Aargh...

Having spent 2 days the other week doing the head gasket on my son's Peugeot 106, I was less than impressed when I got a phone call today.

"Dad, All the water has just come out of the radiator."

"I topped it up to the top like you said" (Oh, it's my fault now?") "and it's all come out." 

"Ok, what did you do? Was it leaking?"

"No"

"In that case, you've put too much in and it's just chucked it out to find its own level. Bye."

I was driving, so not really impressed.

I sent a security text - "make sure there's some water in it before driving home".

When we all got home, I took a look. "Ah, that's not good, there's oil in the radiator cap"

"Well, the antifreeze I topped up with did look a little strange"

"Eh? What can did you use?"

"That one"

He pointed to the old can I filled up last week with old engine oil after servicing the Astra, the old oil due to go down the tip.

"Um, let me guess, was it black?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

I spent the next hour flushing the system.

"Also," he said, "I checked the oil and it was off the dipstick, I had to use all of that new oil to top it up."

Odd, considering I had (obviously) changed the oil after doing the head gasket. I checked it. It was half an inch OVER the full mark.

"What colour were you looking for?"

"Black"

"Let me explain about new oil and straw-coloured 106 dipsticks..."

"Ah."

I took out two litres of oil.

On the plus side, at least he was trying to look after his engine, and, after about seven years, I've now found the "MAX" line on a 106 radiator...

It's about here if anyone's interested.

...which of course, as anyone who owns a 106 knows, the actual water level is impossible to see.