Engine Destruction? Will Gallium Destroy a Running Engine?

In this video I test if putting liquid gallium in the carburetor of a running engine will cause it to break.

[@jwalster9412]

Im surprised someone actually did this.. I thought that there was no way that I would find an actual result for "gallium on car piston".

[@backyardfoundry]

I was surprised that no one else had done it either, so I knew I needed to test it out.

[@758Redwhulf]

Good thing the piston didn't come out the block while you were injecting it i to the carb lol..... granted you didn't get hurt that would have been one awesome video!

[@seventeenshaun6424]

I’m honestly impressed the engine was able to withstand that much gallium. Really informative video.

[@rusmaster200]

the oil and fuel is most likely protecting the aluminum from the gallium. gallium has to touch clean, un-oxidized aluminum for the reaction to work.

[@patricksquires6348]

Hah. I have been wanting to do this for 20 years! Thank you Thank You. I keep suggesting to do this very motor vs gallium experiment to the Project Farm yt channel for several years now - but no luck yet! Really love that you did this. I suspected it would be hard getting the gallium to take to the aluminum. I have seen people struggle to it only working on a very fresh scratch. Again - Huge thanks for trying this!

[@backyardfoundry]

I bet project farm would do this concept justice! I want to redo this video at some point in the future and really try everything to get the motor to fail.

[@patricksquires6348]

@@backyardfoundry 2024!

[@docdetroit146]

Neat experiment!! Mayby try gallium in the oil?

[@deanworden7686]

I really like the background Gallium background information.

[@jjuggernaut3218]

I’m impressed! I thought the engine would fail, with the piston rings chewing the cylinder to hell. Could you do it again by just mixing the gallium into the fuel?

[@AlphaFitz]

Great vid. Sand paper the the top or drill small holes and do it again.!!!🎉

[@spackerinternational6131]

Good video mate! I really hope you continue making videos and I'm glad to be here early on in the beginning. Be careful reading the comments! If you haven't already gotten some, you will eventually get some negativity and it can really knock your confidence early on and often stops new creators. Good luck!

[@backyardfoundry]

Hey man I appreciate the positivity it really does help! I hope to continue to improve so the early adopters such as your self will continue to be entertained.

[@spackerinternational6131]

@@backyardfoundry no worries! Would you like an absolutely bomb idea for a video that no one on KZbin has done yet? A subject that gets billions of views per month?

[@spackerinternational6131]

@@backyardfoundry if you do, put your email here and I'll send it in private

[@johnschuman8910]

Super informative and interesting video, really hoping to see a rematch because right now it’s BYF: 0 Engine: 1

[@backyardfoundry]

Trust me. BYF is not finished. The engine will pay.

[@3n3ly7m9]

You need raw or a surface where the gallium is able to penetrate, such a scratch

[@Geneo-en5km]

Plot Twist! Somebody sold Mercury to him instead of gallium! Dund dun Dahh.... and he been handling it...☠️

[@Geneo-en5km]

I hope not tho!

[@CircleOfMagicBriar]

I'd guess the reason the gallium didn't eat the aluminum is the coating of soot. Even a thin layer of oxidation can protect against the reaction of galium from what I've seen in videos. Often people have to scratch up the surface to start the reaction if the metal isn't freshly cleaned beforehand.

[@backyardfoundry]

Yeah, I was worried that may be the case, I was kinda hoping that since it is an old engine the friction would have worn the oxides away enough for it to work.

[@damianstrudley2265]

What would hsve happened if you had put it directly into the engine oil and ran it ???

[@bigantplowright5711]

The Gallium didn't come into contact with aluminum, it's on the oxide.

[@backyardfoundry]

I was hoping that perhaps the small amount of wear an engine experiences per cycle would be enough, but as you saw you are probably right!

[@backyardsounds]

Steel sleeves for the cylinder walls and valves, springs etc. + aluminum has an oxide layer protecting it. Then you have the oil which coats the surfaces everywhere the galium goes. The galium might have been vaporized but I haven't checked the boiling point.

[@virtualtools_3021]

It has the highest boiling point of any element, no chance

[@keegentilley578]

@@virtualtools_3021 oh damn

[@Pygmyz06]

4,352°F 2,400°C As the guy above said 😂 no chance

[@jondubois5315]

Gallium boils at 4000*....

[@elrincondelgordotvpod5688]

Thanks bro

[@backyardfoundry]

Anytime brotato chip

[@youknoweverything7643]

Im glad someone besides me tried this I did this to a old wore out harbor freight go kart engine that was still runnjng but junk it ate up the head piston cylinder all the aluminum and steal I put it ghrough the motor and poured it ontop of the motor as well lol

[@backyardfoundry]

I was really surprised there arn't more videos like it. Cause I had been wondering this for a long time!

[@baveryroblox]

Nice!

[@Alltakenbla]

Maybe putting the gal in the coolant circuit would be more effective.

[@BobSmith-xe8we]

It wouldn't be in the lower half of the motor like in the crank case cuz anything that goes in the intake stays above the piston n rings unless the rings are completely junk but then it would be spitting smoke and oil out the exhaust

[@lraffucci]

nice

[@Geneo-en5km]

Bud take the head back off, scrape a layer off the piston, and bead up the gallium on that location! Test every 5 to 10 min youll get a result!

[@backyardfoundry]

I plan to try this again in the future (not in the winter again) and will do the concept justice. So I appreciate all the ideas!

[@sebastianem2405]

Thank you for doing this so we didn't have to

[@backyardfoundry]

I'll be expecting a peace prize for my work

[@danielcook4712]

I would think of you out the gallium in the oil let it run the gallium will melt and mix with the oil leaving little gallium crystals all over the place when it cools. Then starting the engine cold might scratch the surfaces it is in contact with causing it to start reacting then leave the engine a few days and try to start it again.

[@oscaranderson1822]

I didn't think it was going to start that second time.

[@backyardfoundry]

This engine surprised me with how resiliant it was. If you want to see its final start, check out the video when I put thermite through it.

[@james10739]

I was thinking it would be in the crank case

[@MRdeLaat]

it wil just mix with all the oil. you need to scratch the outside metal, then put galium all over it and let it soak in for 2 hours or more. then start the engine and see if it breaks apart

[@OldGuyDJTips]

The gallium needs it to be warm …. It probably solidified due to the cold weather

[@backyardfoundry]

Yeah unfortunately that may be a factor in the engine surviving. Perhaps I will run the test again in the future and fix some of the problems people have commented.

[@deanworden7686]

Nice Video!! Keep going. :)

[@hydrostaticshocker3048]

Try it in a water cooled engine with it in the coolant..

[@backyardfoundry]

That would be super cool, I will look around for a smaller water cooled engine in my price range for a potential future video.

[@mikewest9033]

The gallium probably turned back to a solid before it could get a full reaction

[@backyardfoundry]

Yeah unfortunately I think that is a solid possibility

[@insomniboy4563]

You have to scratch whatever alloy you put the gallium on incase of any enamel etc

[@andrewfrancis7079]

Enamel in an engine? Cool yarn

[@agirwin]

Use the gallium as the lubricant instead of oil.

[@askjeevescosby2928]

Won't do sht to a iron block but it will trash a aluminum block. The oil may be able to protect the aluminum because it had anti corrosive properties to stop internal corrosion from moisture in gasoline. But if you scratched the surface of a aluminum block it would weaken the aluminum and cause it to throw a rod. When the new aluminum ford f150s came out I remember a story where somebody damaged one on a car lot using gallium. They cut a small spot in the roof and dumped a bunch of gallium in it. The roof of the car disintegrated.

[@backyardfoundry]

If I remember correctly I made sure the engine was all aluminum (no iron sleeve). I think the cold severely reduced the galliums effectiveness on the aluminum. Maybe if my youtube channel gets big I'll do a whole aluminum f150 like you said. Ill give you a shoutout obviously!

[@askjeevescosby2928]

@@backyardfoundry I think the oil is blocking the gallium from oenetrating the block. I bet if you scored the outside of the block and bobbed it on it would ruin the engine.

[@Eazykilldavis]

Oil will protect the aluminum.

[@sebastiankerne4253]

You should put it around the sparkplug and into the oil. So its not out in a milisecond

[@backyardfoundry]

I plan to redo this video at some point and will definitely be adding more gallium to the whole thing and making many improvements so thank you for the ideas!

[@tetrodotoxin3863]

You should put it in the oil

[@backyardfoundry]

Once I make a sequel video I will. Ill make sure to do alot better.

[@ishtlutz1261]

What gave you this idea to test if gallium will destroy an engine? Did you hear someone mention something about it? Just wondering what prompted your curiosity.

[@backyardfoundry]

Honestly I bought some gallium cause its cool, and was sitting in my garage and looked at this engine, and it came to me. I had to know haha!

[@bass0129]

The steel sleeve inside of the cylinder and head might have been protecting the block

[@walterblack2121]

man you could year the engine struggling and it sounds slower

[@backyardfoundry]

Yet it still ran like a champ. I ended up killing it in another video. But its memory will live on

[@kaber759]

Have to scrap off oxide on aluminum

[@mikesloam412]

I thought it would foul the plug.

[@backyardfoundry]

I thought so too but surprisingly not too bad!

[@Spaceman1011]

Damn yo hands thirsty

[@backyardfoundry]

Real

[@atomicfx6885]

makes 0 sense to put inside the motor you should scratch the head of the motor or the actual block and let gallium sit on it for a night to 2 then try to start it it would make more sense

[@backyardfoundry]

Once I get another engine to destroy maybe I'll try that

[@atomicfx6885]

@@backyardfoundry if you do make sure it’s a aluminum block should make for a great video

[@bounzig]

Some day this dude is gonna get a Darwin award.

[@backyardfoundry]

I'd make sure it got posted

[@CM-xr9oq]

Let's test something that will never happen...

[@SaltyRad]

sometimes you just have to know. life's little mysteries lol