Co-mingling Fuels

Polar742

All the responsibility none of the authority
..for GA type planes.

Say a plane has an Auto fuel STC, and it's flown to somewhere that you can't get autofuel for whatever reason.

You need gas and put in 100LL.

Are there any concerns or safety issues with that other than what would be covered in a STC?
 
..for GA type planes.

Say a plane has an Auto fuel STC, and it's flown to somewhere that you can't get autofuel for whatever reason.

You need gas and put in 100LL.

Are there any concerns or safety issues with that other than what would be covered in a STC?

Is it legal? I dunno, but I do know a lot of people who fly a blended mix of 100LL and Auto Gas because they say it runs smoother. In fact, mixing 100LL with AutoGas and a touch of Marvel's Mystery Oil was a favorite of a friend of mine in his personal airplane. After he started doing that, supposedly his compressions went up.

However, I don't know if that's legal at all. Check the STC.
 
Most auto-gas STC's are merely paperwork with very little real mechanical difference. They aren't written so you ONLY run mogas, just that you CAN mogas.

In my 150 with an auto-gas STC I never ran purely mogas and tried to keep it at half and half with 100LL.
 
Most auto-gas STC's are merely paperwork with very little real mechanical difference. They aren't written so you ONLY run mogas, just that you CAN mogas.

In my 150 with an auto-gas STC I never ran purely mogas and tried to keep it at half and half with 100LL.
I made a valiant effort to pin down a representative from one of the engine manufacturers on that subject while he wiggled and squirmed all around the answer. However, in the end, the advice went along the line of what you are doing, with perhaps a higher percentage of mogas.

However, read this in regards to ethanol added mogas:

http://www.generalaviationnews.com/?p=24115
 
Most auto-gas STC's are merely paperwork with very little real mechanical difference. They aren't written so you ONLY run mogas, just that you CAN mogas.

In my 150 with an auto-gas STC I never ran purely mogas and tried to keep it at half and half with 100LL.

thanks...

I didn't know if there would be an issue with the two fuels in the tank interacting while fueling.
 
A Cherokee 140 I instruct in has an autogas STC and it specifically says that mixing the two is OK.
 
there was a FBO owner and flight instructor who used to break the engines in on 100LL, and then after one hundred hours, ran his "blend", which was two thirds mogas, and one third 100LL.

he found that running straight mogas was too clean for the engines, and freshly overhauled engines had particular problems with sticking valves. on the other hand, the 100LL was too dirty, leaving lead/carbon deposits.

his mix resulted in cleaner cylinders without valve problems.

essentially the mogas was too clean, and needed to be "contaminated" with 100LL. he could be rather unorthodox in his methods, but he was getting up to 4000 reliable hours out of trainer engines, so his methods had backing.

the only problem i found with mogas is difficult starting in cold weather

the big thing with mogas is DO NOT RUN ETHANOL blended gas. it really is that bad. it will attack older rubber (fuel lines and gaskets), it will also go after some softer metals like zinc and brass resulting in carburetor problems, in particular sticking floats. it absorbs water, preventing all the water from being drained out of prior to flight. this lowers the boiling point which increases the chance of vapor lock, and the water can drop out of solution with a temperature change.
 
he found that running straight mogas was too clean for the engines, and freshly overhauled engines had particular problems with sticking valves. on the other hand, the 100LL was too dirty, leaving lead/carbon deposits.

Hmm, it has been my understanding that aircraft engines have been adapted for the use of unleaded fuel the same way auto engines have, ie., hardened valve seats, valve keepers that allow for valve rotation, etc. Lead has been kept in the fuel primarily as an anti-knock additive.


the big thing with mogas is DO NOT RUN ETHANOL blended gas. it really is that bad. it will attack older rubber (fuel lines and gaskets), it will also go after some softer metals like zinc and brass resulting in carburetor problems, in particular sticking floats. it absorbs water, preventing all the water from being drained out of prior to flight. this lowers the boiling point which increases the chance of vapor lock, and the water can drop out of solution with a temperature change.

100% true. If you were to get a single tank of poisoned, err, ethanol blended fuel, it isn't the end of the world, as long as it is used in a timely manner. Corrosion and water contamination really only become a problem if the fuel is stored for some time, usually more than a couple of weeks in my experience. I know the crap (even the so called "safe" E-10) has wreaked havoc on my lawn equipment, hardening fuel lines, causing all kinds of deposits to appear in the fuel tank and fuel bowl, and causes a drop in engine performance due to water in the fuel and mixture issues. Most don't realize that the presence of ethanol requires a richer mixture, which is why your fuel economy drops roughly in proportion to the amount of ethanol present in the gas.
 
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