09-11-2013, 02:10 AM
(09-11-2013, 01:16 AM)Lord Popgun_imp Wrote: CB,
Thats funny. When I was a line boy, sometimes people would stop by at night and steal avgas from the fuel trucks. They did it via the sump drains. Usually their car would be broke down on the highway not far from the airport.
I don't really know why, but everybody said avgas would burn their pistons. I don't understand that either. Maybe Chip can explain what is/was going on.
Edit to add: Back then we sold 80 octane (red) and I think 110 which was green. I have no ideal what they have now.
Popgun,
When I started flying 35 years ago there were 3 grades of AvGas. 80, 100, and 120 octain and they were all dyed different colors so that when you sumped your tank before each flight you could visually see you had the right fuel on board. Jet fuel was clear. Today there is only one grade of AvGas and it's 100 octain Low Lead. It's the only non race fuel that is still allowed to contain lead. Air cooled aviation engines require lead to lubricate their valves and because aircraft are often flown for 50 years or more it won't be possible to go lead free for a long time without grounding 75+% of the civil aviation fleet. AvGas will not burn auto pistons and it does not produce more power than any other gas unless an auto is set up to take advantage of the knock resistance of 100 octain gas. So what exactly is 100LL AvGas? It is standard 93 octain premium unleaded auto gas with a small amount of Tetra Ethyl lead added to it. The lead raises the octain (knock resistance) from 93 to 100. If you use any leaded fuel in a car or bike with a catalytic converter the lead will quickly coat the platinum surfaces of that converter which destroys it's effectiveness. So leaded fuel in a CB1100 is not a good thing. All the best.
Chip