Notice to All Auto Fuel Users

[challenger_i]

Regarding ethanol-laced auto fuel, if your o-rings are deteriorating, you should REALLY check every rubber component in the fuel system immediately.
I have recently seen the fuel system in a PA-22 completely ruined by ethanol-laced fuel. It t'werent pretty, and was a major pain to remedy.
Check your sumps, gascolators, and carb bowl for disolved rubber. Check the hoses for being spoungy.
For an alcohol tester, get a Pyrex rain gage, and a bottle of water. Place a half inch of water in the gage, and 3 inches of gasoline. Cap, and shake well. Let the tube set for a few (5-7) minutes. If the "water" level increases, you have alki in your gas.

[tnowak]

Not sure if they are available in USA, but here in UK we can buy a special chemical tester which is far more sensitive than the method described above. Take a look here:
http://shop.airworlduk.com/blue-bott...382-1353-p.asp
http://shop.airworlduk.com/blue-bud-...381-1352-p.asp
Tony Nowak
p.s mogas = auto fuel!

[tnowak]

In Europe-land a report has just been published by EASA (sort of equivalent to your FAA) on the effect of fuel additives in Mogas/Auto-fuel. Basically, the additives are bad news!

I have done some plagiarizing (below) from a Light Aircraft Associations BB posting which has similar discussions going on (thanks M Hallam!).

Report EASA.2008/6 here: http://easa.europa.eu/safety-and-res...s.php#2008op06

The report makes a lengthy read and some of the content is highly technical but does recognise that problems exist.

Seems Aluminium (and other metals too) can incur initiating pits from one dose of the additive(s), which then carry on deteriorating.

Worse are the unknown, but definite, attacks on seals, bonding agent, fuel lines, pumps, carburettors and the many types of materials used in fuel tank construction. To date, manufacturers have largely use resistant materials chosen after years of successful experience with regular gasolines/petrols.

However these materials - in various combinations too - are not necessarily good at coping with with the current 'oxygenator' additives. One common one, Nitrile rubber, is atacked, and the report can only suggest wholesale replacement of all components, whether actually available or not, by flouro-rubber parts which are said to be nominally 10X the price.

Seems that rigorous and regularly inspection of the accessible components is required. Also hoping that flex pipes will show cracks and/or sticky witness deposits in filters or carb bowls would warn of tank softening and fibre glass debonding.

Tony Nowak

[Gilbert Pierce]

Here is what I use to test for ethanol. It is much quicker then putting water up to the line, adding fuel, shaking and waiting for the water to settle to bottom of the sample to see if comes about the previous water line.
http://www.fueltestkit.com/

The quik-check indicator is a blue dye. You add one drop to your fuel sample. If the fuel sample immediately turns blue you have ethanol in it. If the drop of blue dye just settles to bottom of the sample and does not disburse in the fuel sample you have no ethanol in the sample. Any amount of ethanol is too much for you airplane.
I tested this kit for the EAA and was impressed with it because it is quick. When you at the gas pump you don't want to wait 5 minutes for the water to settle out in the test sample.