6.5 Turbo Diesel run on gasoline

[daw2234]

I have a 1994 Chevrolet Suburban with a 6.5 Turbo Diesel with 120,000 miles on it. 7,000 miles ago, I was pumped a tank full of regular gasoline by a local station on an empty tank. I drove the vehicle at highway speeds for about 40 miles. I got to my destination and shut the engine down. It would not restart. After checking the fuel filter, I realized the problem and had the vehicle towed, tank drained, and new fuel filter changed. At the time, the Chevrolet Dealership's Service Manager said that in similiar situations, the engine isn't damaged. The bill was sent to and paid by the service station insurer. 7,000 miles and 11 months later the engine smokes excessively and a compression check shows cylinders ranging from a low of 360 psi to a high of 420psi. I talked to the insurance company stating that I feel the subsequent damage was the result of excessive cylinder component wear/damage caused by the gasoline incident. They told me if I would have the engine removed and disassembled by a qualified shop at my expense they would have an adjuster inspect it to determine if the wear/damage was caused by the gasoline incident, or is this a completely unrelated occurance
My question to forum members is:
Could the situation have been caused by the gasoline operation, and if so, how can I put provide a reasonable explanation to the insurance company with examples of similiar situations or scientific fact.

I've been driving diesel suburbans since 1983, and yes, I did get out of the truck and asked the attendent to fill the tank with diesel fuel!


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Topic moved to 6.5L Turbo Diesel Forum

[ 01-27-2004, 03:46 PM: Message edited by: jbplock ]