Dennis, As to the fuel -----
Last year, in draining my sumps. I found green fuel....I think algae. I had been using Amoco Gold 93 Octane for about 15 years....However the airplane had been sitting for almost a year, without using much fuel on occasional run-ups and taxi ings, etc.... I had noticed that my Amoco (from the Station ---carried in 5 gal cans for refueling ---had aquired a different smell at one time. That is, having an asphalt smell....I didn't pay too much attention, as it smelled like normal 87 oct auto fuel.... Then, one day, on draining the sumps, prior to run up, I drained a green mess into my fuel check tube.....also noticed that my fuel caps had acquired a green coating --pasty like..... I obtained samples and sent them to Amoco, but they returned them with no comment except they had no idea. Now, I think I know what happened. Petroleum products are delivered across the country by pipeline, with 100 fuel being pumped behind a slug of kerosene; behind a slug of 87 octane auto; behind a slug of desil; behind a slug of jet fuel, etc....The amount of fuel that gets intermixed is very small, and is diverted at the storage tank farm into a container and re-refined into different fuels...supposedly assuring that only the proper type and clean material is delivered into the proper tank. Ha. Sure. Now, suppose that some of the fuel I purchased contained a contamination of jet fuel, or Desil, etc.,...and that mixture was the smell I observed..... It probably wouldn't make any difference if I had been flying regularly, and refueling with fresh, un-contaminated fuels...assuring the burning and dilution of the contaminated fuels.....BUT, I let it sit in the tanks for almost a year, getting some condensation of water,,,,,feeding the algae --that contaminates the jet fuel...(Prist -an algacide is mixed with Jet fuel to prevent growth of algae..). I think that is what I have, and maybe that is what your friend has. I still have a liquid sample of the green stuff, along with pictures of the green goo on the underside of my fuel caps, etc.... I drained all fuel, and cleaned the tanks, replaced with aviation fuel 100 ll - (supposedly has better algacide properties - vs auto fuel), and have had no more problems. I saved the fuel, brought it home and put a 5 gal dose each in two Chrysler type cars..... I immediately lost both fuel guages.....someone suggested the algae eats copper....??? Sure didn't save much there! The loss of auto fuel guages may be a co-incidence, but it sure is strange to loose two guages at once.......I have treaated both cars with Prist, and one of the guaues returned to working condition, the other has not.... So, there is my story...... I am still not flying, but do occasional fast taxie-ing, and replenish the fuel with 100LL. & some prist..... I was lucky to catch the problem before it got to the carburetter.....caught it on draining the sumps....so I didn't have any running problems.... Hopefully I will get in the air shortly. Harry Francis 93530 Blacksburg, VA.
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