Sure, You Could Replace Your Engine Coolant With Pepsi, But Watch This First

The internet is home to some of the wildest and wackiest stuff. Of course, car lovers like us take particular interest in zany automotive content, particularly on YouTube. And yes, it seems we've seen it all, from fitting legs to a car and pouring boiling water over frozen windshields to some seriously outrageous vehicle builds. Then there are WhistlinDiesel's epic car stunts that, frankly, are quite interesting yet a bit wild and too over-the-top at the same time.

And that's what YouTubers are all about, right? The more out-of-this-world, the better for traffic, clicks, and monetization. Yeah, we get it, but it doesn't feel right without explosions, disastrous maladies, and even some comedy, and that's what caught our discerning eye (and short attention span) upon seeing Garbage Time's YouTube video, in which the guys drained all the coolant from a car's radiator and replaced it with, of all things, Pepsi cola, the soda drink.

The video starts by explaining what a Nuggeteer is or is supposed to be, which happens to be a person who gets satisfaction from driving small or bare-bones vehicles. It kind of sounds like us, so we watched further, all the way to when they filled the radiator with liters of Pepsi and eventually started the poor motor.

After hypothesizing about what could happen (they thought that the sugar in the soda drink could turn to goo and clog the radiator, or severe corrosion may develop from the Pepsi's acidity), the YouTubers started the car and warmed the engine. In case you're wondering, the poor vehicle is an S16 sedan from Malaysian carmaker Proton, a budget compact with a 1.6-liter four-banger under the hood.

They revved the engine until the fans turned on while idling and even took the car for a lengthy drive while vehicle-spotting. They went to the extent of boiling fresh Pepsi in a kettle and tasting the stuff to get an idea of what the liquid went through while circulating and absorbing heat inside the motor. The lesson? Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. 

Although nothing catastrophic like spewing burning cola all over hands and faces occurred, the experiment went undramatically well, and we know why: Carbonated colas are 90% water, and the cooling systems of most vehicles can tolerate water in a pinch (although we still recommend fresh coolant, as the stuff doesn't last forever). Again, sugary drinks belong in your mouth and nowhere near any part of your car.

The funny thing is, pouring Pepsi into a radiator and letting the car run is not the craziest thing that the blokes of Garbage Time have done. They did a similar thing to an engine, but instead of filling it with oil, they used chocolate. The result? The engine died after a few kilometers. Oh, and they also made their own electric car.

Moreover, the Pepsi stunt is, in our minds, not as dangerous as filling the radiator with something flammable like diesel, kerosene, or gasoline and seeing how it goes. For what it's worth, take these stunts as entertainment and not something that you should do to your own vehicle.

Coolant needs to be flushed and replenished every 30,000 miles, although some makes and models have coolants rated at 5 years or 150,000 miles. Refer to your car's owner manual to be doubly sure. It's more about using the right stuff than replacing it periodically. Cars typically need IAT, HOAT, or OAT coolant, depending on the vehicle's age, so stick with those instead of some bubbly, sugary drink.