Can Coca-Cola really clean a car engine?

Coke doesn't use the soda to clean truck engines. They'd have to be crazy to pour all that corn syrup over an engine! What they'd end up with is a sticky engine that will commence to smoking. Next time you see a delivery truck, ask the driver. It's not a good idea anyway to wash an engine unless it’s done by a professional.

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/oct99/939254063.Ch.r.html

Coke is excellent for cleaning corroded battery terminals.


Coke is slightly acidic (as opposed to basic) so it does not dilute battery acid (H2SO4), which is quite acidic. Coke will remove corrosion on battery terminals, but water mixed with baking soda (CaCO3) works just as well if not better. Baking soda and water is slightly basic which appears to react with the corrosion on battery terminals and remove it.

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/oct99/939254063.Ch.r.html

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/oct99/939254063.Ch.r.html

Coca Cola contains sugar. What kind of idiot would put sugar into a car engine?

I don't really think people would use it to clean the inside of the engine. There again, there are idiots in the world. To clean the outside, stuff like Gunk or Jizer would do the job better anyway. Getting Coke in your battery would not be a good idea. The acid in Coke is phosphoric, while lead-acid batteries work on a conversion between lead and lead sulphate in the presence of the sulphuric acid - which is rather more than quite acidic.... You wouldn't want lead phosphate complicating things.

If you use it you would have to decoke the engine. Things do not always go better with coke