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E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox — BMW

E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox on BMW: 42 steps, engines M57D30TU. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.

This record covers removing the GS6-53BZ/DZ six-speed manual gearbox from a BMW E46 330d with the M57D30TU engine. The steps are listed briefly. It starts at the battery and heater bulkhead, then underneath the front splash guard, the exhaust middle section and brackets come off and the catalytic converter is separated from the manifold. With the gearbox on the special support, the rear propeller shaft and its centre support are removed, self-locking nuts renewed, then the selector lever, shift bracket, clutch slave cylinder, flywheel inspection cover and reversing light switch are disconnected before the bell-housing bolts are removed. As on the four-cylinder car, the Torx bell-housing bolts take different values for steel and aluminium.

42 steps 1 engine code

🧭 Before you start

Disconnect the battery, remove the heater bulkhead and front splash guard, then the exhaust middle section and brackets, and split the catalytic converter from the manifold. Support the gearbox, remove the rear propeller shaft and centre support, and disconnect the selector lever and shift bracket. Remove the clutch slave cylinder and flywheel inspection cover, unplug the reversing light switch, remove the gearbox bolts and lower the gearbox. Refit in reverse with new self-locking nuts.

Fits: platform codes 330D, CD

Don't miss

  • Separate the catalytic converter from the exhaust manifold before lowering the gearbox.
  • Renew the propeller shaft self-locking nuts.
  • Check whether the bell-housing Torx bolts are steel or aluminium; torques differ.
  • Disconnect the reversing light switch before pulling the gearbox.

Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.

🔧 Engine codes this applies to

M57D30TU

📐 45 workshop diagrams for M57D30TU

Real factory drawings for this job — timing marks, bolt locations and routing. Locked in the free view.

E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox — M57D30TU · diagram 1
E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox — M57D30TU · diagram 2
E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox — M57D30TU · diagram 3
E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox — M57D30TU · diagram 4
E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox — M57D30TU · diagram 5
E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox — M57D30TU · diagram 6
E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox — M57D30TU · diagram 7
E46 GS6-53BZ/DZ gearbox — M57D30TU · diagram 8
+ 37 more diagrams
🔒 45 workshop diagrams for this job Ask about your BMW M57D30TU — free or sign up free to see the drawings

📋 Procedure

  1. Disconnect the battery
  2. Remove the heater bulkhead
  3. Remove the front splash guard
  4. Drive shaft
  5. Remove the exhaust pipe middle section
M57D30TU? Steps differ between engine variants — check this job against your exact car before you commit to it. Check my car — free →
  1. Remove the exhaust pipe bracket(s)
  2. Disconnect the catalytic converter from the exhaust manifold
  3. Fit the special tool to support the gearbox
  4. Remove the rear propeller shaft
  5. Renew the self-locking nuts
  6. Remove the propeller shaft middle support
  7. Disconnect the propeller bearing
  8. Disconnect the gear selector lever
  9. Remove the gear-shift control bracket
  10. Remove the clutch slave cylinder
  11. Remove the flywheel inspection cover plate
  12. Disconnect the reversing light switch
  13. Remove the gearbox bolts
  14. Remove the gearbox
  15. Steel
  16. Aluminium
  17. Propeller shaft middle support
Workshop diagrams

Ask TorqFix about your BMW M57D30TU — it answers with the exact sequence for that engine and the workshop drawing for each step. First question is free after a 20-second sign-up, no card.

Ask about your BMW M57D30TU — free → or sign up free to see the drawings

Other BMW procedures

Who makes these pages, and how

TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.

The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.

Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.

Seen a figure that does not match your manual? Write to us — we correct it and note when. support@torqfix.com

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Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.