6L90 Input Drum 2006, remanufactured and ready to install. Fits the 6L90. Ships fast from the USA.
If a 6L90 in a Silverado or Sierra HD, Express or Savana came apart with a chewed-up front planet, or you are building a 6L80 to hold more torque, this is the part to look at. It is listed in our store under input drum, but what you receive is the rebuilt heavy-duty input (front) planetary carrier together with its sun gear. The carrier holds six pinion gears with 22 teeth each and measures 4.480 inches across the outside diameter. It is remanufactured, which means it has been taken apart, inspected and reassembled for service.
The 6L90 starts every gear except sixth with a simple planetary set at the front of the case. Turbine torque enters this set, and with the sun gear held the carrier turns slower than the input shaft. That reduced-speed carrier is splined into the 1-2-3-4 / 3-5-Reverse clutch housing, the part most people call the input drum. So the carrier is the piece that feeds the drum, not the drum itself. The 6L90 version runs six pinions where the lighter 6L80 version runs four, spreading the load over two more gears. That is why rebuilders drop this carrier into a 6L80 that tows or makes extra power.
Planetary noise is easy to confuse with converter or bearing noise, so start with the fluid. Pull the pan and look at what is on the magnet and in the filter. Fine metal with some bronze points toward thrust washers and pinions; clutch material with no metal points to the clutch packs instead. Slip in the lower gears with no noise is more often a 1-2-3-4 clutch or valve body issue, which our 6L90 3-4 clutch failure guide walks through. A no-Reverse complaint with P0776 or P2715 usually belongs to the 3-5-R circuit; see the 3-5-R clutch failure guide. Once the case is open, spin each pinion by hand and check end play; any roughness or wobble condemns the carrier.
The listing covers 2006 and later 6L80/6L90-family units. The 6L90 itself went into heavy-duty GM trucks and vans from the 2007 model year on, plus the Camaro ZL1 and Corvette Z06/ZR1. As a 6L90 part it is a direct replacement; in a 6L80 it is used as an upgrade over the four-pinion carrier. Many internal 6L80 and 6L90 parts are different heights and diameters, so lay your old carrier and sun gear beside this one and compare the pinion count, the 4.480-inch OD and the spline engagement with your 1-2-3-4 housing before installing. If you are not sure, send us your year and VIN. Everything else for the unit is on our 6L90 parts page.
| Fits | 6L90 2006 |
| Part type | Input Drum |
| Condition | Remanufactured |
| Brand | OEM |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
It is the input (front) planetary carrier with its sun gear. It drives the input drum (the 1-2-3-4 / 3-5-R clutch housing) but is a separate part, and no drum is included.
It is commonly used as an upgrade in the 6L80, which uses a four-pinion carrier. Compare the OD and spline engagement with your parts first, because some 6L80 and 6L90 internals differ in size.
This heavy-duty carrier has six 22-tooth pinions instead of four, so the load is shared across more gear teeth. That is why it is the preferred piece for towing or high-output builds.
One documented cause is the input carrier installed upside down. It will spin over the sun gear normally, but the 1-2-3-4 housing splines do not engage it, so there is no drive.
Use Dexron VI, check the level hot with the engine running, then clear adaptives and complete the service fast learn with a scan tool before towing.
