Video summary
The video documents a bizarre mechanical failure in a 3.6-liter Chrysler V6 engine caused by someone adding brown sugar directly into the motor oil. Upon disassembling the valve train for an initial inspection of persistent clicking noises during cold starts, mechanics discovered large chunks of crystallized sugar stuck around bolts and within the lifters. While the heat from operation eventually melted enough sugar to stop the noise temporarily, further investigation revealed that a girlfriend had been responsible for tampering with the vehicle's fuel system by pouring sugar into the gas tank. This act introduced polar substances like sugar into non-polar synthetic oil, which failed to dissolve and instead clogged critical passages leading to rod bearings and other internal components.
To address the contamination, the team undertook an extensive cleaning process involving flushing the engine with hot water and using solvents like SeaFoam to break down the sugar deposits in both the fuel tank and injection system. Although the immediate clicking sounds ceased after cleaning the valve train and replacing spark plugs, a significant issue remained: metallic debris found suspended in the oil pan indicated that rod bearing material had already been compromised by the clogged galleries. Despite successfully resolving misfires caused by hardened sugar residue on specific fuel injectors—which were cleaned to restore proper spray patterns—the presence of metal shavings suggested severe internal damage that could not be fully reversed without a complete engine rebuild or replacement.
Ultimately, while the vehicle was able to start smoothly and run without vibration after cleaning the injectors and performing multiple oil changes, the underlying structural damage rendered the engine unreliable for long-term use. The mechanics concluded that although they managed to clear the fuel system and restore basic functionality, the clogged oil passages and damaged bearings meant the engine would eventually disintegrate on its own if driven further. The incident serves as a stark warning against tampering with vehicle fluids by non-mechanics, highlighting how adding sugar not only creates immediate operational issues but also leads to catastrophic internal failure due to blocked lubrication pathways and metal-on-metal contact within the crankcase.
Read the full video transcript
Okay, what the hell?
It's like crystallized oil.
Only in that one spot.
Look how the bolt the the whatever the
crystal took shape
around the bolt.
The hex.
I'm going to try and break that up.
What the
Oh, it's brown sugar. We're going to
take the rest of of it out.
I've never seen anything like that
before.
All right, this is what came out more or
less.
It is weird.
It is crystallized.
Okay, and
it tastes like sugar.
We did I I tasted it. I'm not going to
do it again on camera. I don't I don't
give a
I'm not going to do it again. But, it it
is sweet. Two guys, me and my my other
guy tasted it and it's it's sweet. Why
we
we removed took it apart because at
start up for 15 10 minutes it clicks.
This is the 3.6 Chrysler
V6. You know the famous click.
They
They all will have it sooner or later.
This one has low mileage.
I think like 56,000 or whatever it is,
60,000. So it is too soon.
But we took it apart anyway.
None of the cam lobes are damaged. Some
We started We took spark plugs out so
it's easier to rotate the engine.
And what happens is some of the lifters
get stuck and then they they pop up
again. So that's why hence you know once
it gets hot
the clicking
subsides.
But somebody added sugar to the oil to
the engine.
Sweet.
Sugar.
I'm going to make some coffee.
Girlfriends?
Boyfriends?
Disgruntled mechanic?
Who added the sugar?
More sugar.
Mhm.
So we have pulled the oil pan.
Yeah.
It's quite a bit but we have chunks.
Chunks of sugar.
And we do have some in the oil pickup
tube.
As you can see.
So it still had oil pressure.
I think the engine Oh there's more.
There.
The engine
Well, it should survive.
We're going to look through it
some more
and give you updates.
All right, the plot thickens.
We are in the fuel system now. We've
pulled down the tank a little bit.
And holy shiznit.
Turns out it was a girlfriend's.
Wow.
So, we're going to flip
flip the fuel tank,
shake it,
try and get as much out as possible.
We're going to fill it with hot water.
Hot water is
uh polar. It dissolves the sugar.
Your motor oil is not. Any of the
synthetic oils
are nonpolar.
So, so they will not mix in or or or
whatever, work their magic and dissolve
the sugar.
So, it's only got to be water or not
even coolant, not not that not ATF, not
many solvents.
Uh
some SeaFoam
or or maybe the SeaFoam. We're going to
do that after we're all done. We're
going to put hot water in the tank.
Uh leave it let it melt or dissolve.
We're also going to
put the fuel pump into hot water.
It should be quick. It should melt
quick.
And put it all back together.
We actually poured hot water on
open camshafts
down the engine.
Got all the water from We have Okay, we
Oh yeah, cuz you saw that. We have the
oil pan open.
Um
we're going to flush it out, air it out,
do whatever we can to clean that out.
I think the engine ran fine. It was just
clicking the lifters
uh
kind of one of them or two collapsed,
but then it went away after a while. So,
I think we think the engine is fine.
It only got driven 15 mi or so.
We should be able to save it, is what
I'm saying.
Mhm.
Need some pasta.
Are we cooking now?
Okay, guys. Next day.
So, what we did a lot of work, a lot of
cleaning. Didn't show all of it.
One guy all day.
8 10
8 10 hours of work and then a little bit
more time today. We take the exhaust
down and a lot of stuff.
We put 8 gal of fresh fuel,
one can of Seafoam in the tank.
And then
about half of this
Marvel Mystery Oil.
I wonder what's in it.
All right, we did pour oil
on the valve train.
It was ticking
uh for 5 10 minutes uh
cold start and the guy could not
fuel up.
Fuel was coming out of the fuel tank. We
know why. All right.
Let's get it.
Hey, no tick.
I see a bit of a misfire.
Getting better.
If you can see the engine
shaking a little bit.
It's going to probably smoke cuz of the
cleaning.
We got a check engine light. Mostly the
misfire.
All right, it's it's settling down.
We're going to scan it
and basically run it with the other
stuff with the cleaning solvents.
Probably at least an hour or so, maybe
longer.
All right, we are underneath the the
Dodge
sugar sugar van Dodge Journey.
This is the oil.
It looked pretty good coming down.
It looks like any other I I see a
sparkles. Okay.
I'm going to take a magnet.
This was a clean
container, obviously.
>> Oh oh [ __ ] Oh oh.
Let me get some light.
What's this?
That is a big piece of metal.
One hand operation over here. Okay,
let's see. Oh, yeah.
This is metal.
Not good.
I'm going to get a camera, man. I'm
going to do one more test.
But I already see
on top of the oil
you know, the smudges.
What what do you call the separation
kind of
Okay, we have something here.
We have something.
Mhm.
Yep, right goes back right on the
magnet. Yep.
I mean, you probably won't be able to
see but I can see it jump from my
finger.
Right there. [ __ ] that's metal.
Ah, conclusion.
Don't piss off your girlfriends.
Or or boyfriends.
I guess more girlfriend than boyfriends.
What a [ __ ] thing to do, huh, to
somebody?
Yeah, this engine's done, but I assume
the oil galleries got clogged
passages towards the rod bearings. Cuz
this is this looks like rod bearing
material.
And uh, that's it. Probably not even
worth it. We may be able to
remove the lower upper pan and just
replace the rod bearings, but what about
mains
and other stuff, other passages?
Those are most likely clogged as well.
The misfire actually got a little
better,
uh, but not 100%.
Check engine was off for
uh, most of the we idle it for 2 hours.
>> Crank.
Check.
>> Trying to capture the
spray pattern on the number three
injector. That's where it's misfiring.
It's a very mild
or minor misfire.
And we're thinking it's the injector for
obvious reasons. We did find some
hard, sugar-like substance stuck
to the outside of the
number three injector.
So, see, that's
your triple or quadruple pattern, not a
like a clean spray
On number three right here. Oh, [ __ ]
Okay, go ahead.
Show the good side.
See that? How nice how much nicer this
one is?
Okay.
So, and also we have a bank two.
What was the second color? I forget.
Bank two lean condition lean. So, most
likely because of this
the one on the left.
Odd spray pattern.
So, thanks to our high-tech
equipment.
No, iPhone and Android.
We can establish that it is in fact the
fuel injectors. I'm going to yank them
out, clean them up.
He's too precious.
Guys, I'm sitting inside the the sugar
van, okay?
Sorry, I could not record everything my
guys did. I got busy.
So, we did clean the injectors, the
whole rear bank. Which is 1 3 5.
In hot water, ran hot water through the
injectors.
Was were delicate, you know, the easy
easy peasy, no pressure, little a little
of compressed air both sides, both ends,
while the while it uh
powering the the injector, okay? We did
that for a while.
Uh
I think I did throw in
videos with the actual pattern. So,
you're looking for a
fine mist, okay?
And we got it.
On the whole bank, the fine mist we're
looking for with the injector needs.
We put it back together, check it out.
I'm going to start it. We had a shake
before
and a check engine light.
Now, I'm going to start it.
No shake, starts right up, no light.
Check out these RPMs.
No vibration at all.
Revs up.
Even at these low RPMs right now for for
the for a second there, when the as they
come down,
it's nice and smooth.
Great news.
Well, semi-great news because we still
have the metal
inside the oil in the oil. Uh we're
going to do another oil change and
another filter change, and then uh it's
going to go back to the owner,
and the owner will decide what he wants
to do.
But eventually this engine will kind of
dismantle itself.
Uh
we may
do another oil change. I don't know. If
he's going to drive it for a week or so,
we may do
another oil change just to just to see
if there's any
you know, fresh freshly added metal
particles.
But if you find one, you're going to
find more eventually. All right, guys.
Take it easy.