towing as well as mild performance use.
You can, but debris from a burnt pack travels through the whole unit. Most rebuilders replace every friction at once, which is what this module is built for.
Dexron VI, which GM lists as the current service fluid for the 4L80E. Use the same fluid to soak the frictions before assembly.
