Remanufactured 5L40E valve body for BMW 325i, 330i, X3, Z4 and Cadillac CTS and SRX V6; fixes flare, slip and solenoid codes from bore wear.
If your E46 BMW 325i or 330i, X3, Z4 3.0, Cadillac CTS or SRX V6, or Saturn Sky has started flaring on the 2-3 or 3-4 shift, slamming into drive, slipping once it is warm, or putting a transmission warning on the cluster and dropping into limp mode, the 5L40E valve body is one of the first places to look. This is a remanufactured, tested valve body for the GM 5L40E five-speed automatic, a direct replacement for a unit with worn bores.
GM designed the 5L40E as a rear-drive five-speed and built it at its Strasbourg plant for both its own cars and BMW, which calls the same transmission the A5S 360R. The valve body sits under the pan and holds the main pressure regulator, the shift valves, four bolt-on accumulators, and the TCC regulator apply valve behind the converter clutch solenoid. The control module commands the pressure control solenoid to set line pressure and fires the shift solenoids to stroke the shift valves, while the accumulators cushion each clutch apply. When the pressure regulator bore wears, line pressure becomes low or unstable, and every clutch apply suffers.
A valve body is the right repair when the fluid is still red and the clutch packs are healthy. Pull the pan, look at the fluid and magnet, and scan for codes. A pressure gauge on the line pressure port will show whether pressure is low at idle or fails to rise on command, which is the signature of a worn regulator bore - our transmission pressure testing guide explains the test. Electrical codes for a single solenoid may only need that solenoid, such as a 5L40E pressure control solenoid, rather than the whole valve body. Burnt fluid with lots of friction material means the clutches are already gone.
Listed fitment: 2001-2005 BMW 325i and 2001-2006 330i (E46), 2004-2006 BMW X3, 2003-2005 BMW Z4 3.0L, 2003-2006 Cadillac CTS V6, 2004-2005 Cadillac SRX V6 and 2007-2008 Saturn Sky. The 5L40E and the heavier 5L50E look almost identical, so check the tag on the left rear of the case above the pan rail: on the GM cars the service label shows the RPO code, and on a BMW the tag carries a G or Z. On the valve body itself, a 5L50E uses separator plate code 374 and a second-accumulator housing cast 96023532 - if yours has those, this is not the right part. When in doubt, send us your year and VIN. You can see the related five-speed parts in our 5L50E and 5L40E collection.
Drain the pan, remove the filter, unplug the solenoid connectors and unbolt the valve body, keeping track of how the manual valve engages the selector. Bolt in the replacement and torque the bolts evenly to spec, reconnect the harness, and fit a new filter and gasket with our 5L40E/5L50E filter and pan gasket kit. BMW and GM specify different ATF for this transmission, so refill with the fluid your vehicle calls for and set the level hot at the fill plug. If the original solenoids are tired, a 5L40E solenoid kit is a good add while the pan is off. Clear codes and reset the transmission adaptations with a scan tool before the road test, then drive through all five gears so it relearns shift pressures.
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It is listed for the 2001-2006 330i and 2001-2005 325i (E46), 2004-2006 X3, 2003-2005 Z4 3.0L, 2003-2006 CTS V6, 2004-2005 SRX V6 and 2007-2008 Saturn Sky. Confirm the tag on your transmission reads 5L40E, not 5L50E, before ordering.
The 5L50E valve body uses a 374 separator plate code and a 96023532 second-accumulator housing, the only one with inner and outer springs. The 5L50E was used in Cadillacs only with the 4.6L V8. If those marks are absent, you have a 5L40E.
Yes. BMW refers to the 5L40E as the A5S 360R, so a BMW parts listing showing A5S 360R is the same unit this valve body is built for.
Always fit a new filter and pan gasket so debris from the old unit is not drawn into the new one. On high-mileage cars, replacing the solenoids at the same time avoids a repeat visit for a solenoid fault.
Yes. Clear the stored codes and reset the transmission adaptations, then road test through every gear. Skipping the reset can leave the module applying old pressure corrections and make the new valve body feel harsh.
