2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
3.4 L
Repairs done prior = Vehicle had a 50:50 mix of Diesel Gas put into it
when it already had some gas in the tank. The car ran approximately 18km
when it lost power and started making noises.
Done to repair this = All spark plugs had been smashed and had bits of
melted aluminum on the porcelain. Crown on one piston was broke off.
Piston rings damaged.
tip/donation yes
tech = KK
question = Hello, this vehicle did not have any previous problems until
this fuel was put in. The mechanic that looked at the car said that
bad fuel would not cause engine damage. That the damage had to be
caused by something else. Would diesel mixed in the gas and ran through the
system cause severe engine damage. What kind of damage could that be?
What do we look for?
KK:
Thank you for the tip/donation.
The answer is YES. A diesel/gas mix can cause this engine damage. Diesel and
gas obviously have very different properties. They burn in a completely different
way. While driving, the unburned fuel in the cylinders was probably pooling up in
the cylinders. A gas engine cannot run on liquid fuel. A cylinder that begins to fill
with liquid will cause that cylinders pressure to go sky high since there is less area
for air, the cylinder walls will have the oil washed off. The cylinders will be very
unbalanced as it is running. The shear compression of a liquid will cause spark
plug and piston damage. Flakes of material on all plugs is because the piston(s)
were starting to come apart, and metal was being transferred throughout the
engine. The computer was trying to compensate for the strange readings on the
oxygen sensors, injector pulse would be changed, timing would be changed, and
the engine would go into an unstoppable failure. With such an difference in
cylinder pressures, the timing chain may have jumped/broke, and caused the
pistons to hit all the plugs. Although as stated above, the extreme pressures in
the cylinders is enough to do that, and to break a piston. While driving this way,
there were VERY violent things happening in the cylinders. Cylinder temperatures
would be different from cylinder to cylinder, etc. The engine should be replaced,
all the injectors replaced, fuel pump replaced, fuel tank, lines, fuel rail cleaned
out, fuel filter replaced, oxygen sensors replaced, catalytic converter checked for
damage.
If you need any more help, just let me know.
Thanks again for tip/donation. KK
Back
3.4 L
Repairs done prior = Vehicle had a 50:50 mix of Diesel Gas put into it
when it already had some gas in the tank. The car ran approximately 18km
when it lost power and started making noises.
Done to repair this = All spark plugs had been smashed and had bits of
melted aluminum on the porcelain. Crown on one piston was broke off.
Piston rings damaged.
tip/donation yes
tech = KK
question = Hello, this vehicle did not have any previous problems until
this fuel was put in. The mechanic that looked at the car said that
bad fuel would not cause engine damage. That the damage had to be
caused by something else. Would diesel mixed in the gas and ran through the
system cause severe engine damage. What kind of damage could that be?
What do we look for?
KK:
Thank you for the tip/donation.
The answer is YES. A diesel/gas mix can cause this engine damage. Diesel and
gas obviously have very different properties. They burn in a completely different
way. While driving, the unburned fuel in the cylinders was probably pooling up in
the cylinders. A gas engine cannot run on liquid fuel. A cylinder that begins to fill
with liquid will cause that cylinders pressure to go sky high since there is less area
for air, the cylinder walls will have the oil washed off. The cylinders will be very
unbalanced as it is running. The shear compression of a liquid will cause spark
plug and piston damage. Flakes of material on all plugs is because the piston(s)
were starting to come apart, and metal was being transferred throughout the
engine. The computer was trying to compensate for the strange readings on the
oxygen sensors, injector pulse would be changed, timing would be changed, and
the engine would go into an unstoppable failure. With such an difference in
cylinder pressures, the timing chain may have jumped/broke, and caused the
pistons to hit all the plugs. Although as stated above, the extreme pressures in
the cylinders is enough to do that, and to break a piston. While driving this way,
there were VERY violent things happening in the cylinders. Cylinder temperatures
would be different from cylinder to cylinder, etc. The engine should be replaced,
all the injectors replaced, fuel pump replaced, fuel tank, lines, fuel rail cleaned
out, fuel filter replaced, oxygen sensors replaced, catalytic converter checked for
damage.
If you need any more help, just let me know.
Thanks again for tip/donation. KK
Back
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Engine Problem with My Pontiac Grand Prix