Ford Fiesta Zetec (S-Reg) two problems

Checking coolant level, along with oil level and others, is often referred to as a drivers daily check. Doing this daily, or at least regularly, allows you to monitor what may be a small problem before it becomes a big one. I would top up the coolant, keep an eye on the gauge, and see how much it's losing per day/ week etc. Bear in mind that if it is overfilled, it will chuck out the excess. It would also be a good idea to make sure the cooling fan is working. Leaving it ticking over on your drive will do this. The fan should cut in before the gauge goes into the red. Keep your fingers out, when it starts, it's fast.

Almost certainly the discs are "blued", i.e. overheated. This is caused primarily by hard braking on new discs, and the only cure is new discs, and bed them in by driving gently, hurtling up to roundabouts and throwing the brakes on in the last ten feet will bring the problem back again. It's more a nuisance than a danger though. It will wait until your next service, unless it drives you nuts first.

HTH Steve

Thanks shazzbat. I see what you mean about daily checks.

I spoke to a mechanic on the phone, he said don't worry about empty coolant tank, it's empty because it was used when the engine was hot, and will refill by itself. Does that make sense?

Yep, I think it will drive me nuts first. So I'm getting it fixed this week.

Your explanation makes sense because I had a recent MOT where they put new pads (or was it discs?) on, and I wasn't aware I had to treat them gently, so I didn't...

Owen

Owen ( snipped-for-privacy@spam.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

No.

Not to me it doesn't. He may have confused himself with expansion tanks, where coolant is fed to as it expands, and then sucked back into the radiator when it cools and contracts, but his explanation still isn't valid. You car almost certainly has an expansion tank and header tank in one. It will be marked with at least one MAX level, maybe 2, one for when it's cold, one for when hot. It will be translucent so you don't need to take the cap off to check it. Top it up to the max or "max when cold" when the engine is cold and it will have room in the tank for expansion.

Steve

From your other posts, some of the issues are caused by you not knowing what to do. Cooking new brakes will happen on any car, so you'd have the same issue.

It sounds like it is showing an overheat problem because there is no coolant. Ford cooling systems are, with very, very few exceptions, designed for Las Vegas heat and traffic so the United Kingdom's climate shouldn't be an issue - providing everything is working well. That means coolant.

You don't detail the other issues you've had, but for a starter for ten, read the handbook and follow the advice. If it doesn't have a handbook, buy one.