yep. i had an engine that got sand in it. it would run like a bat out of h e l l for about 3-5 minutes, and then die and it would be very hard to start afterwards. I took the engine apart, and sure enough, the cylinder sleeve and piston were scratched pretty badly. keep your truck away from sand unless your air fliter is on real secure. I will never run n the sand again. That stuff is so fine and gritty, all it takes is one time and ur engine is done. clean it up real good and send the engine in for maintenance. if it has a warranty like most engines do, then you will get a new one.