Depending on how handsy you get with your vehicle, you've probably mistakenly put the wrong fluids into your car. The worst is engine oil or fuel – the results could be catastrophic. Well, they say most discoveries happen by accident or through curiosity. American race driver, and vlogger Garrett Mitchell aka Cleetus Mcfarland on YouTube, swapped his engine oil for diesel to see how far it'd go.
It's not the first time McFarland is doing a crazy test on a car. In a previous experiment, he swapped the engine oil for gasoline on his Ford Crown Victoria 4.6-liter V8, and as you'd expect, the whole thing went kaboom!
But that's before they figured out how they could keep the car running with a PCV line delete. After the fix, it did 17 laps at the Freedom Factory track (with gasoline in the crankcase). However, in the end, it killed all the bearings in the engine on the Ford Crown Victoria.
"Well, you guys want to see that redone but with diesel. We are going to take all the oil out of this beautifully running 4.6-liter V8 and put diesel in the crankcase, and it's going to be pumping diesel through the engine to try and keep itself lubricated," McFarland said.
Most people would perform this experiment on a dying car, not McFarland. If anything, he ensured his fans knew the vehicle was running okay with zero lights on the dash.
The main idea was to heat the car, swap the engine oil for diesel and figure out how many laps it could go on the Freedom Factory track. The team wass aiming for 20 laps with diesel in the crankcase.
"Here's the deal, guys. Gasoline is more of a degreaser, right? So, it pretty much does the opposite of oiling something. That's why we wanted to do this experiment. We knew it would end disastrously," McFarland disclosed about their previous experiment.
Diesel and gasoline all come from the same raw material, crude oil. They are separated during the refinement process. Unlike gasoline, diesel is much thicker and therefore takes longer to evaporate. Diesel fuel also packs more energy density.
The team drained the vehicle's oil and filled it up with diesel. McFarland put on his safety gear and started the vehicle. Surprisingly, it ran on the first attempt. It also had oil pressure and no check engine light.
It took to the track like a rocket, and after several laps, McFarland confirmed the car was running fine with zero lights on the dash; no overheating or weird smells. It went on like this for a while.
The Crown Victoria did 36 laps on the Freedom Factory track before completely shutting down. McFarland admits it didn't pop the oil pressure or check engine light throughout the experiment until it shut off.
Well, as it turns out, you could use diesel as engine oil, but be ready for a dead powerplant in about 50 miles (80 kilometers). PS: Don't try this at home.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
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