The BC-series manual

transmission Transmission or transmit may refer to: Science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Transmission (mechanical device), technology that allows controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual tra ...

s are a range of manual

transaxle A transaxle is single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission (mechanics), transmission, axle, and differential (mechanics), differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual tra ...

s produced by Ford in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

for its

front-wheel-drive Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel-drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional l ...

automobiles from 1976 onwards. Originally debuting in the Mk.1 Ford Fiesta, the unit was later used in Ford's other front-wheel-drive vehicles, most notably the Ford Escort and Orion. The unit features a 20mm x 17 spline input shaft, uses a rod-based shift linkage and was originally only available in 4-speed format, designated as BC4, and designed to mate either with the Valencia version of the OHV

Ford Kent The Ford Kent is an internal combustion engine from Ford of Europe. Originally developed in 1959 for the Ford Anglia, it is an in-line four-cylinder overhead valve (OHV) pushrod engine with a cast-iron cylinder head and block. The Kent family ca ...

engine, or the CVH unit. The 5-speed BC5 version appeared in 1982 on the Escort as a standard fitment on 1.6 litre cars, and as an option on 1.3 models, and became available on the Fiesta Mk2 in 1983.

Known Issues

* The differential bearings are prone to collapsing on early build units, resulting in the driveshaft

CV joint A constant-velocity joint (also called a CV joint and homokinetic joint) is a mechanical coupling which allows the shafts to rotate freely (without an appreciable increase in friction or backlash) and compensates for the angle between the two sha ...

grinding the gearbox casing away, and leading to complete failure. The early signs of this is that the speedometer drive fails. * The oil level plug on early units has a bolt head, can easily strip the threads of the casing due to over-enthusiastic tightening. Later units make use of a flat plug with a small

Torx Torx (pronounced ) is a trademark for a type of screw drive characterized by a 6-point star-shaped pattern, developed in 1967, Bernard F. Reiland, "Coupling arrangement and tools for same", filed 1967-03-21 by Camcar Textron. A popular gener ...

head making it harder to apply excessive torque to the plug. * Retrofitting the five speed unit (BC5) into a Fiesta Mk1 is not straightforward as it requires modifications to the chassis to allow clearance for the gearbox to fit - the Mk2 Fiesta in contrast had widened chassis rails in order to cope with the increased length of both the BC5 transmission and the CVH engine, since the Mk1 was originally designed to only use the Valencia/BC4 combination. The crossmember mounting points also require modifications.

iB5 Version

A completely revised version of the transaxle was introduced in 1995 and was designated iB5, and was initially introduced for the Mk.4 Fiesta. The major difference being an improved cable-operated shift mechanism and the introduction of a hydraulically operated clutch. The ultimate version is IB5+, manufactured only in Brazil, that fits engines as big as 2.0 litre.

Applications

Ford Fiesta The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car that was marketed by Ford from 1976 to 2023 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and had been positioned below the ...

(BC series: 1976–1995; iB5: 1995–present) * Ford Escort (BC series: 1980–1995; iB5: 1995–2002) *

Ford Ka The Ford Ka is a small car manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1996 to 2016 as a city car and from 2014 to 2021 as a subcompact car. It entered its second generation in 2008, produced by Fiat in Tychy, Poland. A third generation was introduced ...

(1996–2008) * Ford Puma (1997–2001) *

Ford Focus The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1998 until 2025. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worl ...

: 1.4L, 1.6L & 1.8L (Uses iB5; 1998–present) *

: 2.0L CVH/SPI (Uses iB5; 2000–2004) *

Ford EcoSport The Ford EcoSport ( ) is a subcompact crossover SUV ( B-segment) manufactured by Ford between 2003 and 2022. The first-generation model was developed and built in Brazil by Ford Brazil since 2003, at the Camaçari plant. The second-generation ...

: (2003–present) *

Ford Fusion (Europe) The European Ford Fusion is a car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 2002 to 2012 across a single generation. It has a high roof, five-door, five-passenger, front-wheel-drive, mini MPV design and is described in the motor industry as b ...

Mazda Demio The is a subcompact/ supermini/ B-segment small car manufactured by Mazda since 1996. While sold across four generations in the domestic Japanese market, the Demio nameplate was rarely used outside of Japan, where it was usually called the Maz ...

/ Mazda 2 DY with Ford Sigma engines

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford Ib Transmission BC series