Comment

Comment by Thomas Richardson on April 2, 2009 at 3:38pm

Zenith factory planes succesfully run on only 100LL. Both the 80HP and the 100HP. I attended a seminar at Sebring by Phil Lockwood who is an authorized Rotax repair and sales center and he said 100LL is no problem other than as you stated , more frequent oil changes and the use of a high grade motorcycle which he recommends whichever fuel you use. I would be curious to know if your state has mandated 10% ethanol as Florida has. This seems to be a real problem for aviation boating , and as I just found out Lexus is doing major recalls on their cars in Florida because of the alchohol related issues of fuel system parts being eaten up.

Comment by Stephen R. Smith on April 2, 2009 at 3:36pm

Bob,

Thanks for that information. I did not know that Rotax advises against 100LL nor did I know what the dangers are for that engine.

Do you haul you own fuel to the airport? If so, what have you worked out to make that quick and easy?

Steve

Comment by Bob Jones on April 2, 2009 at 3:08pm

Steve, anyone using a rotax should be made aware that the only fuel to use , except in emergency or limited use is Auto fuel, rotax cautions the use of 100LL and requires more frequent oil change if unavoidable, due to a very good reason, if a oil is not used that is formulated to keep the lead in suspension, the lead drops out and coats the reduction gears, decreasing the tooth clearance, and could split the gear case or at least cause extra wear, I personally have to date run 1,935 gallons of premium unleaded fuel thru my 912s and it still showed 79/80 on the annual and runs Perfect ...BOB

Comment by Stephen R. Smith on April 2, 2009 at 2:18pm

Taylor,

Thanks for that excellent post. I like your conclusion: Fly often.

I have had auto gas gum up lawnmowers and weed-whackers so no doubt that can happen in an airplane.

What do you think of the idea of turning the fuel off and running the engine until it quits? That should get most of the fuel out of the carb. By experimenting I think I could learn to turn off the fuel while taxiing in, then sit in front of the hanger and run till it quits. On the Jabiru 3300 I could turn on the choke as the level in the float gets low and the engine leans out. That would keep it running till the float is empty, I think.

Steve

Steve

Steve

Comment by Taylor Ogden on April 2, 2009 at 12:47pm

I've been running auto gas in my 150 for a year, but took a 6 month hiatus this winter and got a bit of a shock when I went to run it again.
The auto fuel available nowadays does not have preservatives (why would they go to the expense since they can't make gas fast enough for our consumption?) and the fuel gummed up the mixture cup in the carb. Had to replace the mixture actuator as it slipped on the rod and wouldn't operate properly. That cost 100 bucks.

It also gummed up my fuel strainer and I had to disassemble and clean it all out to get it to work.

As for actual operation, I love it. The O200A runs great and the plugs were nice and clean. Starts after one blade passes. I'll continue to run auto gas, but will switch to 100LL in the winter or any time I expect to take some time off from flying.

The moral of the story is: Fly often to keep your gas fresh. It's a win-win!

Taylor

Comment by Stephen R. Smith on April 1, 2009 at 10:28pm

Jim, thanks for your input. I am hoping the rubber parts supplied by Jabiru will be ok with the alcohol in our auto gas here in California. They only offer the caution that vapor lock is more likely and they suggest cooling the fuel pump which will be easy to do. I just need to tap into the system I have in place to cool the mags. I also have heard that water problems are more prevalent with fuel containing alcohol.

Comment by Jim Belcher on April 1, 2009 at 11:55am

I ran auto gas in a Tri-Pacer with an STC a number of years ago. The engine ran fine, and ran better than it ever did on 100LL. It ran about the same as it did running 80 octane avgas.

However, the audo gas dissolved seals in the fuel system about as fast as I could replace them. I reluctantly had to quit using auto gas because of the seal problem. I would check samples of any seals (hose, o-rings, etc etc) in a jar with a fuel sample before trying to actually run auto gas in my airplane.

I hear bad things about burning auto gas with alcohol in it, but having not tried it, I can't comment.

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