DieselCross????

[Anita]

My vehicross is now at a dealer and they're quoting $2k just to take a look and see what's wrong. .

Wow, just to take a look? Your dealer smells the insurance claim too. I dont know enough to be specific with details of what they should look for, but absolutely be proactive in knowing everything they are doing and that no corners are cut.

Check your PM box.

[jimbo]

Is it at that Dodge/Isuzu dealer in Lawrenceville? I think it's Dick Greenfield.

Whenever I've been there they have not seemed very Isuzu savy. I've never actually decided to get work done there though (they scared me away twice).

Or is it out at Haldeman Nissan? Are they an Isuzu dealer too?

There's also a dealer in Richboro Pa, Davis Pontiac - Isuzu.

I wonder if Glen Wood could help, he has a foreign car repair shop in Morrisville five minutes from Trenton NJ and is a fellow VXer. His shop has been there for years, must have loads of experience, but I just discovered he is a member of this forum recently.

Glen:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/member.php?u=1333

[Heraclid]

Yep, that's something I've had to get used to when we've gone through NJ to see my brother up in NYC. That's one of my biggest pet peeves about New Jersey. To elaborate for folks who don't already know, New Jersey law says you can't pump your own gas so you have to let an attendant do it. They had a bunch of folks who apparently can't get a job doing anything else, so they wrote a law mandating that you can't pump your own gas. This is so these rocket scientists can at least have something to do that they shouldn't be able to screw up and some politicians can brag about how they lowered unemployment. But if you make it idiot-proof, they just build a better idiot.

[BuffArchitect]

Is it at that Dodge/Isuzu dealer in Lawrenceville? I think it's Dick Greenfield.

Whenever I've been there they have not seemed very Isuzu savy. I've never actually decided to get work done there though (they scared me away twice).

Glen:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/member.php?u=1333

I had them tow my VX to Dick Greenfield in Lawrenceville. I agree that they do not seem to know a lot about Isuzus. They were close and have done service for me before so I went back. I'll see what they say today. Yesterday they weren't very encouraging but maybe they realize there is an insurance claim here. I'd rather they be thorough and check everything out and replace anything that they think needs to be replaced.

I can't really blame the gas attendents other than not realizing with that when half a dozen cars are stalling and belching black smoke in their parking lot, they didn't realize something was wrong. For a good 1/2 hour they maintained that there wasn't anything wrong with their gas and it was everyone's cars that were the problem. What are you gonna do though?

Thanks for advice.

[VehiGAZ]

Bad news, Buff. Sorry for your problem.

The exhaust system is probably something worth checking closely, meaning the catalytic converter. Running mis-burned deisel through there may have really messed it up, but only an emissions test would show it, probably. It shouldn't be terminal for the engine, though, unless any sensors got fouled. I've seen something like this before... I worked a summer job at a car dealership once, and a service tech had put gas into a new deisel Mercedes when he was prepping it for delivery. Ouch! But they drained the tank and did some other work to it, and delivered it three days later. Of course, I have no idea how it ran after that. :-(

I'll pipe up on the Jersey gas pumping laws too... I get annoyed having to wait in long lines at the Jersey Turnpike rest areas where the favorite sons are working the pumps - one 10-minute wait blowing your average speed out of the water will show you that self-serve pumps would be a LOT more efficient. On the other hand, when it's raining or snowing out, I'd rather have the pump jockeys get cold and wet than me. One big plus - their prices are still a LOT cheaper than Connecticut's self-serve pumps, and a LOT cheaper than CT's full-serve pumps, which charge a 20-30 cent premium for full service.

[Joe_Black]

This is a pretty common problem here in Florida, but it's mostly the Northern blue-hairs not paying attention at the pump. VehiGAZ is on the right track with checking the exhaust, but there's more. I have a few local friends that are mechanics and they get this repair several times a year. Basically, they replace all fuel filters, check valves and spark plugs, inspect the vent lines, replace the catalytic converter and inspect the exhaust system. They also flush the tank and fuel lines as well. With a fresh tank of gas the engine usually clears right up.

Now, since this is clearly not your fault and there's ample evidence of where the error occurred... I'd go for whole new engine replacement using the 3.5 DI. Just to be sure. :winkg:

[jimbo]

This is a pretty common problem here in Florida, but it's mostly the Northern blue-hairs not paying attention at the pump.

Joe - Are ya sure it's never caused by drinking the "refreshments" you Floridians can buy at the Circle K while pumping your gas? :laughg:

I was afraid Buff was going to need a new engine. From what Joe described it sounds like a common problem that is very fixable, hopefully this VXer will be up and running again in no time.

[Raque Thomas]

Fortunately, it's not nearly as bad as putting gasoline in a diesel vehicle! Gas ignites at a lower temperature and does not provide the lubrication that a diesel engine needs, it can cause melt-down in a diesel engine. The diesel in a gas engine problem is more of fouling and making sure it is out of ALL systems so that the engine will run properly. Certainly, still no fun! When I was a kid, our boat ran out of gas, and a passing barge gave us gas which had apparently been put into a can that still had some diesel in it. The boat never did run right after that incident!