Gearbox removal & installation: Nissan C23 (LD20, LD23)
Step-by-step gearbox removal & installation for the Nissan C23 (LD20/LD23): 15 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.
Removing the LD20 2.0 D diesel from the Nissan C23. It is a short sequence on paper, but the engine and gearbox come out together and need some preparation. Underneath, the engine lower cover and exhaust pipe come off and both the engine oil and the coolant from block and radiator are drained. The ancillary drive belts are removed, then the alternator, air-conditioning compressor and power steering pump. Every cable, hose and line between the unit and the body is disconnected before the engine and gearbox are supported on two transmission jacks, the support cross member removed and the mounting bolts taken out. The deciding points are labelling what you disconnect and keeping the unit stable on the jacks as it is lowered.
🧭 Before you start
Remove the lower cover and exhaust pipe, drain oil and coolant, and remove the drive belts, alternator, compressor and power steering pump. Disconnect all cables, hoses and lines between engine, gearbox and body. Support the unit on two transmission jacks, remove the support cross member and mounting bolts, and lower the engine out.
Fits: platform codes 2.0, D
- Opens: coolant, engine oil
Don't miss
- Drain coolant from both the engine block and the radiator.
- Support engine and gearbox on two transmission jacks before the cross member comes off.
- Label every disconnected cable, hose and line; there are many.
- Keep refrigerant and power steering systems closed where possible, as general practice; move units aside rather than opening them.
Written for this job from the workshop steps below · TorqFix editorial.
📐 8 workshop diagrams for LD20
Real factory drawings for this job — timing marks, bolt locations and routing. Locked in the free view.
📋 Procedure
- Remove the engine lower cover
- Drain the engine oil
- Remove the exhaust pipe
- Remove the ancillary drive belts
- Drain the coolant from the engine block and radiator
- Remove the alternator
- Remove the air-conditioning compressor
- Remove the power steering pump
- Disconnect all the cables, hoses and lines from the engine and gearbox
- Support the engine and gearbox with two transmission jacks
- Remove the engine support cross member
- Remove the engine/gearbox mounting bolts
- Remove the engine
Ask TorqFix about your Nissan LD20 — 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 Nissan LD20 — free → or sign up free to see the drawingsOther NISSAN procedures
- Nissan Serena 2.0 D LD20 timing belt replacement
- Nissan C23 CylHead 2.0 D LD20 cylinder head removal & torque
- Nissan Serena 2.3 D LD23 timing belt replacement
- C23 Remove LD23 CylHead
- Nissan Micra K12 CR timing chain replacement
- Nissan non type specific 2.0 dCi timing chain replacement
- Nissan X-Trail T30 QR20, 25 QR20DE timing chain replacement
- Nissan X-Trail T31 2.4 QR25DE timing chain replacement
- Nissan Kubistar 1.5 dCi auxiliary belt replacement
- Qashqai - HR16DE - RS5F92R
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
The story behind TorqFix →Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.