Klay;
Luckly we do not have many of these cases anymore,although we have had a number of "burnt up" motors that the owners claim are from vandalizm,putting sugar in the tank. We always take a fuel and
oil sample and have them analized. We have found many many foriegn chemicals in some engines and have denied the claim based on that.... Not trying to screw anyone out of anything,but when you find all kinds of household cleaning fluids in the fuel and
oil,well, you get the drift,and anyway "intentional acts" are an exclusion!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have had a few cases of sugar with the newer fuel injected autos and we also have them flush and clean out the fuel injectors,just for a safety measure...
Now when you have sand in the
oil as I have seen a few times,that's bad news..... You should see the engine block after running 100 miles with what we believed to be about a pound of sand poured into engine from the oil fill on the valve cover.... Not much left to call piston rings and a cylinder walls soo scoured you would not believe it... Chaulk it up to a jealous boyfreind or ex-husband,but sand is bad news....
Ron; Never seen sugar in the oil,but surely would beleive it would "gum up" and very possibly clog the oil pump.... When we mixed sugar and oil at room temp,it got very thick and flowed about like molasses. Untill the engine warms up and thins the oil it could very possibly clog oil passages and the oil pump causes the engine to starve for oil and damaging it in the process....
BTW; John Force ran an additive in his fuel on his funny car for a couple of years when he was sponsored by a candy manufacter,made the exhaust smell just like the candy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
David