tee681

FOR SOME IT"S ALMOST TIME TO STOP FLYING & SHOVEL SNOW ! HOW DO MODLERS STORE THAIR GAS ENGINES FOR THE WINTER ? I MY SELF MAKE SURE MY TANK IS EMPTY & I FOG THE ENGINE THREW THE CARB & IN THE PLUG HOLE

CRFan1

I am leaving the tank full and keep the planes in my basement so there should be no issue.

Ernie Misner

If you have long winters I would add a little more Stabil than what is already in the oil. Diaphram-wise, make sure your fuel does not have ethanol in it?

FYI, tee681 is referring to using 2-cycle outboard fogging oil in the aerosol cans sold at marine outlets. It also works great for injecting into the crankcase breathers of 4-stroke glow engines.

Ernie

tee681

leaving gas in your tank for a long period of time will start to turn to varnish

goirish

Why do you want to store them?

unclecrash

Not if you use AV gas like me and a buddie do. It lasts for ever and keeps the tygon flexable. Going on four years, just put it in the basement and never winterize it. I will pull it out and it will fire up with out the problems of gumming and hardening of the lines.

goirish

What is AV gas? I know probably a dumb question, but on the other hand I'm dumb

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

I think he means AV gas, as in aviation gas...100LL for airplanes (which is anything but 'low lead')

unclecrash

Just your normal aviation fuel. oh and no nasty fuel gas smell either. Actually smells a bit like lighter fliud and it is light blue in color kind of reminds me of Turbo blue racing fuel.

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

If it's light blue aviation fuel, then it's 100LL avgas, which is the normally available grade. 80/86 is red, but very, very hard to find. And yes, you can sure tell automotive gas from avgas by the smell!

BTW, the local drag racers do stop by the airport and buy 100LL to burn in their cars.

unclecrash

Thats the stuff. I don't know much about it. I do know the hot rodders use it. And the guy I get it from at the airport says it will never go bad and it never looses its octane. He went on to say after the war the left all those planes out in the desert and went back and took all the fuel many years later and used it up. And when it burns it smells oh so good at least I think it does.

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Yep, we are talking about the same fuel. I can't vouch for the ultimate shelf life, but I've never heard about guys adding any stabilizers to avgas, or worrying about carb gumming, gasket problems, etc. due to long-term exposure to avgas.

On the other hand, guys running mogas (automotive fuel) in low compression airplane engines have had these problems if the gas sits for a while in the tank(s).

skillet92

I guess the question to me comes to mind do you "store" your weed eaters and chainsaws?? I left them just like I found then for years and never had a problem. Always started in the spring. Maybe took a bit of priming but it started and after a little blow out ran fine. I took that aproach over to my RC gas engines and has worked great so far.

But I only have about 3 months were the weather is just to cold to go flying for me.

unclecrash

I do the same with my whips and saws just fire them the next season,sometimes it does take a bit to get them going but like you say they always run. But we do get the long winters and what I do notice as the whips and saws get older the do tend to take longer to get going and in some I have found the need to change out the carby gaskets and diaphram.

unclecrash

But with the AV Gas I pull it out top off the tank choke and with in about 6 or 8 flips I have fire. turn choke off and they are running in a few more flips.

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Just curious if you've had any plug fouling from the lead in 100LL avgas? Will the high octane cause any engine damage (I have a DLE30)?

Ernie Misner

Are the airports really supposed to be selling that gas to us guys and the hot rodders? I don't think there's any tax paid on it for repairing highways, etc. I'll buy it from them anyway if I get a chance!

Thanks,

Ernie Misner

TimBle

if the hot rod is used on a public road with AvGAS 100LL in the tank then its considered tax evasion. I think serve jail time for that, I dunno ask Al Capone.

As for plug fouling, yes it can lead to plug fouling which is why checking the plugs regularly is part of a piston engine aircrafts maintenance schedule. AVGAS 100LL will store longer because that is a requirement of the fuel. It has a high aromatic content and bucket loads of tetra ethyl lead (TEL) as an octane booster.
Hot rodders use it because it has a higher BTUthan pump gasoline but burns slower. So for a relatively low revving high performance engine it carries a small power benefit.

Our model engines could benefit from using AVGAS but if you switch back to regular pump fuel you may find problems with o-rings leaking and a diaphram that performs inconsistently. this is because the high aromatics in the AVGAS is absorbed by the o-rings and when its taken away they shrink resulting in poor sealing. If you want to run AVGAS then replace the seals annd O-rings with Viton seals.
Another good alterntaive fuel is Alkylate ( a bledning component of gasoline thats fast and clean burning, has excellent octane and BTU). Its properties allow for high rpm if the engine can dynamically cope.

Mr_Grump

I've been using 100LL for years in everything from a Zenoah G23 in a heli to G26's, DLE-30's, an MT-57 and MT-70 twin. I also run it in Sthil engines. I don't intentionally drain any of the tanks for long term storage. Any fuel mixed with oil just sits in the garage through winter. I use it with no issues when the weather improves. No need to add stabilizers cause theres no additives in the fuel that'll degenerate over time. I break in my engines with it then switch to synthetic Bel-Ray oil. It burns very clean, no oder and if you spill some, it evaporates quickly with only the oil you mixed as residue.

I purchase mine 5 gallons at a time from a small airport nearby. I wouldn't trouble them for a gallon at a time but I've never felt they were bothered by 5 gallon purchase. It's expensive, for gas but the benefits are well worth it. Five gallon cost me about $30 just a few days ago.

For the record.... I got my 100LL knowledge from Don at Don's Hobby Shop in Salina KS. He's been using it in competition for years in large gas engines. He's very meticulous and knows his stuff when it comes to engine care. He'll gladly entertain your questions as well.

VF84sluggo

My Feedback: (55)

Good info guys! As far as using avgas in highway vehicles, these guys are showing up with the race car in tow on a trailer, so I would imagine they are headed to the track after getting the fuel. Can't say for sure, just a hunch.

hsukaria

For all you who are storing your engines full of gas in your engines, make sure you put them right up against your gas water heaters and furnaces. That way you can get some exciting FIREworks going on in your basement.[X(]

Even without the possibility of fire, the gasoline fumes will evaporate all over your house, even if you can't smell it.

rt3232

My Feedback: (6)

My two penneys worth. I have been using AV 100LL for the last 10 years in all of my gassers weed eaters leaf vac etc. all 2 cycle engines, on my planes just pump the tankes out and put them on the shelf. Ido replace the tygon about every 3 years just for my piece of mind. I do filter when pumping from the 5 gallon can to the field gas can and again when going into the bird. I do make sure the cans lids are on tight and away frim any heat sourse.

Cheers from fly overland

Bob t

jmpups

My Feedback: (1)

Come to Florida and fly all year.

Eganwp

My Feedback: (1)

Guess what I do when I want to run 100LL AV gas? I turn on the valve on the fuel tank at home and fill my jerry cans, as we have 500 gallon tanks of 100LL for my dad's Cessna Cardinal 177RG and all our Ultralights (as a backup ) on the farm. I've grown up my whole life trying 100LL in different gas engines. I used to run it in my Camaro Z28 on cruise weekends even!

And guess what? At the end of the day it makes zilch of a difference in every application I've ever tried it in, other than in one of our riding lawn mowers that ran soooooooo smooth and had a huge power increase when running 100LL. Must be a pretty high compression b&s engine in that sucker! lol. All other engines it made absolutely 0 difference, and wasn't even worth the extra 20 step walk to that tank to fill with.

For most people here on this forum, I can tell you first hand that 100LL is NOT in any way shape or form even worth discussing about buying for your little rc gassers, even if it's a high compression MVVS. Even in some of the high compression dirt bike engines I've ran, it made no difference. Yes the smell is definately different, and the dark blue tinge to the fuel adds a nice touch, but at the end of the day it aint even worth considering. For me 100LL costs even less per gallon than regular 87 octane gasoline from the pump, and even I just burn regular 87 octane fuel in all my gassers, even though it's more expensive as it's just so readily available when I'm away from home flying.

Egan

GerKonig

It is really good for people looking for a cancer... Besides, those fumes are still explosive, turn on the light in the basement, put the home in orbit.

Gerry