Figure 1. Sugar contamination results in a number of different issues. These are severely scoured pistons. (Photo: C. Roberts)
It is not unusual to have a claim asserting that an engine failure is a result of sugar contamination due to an act of vandalism. Sugar (glucose) contamination of the engine oil causes a lack of proper lubrication and engine failure. Sugar contamination can also cause damage to fuel injectors or fuel filters. The following case study illustrates details of an analysis of claimed vandalism by sugar contamination in an engine.
Figure 2. (Photo: C. Roberts) The incident involved a pleasure boat that sustained a seized engine. Figure 1 above shows severely scoured pistons. Figure 2 is a view of a white immiscible substance from a fuel sample in the fuel tank. Chemical analysis of the substance revealed glucose as the fuel contaminant.
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