update:

i took the car for another run today, according to the scan all of the solenoids are working fine with no errors occuring in them. the car still doesn't go into second, i'm thinking it is second and overdrive thats the issue so possibly a band playing up? still no other fault codes other than PO732. if anyone else has experienced this issue i would welcome some input to confirm or negate my hypothesis.
if i am correct and there is at least one other person that has experienced this issue then if i could pick your brains as to associated parts one might need on top of a new band, ie seals, gaskets, springs, rods pistons etc i would be eternally grateful.

 

....

 

You need a working band to get 2 and 4.

Band can be cracked or broken completely or the servo to it which has some getting a loose pin in the piston to not work either.

Servo is above VB which means VB and mechanical linkage rod have to come off after pan. Note VB has 2 seals on its' top, one is to servo and that blown out could do it too but rarely.

Band harder but accessible by dropping driver end of trans way down to expose the driver end cover of trans which comes off and the band right there. Back off the external case bolt on one end of band and it comes out.

Solenoid A not even used in second at all, it is off. Sol. E is the only one on in second.

 

You need a working band to get 2 and 4.

Band can be cracked or broken completely or the servo to it which has some getting a loose pin in the piston to not work either.

Servo is above VB which means VB and mechanical linkage rod have to come off after pan. Note VB has 2 seals on its' top, one is to servo and that blown out could do it too but rarely.

Band harder but accessible by dropping driver end of trans way down to expose the driver end cover of trans which comes off and the band right there. Back off the external case bolt on one end of band and it comes out.

thank you for responding, seems i may be looking in the right direction then...
i guess it will be drop the pan, solenoid block then the vb next.
i did get a haynes manual because in the olden days they used to give a complete breakdown of gearbox parts. most disappointed to see "gearboxes are complex, take it to a dealer or gearbox specialist..." so that was not worth the money or effort. i have a parts diagram with key but that doesn't really show what has to come off to get to each component, it's a little bit of savvy mixed with a touch of guessing, so thanks for the heads up on the extra bits, at least i can look at my parts list and start to make sense of it that way.
are there any specific "measured points" such as critical gaps or tensions (other than the usual torque settings) than one need be aware of? such as using feeler guages to set components, setting spring tensions etc?

 

If the band gets changed or even the servo piston for the rod the band adjustment may need to be redone. The 'external case bolt' I mentioned to release one end of band is actually a specialty bolt that comes in more than one length (5 IIRC) determined by the number on the top of part. You can try the original bolt but if any slip occurs you may need a new one.

You can make up your own bolt there and too long to then have an oldschool band setting, it torques in to 45 inch-pounds then backs off exactly 3 1/2 turns to be correct.

 

thank you very much, that's exactly the kind of information i'm looking for. you are a star!

i shall post upon my success or failure, you never know, there may well be someone in the same situation that could do with this kind of information too. i've spent days trawling the net for this!

 

https://workshop-manuals.com/ford/f...moval/disassembly/disassembly_and_assembly_of_subassemblies/assembly/transaxle/

Go WAY down to step 79 there and look. Top bolt is the tool and bottom is the bolt that comes in trans. Make up a bolt like the tool with a nut and then that one part adjusts. I seal them with a copper washer, all parts begin in a well equipped hardware store. The bolt must have the end ground carefully to match the original configuration and most especially the very tip, as any sharp corner can crack end of band again. I sanded mine smooth when done.

Steps just above 79 tell you how to set it.

 

Higher up same web page shows the reverse of removing VB, like the manual lever shaft on step 39, the servo cover with 3 bolts is covered by it and shown in step 36.

I forgot to point out the 2 accumulator pistons that drop out when the VB is removed and shown in step 45, they and their respective springs must go back in the correct spots.

 

now that is far more like the sort of information haynes used to provide. i can't seem to find anything like that in the uk. the usa seems to have many ford worshop manuals for this gearbox, but the price to post over here is quite prohibative. cut and paste seems like it might get some use sooner rather than later. thank you again, i am in your debt.

 

Manual for trans in entirety.................save it to disk using the downward arrow icon to the top right of page.

http://shop.ukrtrans.biz/wp-content/uploads/catalogs/4F27E.pdf

 

that's awesome thank you. my daughter actually mailed me that link as we were conversing, seems great minds think alike. i think i'm going to have some fun chewing through that. must be my old age that i can't find stuff myself.
i love technical data like this, it makes life so much easier. mind you, only stuff that is relevant, can't say i'd be interested in the make up of a saxo gearbox right now.
anyhoo, i dither on. i really appriciate your input, seems tomorrow is going to be a fun day under the car. best wishes to you, i hope your day brings all you could wish for.

 

Simply right click on the link and choose 'save link as' and then 'save' on the next page and the entire file (book) is yours, no cut or paste needed.

You are welcome.

 

MAN, your parts are high there!

 

i know, it's shocking.
i'm toying with the idea of importing a master overhaul kit from the usa once this is done and keep it on the shelf for spares. at around £200, with a bit of shipping and import duty it would be around £300 in total.
and the bits... i'd have a ton of gearbox parts to play with.
i did consider doing that this week, however the wait would have been a little prohibative. by the time it had arrived, and then the tussle with customs, who wouldn't release anything until duty has been paid, it would be a few weeks before i got the parts.

 

update:
well i fitted the new band, when using my homemade tool to measure for the selective bolt i snapped the new band, or rather the spot welds snapped off one of the metal brackets. so annoying, i had to strip it down again. fords were pretty good, they replaced the band without any quibble. as soon as i phoned them it was in the next day.
i snapped one of the vb bolts when tightening them up. i felt a touch irritated as i don't have a stud remover. i figured it would be another £40-£50 quid for a decent one; however when i dropped the vb off the snapped bolt was quite long, i managed to get some long nose mole grips on it to undo it.
fords no longer make those bolts in the uk, although they do supply the longer ones that go through the solenoids into the gearbox. these are the same size just longer, so i bought a packet of 5 for £2.20 and cut one down to size.
when i put everything back again i didn't locate the selector pin properly, so when i put it in reverse to check it out the car drove forward and nearly went over my ramps! quite a hairy moment to say the least.
i tried to put it back into park but it jammed, so i switched off and had a little ponder among the swearing and figured it must be to do with the vb.
drain down and a little peek didn't take long to work it out.

the selective bolt i had was a no3. it was too long, so i found a perfect washer, sanded it to the right thickness as a spacer, put a little locktite on the bolt thread and saved myself an extra £15 for a new bolt. coupled with the £40 i saved making my own measuring bolt, it was a nice saving of £55 for 2 bolts!

for anyone who finds this thread looking for an answer to the same issue; online you will find people saying you need to take the front wheel off to gain access to the endplate of the gearbox, that's utter rubbish. i put the focus up on ramps and accessed it from underneath. it's not that tricky. there is plenty of room, and it's safer too.
the very top bolt is worth undoing before you drop the gearbox down, it will give you more room, then finish doing that one up last when you jack the box back into position.

i finally bolted it all back and took it for a spin, it's a very sweet little drive. i used to have a diesel version when i worked for the police, as an unmarked car. that wasn't as sweet as this petrol one by any stretch of the imagination.

so my daughter is now one very happy bunny, she's all set to be on the road on monday. we have a new set of front discs and pads arriving monday. the ones on there are okay but showing signs they need a little love, so we just ordered a complete set. may as well be safe.

so all in the car and parts have cost around £450 in total. for a car with only 40,000 miles i reckon she's got a bargin.

thank you amc 49, my daughter also passes on her gratitude for your help.
may your days be filled with splendour and your night filled with contentment.

 

You are welcome.