RE5R05A Input Drum

Nissan Frontier, Xterra, Pathfinder and Titan owners usually land on this part after a teardown: the transmission slipped or flared in the same gears every time, the pan was full of fine metal, and the input clutch drum or the gearset under it came out damaged. This listing is a genuine Nissan RE5R05A input drum sold as an assembly with its planetary section and a 54-tooth sun gear still in place, pulled used from a 2010 Nissan Frontier. Buying the drum, carrier and sun gear together saves you from matching three separate used pieces that may not have run together, and it is covered by a 1-year warranty.

What the input drum does in an RE5R05A

The RE5R05A is Jatco's five-speed rear-drive automatic, built for Nissan and Infiniti trucks, SUVs and cars from 2002 on. Engine torque leaves the converter on the input shaft and goes straight into the input drum, which carries the input clutch pack and its apply piston. When the valve body sends pressure through the sealing rings into the drum, the piston clamps the frictions and steels together and drives the gearset this assembly is splined to. Because the drum turns whenever the engine turns, it sees constant heat and a constant flow of fluid across its ring lands. Lose sealing at those lands, a crack in the drum, or a worn bushing, and the clutch slips even with new frictions. In this assembly the drum, planetary and sun gear came out of the same unit, so their splines and thrust surfaces have already worn in together.

Symptoms that lead back to the input drum and gearset

• Slip, flare or a soft feel in the gears that depend on the input clutch, while other gears still pull
• Gear ratio or clutch-related trouble codes that come back after a fluid change
• Shiny steel particles or bronze bushing material on the pan magnet and filter
• Whine or grinding that changes with road speed, pointing to a damaged sun gear or carrier pinions
• Burnt input clutch frictions on teardown with the other clutch packs still in good shape
• A rebuilt unit that will not hold air on the input circuit even with new seals

How to confirm before you buy

Start with the fluid. Frontier, Xterra and Pathfinder trucks from this era are known for the transmission cooler inside the radiator failing and mixing coolant into the ATF; Sonnax reports that roughly half the RE5R05A cores it sees have water damage. Milky or pink, foamy fluid means the cooler has to be dealt with first, and every friction and bushing in the case is suspect. Our RE5R05A transmission service guide covers the fluid check, level procedure and common faults. With the unit apart, air check the input circuit before condemning the drum: a Gears Magazine case on this transmission found sealing ring lands worn to 0.018 inch clearance where about 0.005 inch is normal, which bleeds off apply pressure without any visible damage to the drum. Inspect the sun gear teeth and carrier pinions for chipping, bluing or pinion end play before you decide whether the gearset needs replacing along with the drum.

Fitment

This assembly came out of a 2010 Nissan Frontier RE5R05A and is the 54-tooth sun gear version. The RE5R05A was used behind engines from about 3.5 to 5.6 liters with more than one set of gear ratios, and a Motor Age repair article notes that internal parts differ by application, so a drum stack from a V8 Titan or an early Infiniti car is not automatically the same as a Frontier piece. Count the teeth on your old sun gear, compare the spline count and drum height to the photo, and match it before installing, or send us your year, model and VIN and we will check it for you. Other years are listed as the 2003-2008 RE5R05A input drum and the 2003 input drum, and every part for this unit is on the RE5R05A collection page.

Install notes

• Strip the drum, clean it and fit new frictions, steels, piston seals and sealing rings. A RE5R05A master rebuild kit covers the soft parts.
• Check the bushing, the thrust washers and the sun gear splines; replace any thrust washer that is scored or thin.
• Set input clutch clearance with a feeler gauge to the factory figure, then air check the circuit at regulated low pressure before the valve body goes on.
• If the old unit made metal, inspect the front pump and flush or replace the cooler so debris does not go back into the new parts.
• Fill with Nissan Matic-S ATF and road test until the fluid is fully hot, since ring-land leaks often only show up warm.

Is this just the drum or does it include the gearset?

It is the input drum assembly with its planetary section and a 54-tooth sun gear, as shown in the photo. It is a used, genuine Nissan part pulled from a 2010 Frontier, not a bare drum shell.

Will it fit my Titan or Armada?

Possibly not. The RE5R05A was built for engines from about 3.5 to 5.6 liters with different gear ratios, and some internal parts differ by application. Compare the sun gear tooth count, splines and drum height with your old parts, or send us your year and VIN to check.

Should I reuse the clutch plates that come in the drum?

No. Treat any used drum as a core. Install new frictions, steels, piston seals and sealing rings, then set the clutch clearance and air check the circuit before final assembly.

What fluid does the RE5R05A take?

Nissan specifies Genuine Nissan Matic-S ATF for these trucks. Check your owner's manual, since some earlier models list Matic J as the approved alternative.

My fluid is milky. Will a new drum fix it?

Not by itself. Milky fluid usually means the radiator's internal transmission cooler has failed and coolant is in the transmission. Fix or bypass the cooler and inspect every clutch and bushing before you rebuild.

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