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E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox — BMW

E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox on BMW: 65 steps, engines N57D30A. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.

This is gearbox removal for the BMW E90/E91/E92/E93 3 Series in 325d and 330d form with the N57 diesel (N57D30A) and the GS6-53DZ manual box. It is a rear-wheel-drive layout, so the work is all from below: engine lower cover, heat shields and exhaust brackets come off, and the propeller shaft is separated from the gearbox, its middle support removed and the shaft lowered out without damaging the rubber boot. The engine is held on a hoist, the clutch slave cylinder is unbolted and tied up with its lines connected, and the wiring, reversing light switch and gear-shift linkage are freed. The deciding points are a properly supported box on a jack with safety straps, and checking the centring dowels are still in place before refitting.

65 steps 1 engine code

🧭 Before you start

Remove the engine lower cover, exhaust brackets and heat shields, then support the gearbox and take out the cross member. Disconnect and remove the propeller shaft and its middle support, hang the engine on a hoist and set the slave cylinder aside on its lines. Unplug the reversing light switch and, on Start/Stop cars, the extra plug, free the shift linkage, remove the bell housing bolts, lower the box and take it out. Install in reverse.

Fits: platform codes 325D, |, 330D

Don't miss

  • Use safety straps on the gearbox jack; the box must not be able to slide off.
  • Leave the hydraulic lines on the clutch slave cylinder and secure it to the vehicle.
  • Do not damage the propeller shaft rubber boot when lowering the shaft.
  • Vehicles with Start/Stop have an extra plug on the gearbox to disconnect.
  • Check the centring dowel pins/sleeves are still in place before offering the box back up.
  • Bell housing bolts differ (hexagonal or Torx, steel or aluminium); keep them sorted by position.

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

🔧 Engine codes this applies to

N57D30A

📐 30 workshop diagrams for N57D30A

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

E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox — N57D30A · diagram 1
E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox — N57D30A · diagram 2
E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox — N57D30A · diagram 3
E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox — N57D30A · diagram 4
E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox — N57D30A · diagram 5
E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox — N57D30A · diagram 6
E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox — N57D30A · diagram 7
E90/E91/E92/E93; N57; GS6-53DZ gearbox — N57D30A · diagram 8
+ 22 more diagrams
🔒 30 workshop diagrams for this job Ask about your BMW N57D30A — free or sign up free to see the drawings

📋 Procedure

Preparation and removal

  1. Installation is in the reverse order of removal
  2. Remove the engine lower cover
  3. Fit a lifting jack
  4. Remove the exhaust pipe bracket(s)
  5. Propeller shaft/differential
N57D30A? Steps differ between engine variants — check this job against your exact car before you commit to it. Check my car — free →
  1. Remove the heat shield(s)
  2. Propeller shaft middle support
  3. Gearbox support:
  4. Exhaust pipe/gearbox support:
  5. Steel
  6. Aluminium
  7. Support the gearbox
  8. Caution! Safety straps MUST be used
  9. Use a special tool:
  10. Remove the cross member
  11. Disconnect the propeller shaft from the gearbox
  12. Remove the propeller shaft middle support
  13. Disconnect the propeller bearing
  14. Lower the propeller shaft
  15. Do not damage the rubber boot
  16. Remove the propeller shaft
  17. Use a hoist to support the engine
  18. Remove the clutch slave cylinder
  19. Note: Do not disconnect the hydraulic lines
  20. Secure to the vehicle
  21. Disconnect the reversing light switch
  22. Vehicles with Start and Stop system:
  23. Disconnect the plug
  24. Unclip the wiring from the gearbox
  25. All vehicles:
  26. Disconnect the gear-shift rod from the gearbox
  27. Remove the gear-shift control at the gearbox
  28. Remove the engine/gearbox attaching bolts
  29. Lower the gearbox slightly
  30. Remove the gearbox

Installation and checks

  1. Check that the dowel pins/sleeves for centering the engine/gearbox are still in place
  2. Exhaust pipe support
  3. Fit the exhaust pipe support
Workshop diagrams

Ask TorqFix about your BMW N57D30A — 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.

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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.

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Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.