5L50E Clutch Drum, used and ready to install. Fits the 5L50E. Ships fast from the USA.
A 5L50E that takes its time going into Reverse, binds up when it does, or sets a fifth-gear ratio code after a rebuild often has a problem at the front of the gear train, where the reverse clutch lives. This is a used, original GM reverse clutch drum for the 5L50E, removed from a tested, drivable 2004 Cadillac XLR with the 4.6L Northstar. If your housing is cracked, scored or worn at its bushing, this is the part that replaces it without buying a whole core transmission.
The 5L50E is the heavier-duty member of GM's Strasbourg-built 5L40E family. Its reverse clutch and direct clutch are packaged in one combined housing that rides on the stationary support of the pump cover. Oil for both clutches comes out of the pump support through sealing rings and into the drum, so the drum's ring bores, bushing and thrust face all matter as much as the plates inside it. GM specifies six plates for the reverse clutch in both the 5L40E and 5L50E, with 0.98 to 1.43 mm of clearance, while the direct clutch in the 5L50E carries ten plates. Endplay at the front of the housing is set with a selective reverse clutch housing thrust washer chosen from a GM chart of eight thicknesses, so the drum has to be measured, not just dropped in.
Not every no-reverse is a drum. Sonnax lists a worn reverse lockout valve in the valve body as a cause of no Reverse and of burnt reverse and low/reverse clutches, and Transmission Digest calls out worn pump sealing rings (the middle ring most of all) and air-bleed ball capsules in the pump cover that do not seat because of debris. Check fluid condition and codes first, then take line pressure in Reverse with the line pressure testing guide. With the unit apart, air-check the reverse and direct circuits on an assembled pump before condemning the housing, and look closely at the thrust surface for cracks. Our gear ratio code guide explains how the computer decides a ratio is wrong.
This drum fits the 5L50E and came out of a 2004 Cadillac XLR. Transmission Digest notes that Cadillac used the 5L50E only with the 4.6L engine, so XLR, STS and SRX models with the V8 are the natural match; V6 Cadillacs use the lighter 5L40E. BMW installed this family too, under its own A5S360R and A5S390R designations. Because this is a used OEM part and housings were revised over the years, compare it against your old drum (ring bores, bushing, spline and bleed holes) or send us your year and VIN and we will check it. The full range of parts for this unit is on our 5L50E parts page.
Plan on new frictions and seals with the 5L50E master rebuild kit, and service the pan with the 5L40E/5L50E filter and pan gasket kit. If the pump cover rings or bushing are damaged too, see our used 5L50E pump.
| Fits | 5L50E |
| Part type | Clutch Drum |
| Condition | Used |
| Brand | GM |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
In the 5L40E and 5L50E the reverse and direct clutches share one housing, which Transmission Digest calls the direct/reverse clutch housing. This used GM part was removed as the reverse clutch drum from a 2004 Cadillac XLR.
The 5L40E and 5L50E share the basic design, but the 5L50E uses more direct clutch plates (10 vs 8), so housings are not guaranteed to interchange. Match your old drum or send us your year and VIN.
One documented cause is a direct/reverse housing cracked in the thrust-washer area where it contacts the pump. Transmission Digest also points to the overdrive accumulator, the case seal sleeve and the #12 checkball, so check those too.
New reverse and direct frictions and steels, pump sealing rings, and the correct selective thrust washer. A master rebuild kit covers the frictions and seals.
GM's specification for the 5L50E in the Cadillac XLR is Dexron III, with about 9 quarts dry for a complete overhaul. BMW versions should be filled with the fluid on their own label.
