RE5R05A Clutch Module

When a Nissan Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Titan or Armada, or an Infiniti QX56, starts flaring between gears or slipping under load, the friction plates in its RE5R05A five-speed are the usual suspects. This listing is a new Exedy friction kit for that transmission; the box in our photo carries the Exedy label EFK249. Exedy is the Japanese clutch maker behind a large share of aftermarket friction kits for Jatco-built units, so this is the kind of plate set a rebuilder would order to restack a worn RE5R05A rather than reusing tired frictions. It is new and covered by a 1-year warranty.

What the clutch frictions do in an RE5R05A

The RE5R05A builds its five forward ratios and reverse by holding or driving parts of its planetary gearsets with a group of multi-plate clutches, brakes and a band. Each multi-plate pack is a stack of lined friction discs alternating with plain steels. When the valve body routes pressure behind a piston, the stack clamps up and that member is locked. The Gears Magazine write-up on this unit notes, for example, that the direct clutch is the element applied on the 1-2 shift. As long as the lining keeps its texture and thickness, the pack grabs smoothly; once it glazes, burns or wears thin, the clutch can no longer hold the torque the engine sends through it and the gear slips.

Symptoms of worn RE5R05A clutches

• Engine speed flares up during an upshift before the next gear catches
• Slip in one or two specific gears while the rest still feel firm
• Dark fluid with a burnt smell and brown friction material in the pan
• Delayed engagement into Drive or Reverse once the fluid is hot
• Gear ratio or performance codes and a drop into fail-safe on a hot day

How to confirm it is the frictions before you buy

Pull the pan first. Fine brown or black material on the magnet is friction lining; shiny metal points to a hard part such as a planetary or drum. Then check the fluid for a milky, pink tint. Sonnax reports that roughly half of the RE5R05A cores it receives have water intrusion from a failed cooler inside the radiator, and coolant attacks the bond between lining and plate, so new frictions will not last until that cooler is replaced or bypassed. Finally, make sure the complaint is not hydraulic. The 2007 Frontier case in Gears Magazine had a harsh 1-2 shift with clutches that were not burnt; the real cause was worn sealing ring lands on the direct support, 0.018 inch of clearance where 0.005 inch is expected. Our RE5R05A service and diagnosis guide walks through solenoid testing, fluid checks and the air checks that separate a friction failure from a leak.

Fitment

This kit is listed for the RE5R05A without a year limit. The unit debuted in 2002 in the Infiniti Q45 and went on to serve most of Nissan and Infiniti's rear-drive trucks and SUVs, and some versions used different plate counts and thicknesses depending on engine and model year. Before ordering, count the frictions in each pack of your old unit and measure one, or send us your year, model and VIN and we will check it against the kit. If you have a 2002 Q45-era unit, compare this page with our 2002 RE5R05A clutch module, which is a different Exedy kit. Every RE5R05A part we stock is on the RE5R05A collection page.

Install notes

• Soak every new friction in clean fluid for at least 30 minutes before stacking.
• Inspect the steels; reuse only flat steels with no bluing or heat spots.
• Set each pack's clearance with a feeler gauge or dial indicator against the service spec, using the selective snap ring.
• Replace the piston seals and sealing rings at the same time. A master rebuild kit covers the gaskets and seals a restack needs.
• Air check each clutch with no more than 50 psi of regulated air, the limit Gears Magazine recommends for this unit.
• Refill with Genuine Nissan Matic S ATF. Nissan names Matic J as the only approved alternative and warns that other fluids hurt shift quality and durability.
• If the valve body was part of the complaint, do not reuse a sticking one; a valve body with TCM and solenoids is listed for Titan applications.

Replace the radiator cooler, or fit an external cooler, if there is any sign of coolant in the fluid. It is the single most common reason a fresh set of RE5R05A frictions burns up early.

Which vehicles use the RE5R05A?

It debuted in the 2002 Infiniti Q45 and was used in Nissan and Infiniti rear-drive trucks and SUVs including the Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder, Titan, Armada and QX56. Send your VIN if you are not sure your vehicle has it.

Does this kit include steel plates and seals?

The listing is the Exedy friction kit shown in the photo. Plan on reusing good steels and buying seals and gaskets separately, such as our RE5R05A master rebuild kit.

What fluid should I use after installing new frictions?

Genuine Nissan Matic S ATF, with Matic J as the approved alternative per Nissan. Generic multi-vehicle fluid can cause shift complaints and shudder.

Will new frictions fix a harsh 1-2 shift?

Only if burnt frictions are the cause. On RE5R05A units a harsh 1-2 is often worn sealing ring lands on the direct support or a valve body fault, so check ring clearance and test solenoids first.

Do I need a relearn after the rebuild?

Clear any stored codes and let the transmission adapt over several drive cycles with fully warm fluid. Short cold test drives can hide problems because the computer runs higher line pressure when the fluid is cold.

• Nissan/Infiniti RE5R05A Transmission Service Guide: Pathfinder, Armada, QX56