The OP asks a good question. Aviation fuel is produced to a much higher standard than E10 unleaded pump gas. For decades leaded gas was used and sold at your local pump, actually until recent times leaded was all one could buy. I ain't an advocate for breathing in lead, but I'd put things in perspective before giving the OP a lecture in the land of the free.
Opinions on fuel
- Thread starter Boomer 87
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astnmacgto
Carnac The Magnificent
Good point, cause if the plane doesn't run, things go down hill in a hurry......... literally
windthrown
361 Junkie
Yes, we all breathed that sweet smelling TEL. Back in the day, and why California flipped to low lead and then banned lead in gas was the fact that many CHP officers that were tested that rode the LA freeways had 1/2 the lethal dose of lead in their systems. The US average blood lead levels for both children and adults have now dropped more than 80% since the late 1970s after lead was removed from auto and truck gas, and from paint. There is still a lot of lead in water pipes though. Anyone up for drinking some Flint, MI tap water? It has that yummy sweet taste of lead! Or had... maybe they have fixed it by now?
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
Can do that still here. The pumps at the airport are self-serve. Just drive out to the pump (or taxi your plane over) and fill it up using a credit card to pay. I used to run it in a car that I had tuned for the high octane (high octane pump gas here is only 90 octane)
Little Al
Addicted to ArboristSite
The use of 100LL Avgas in a mechanical unit designed to run on a lower octane fuel while more than likely will not damage the unit, but will possibly not offer much if any advantage over the recommended octane fuel, it needs changes made to the internals + possibly ignition timing & fuel mixture intake of the unit, to get the benefit from a higher rating from the fuel. Back in my 2smoke motor cycle road racing days the " fuel to use was 115 octane" I the found some of the top riders were using a product called " Blue Gas" this could be obtained in 130 or 145 octane I tried the 145 but it didn't appear to give any better performance than the std fuel. I then found that buying & fitting a " works kit" made all the difference to performance So for Race & "modded " saws it is the way to go in stock form I don't think it's a "good bang for your buck" Having lead in it that's up to the users take on the subject
Boomer 87
Addicted to ArboristSite
I don't disagree that a saw factory compression numbers doesn't require a higher octane fuel. The Benifits I found with it for one is the super long shelf life, and the fact it's pure fuel (no ethanol). And I know the ethanol debate has been beaten into the ground, but I know for absolutely certain I've bought old chainsaws from farmer's that have been stuck on a shelf in a barn for 25+ years, that were last run off non corn fuel and everyone of them started by just flushing the fuel tank. I've also bought saws that have been set idle in the last say few years that ran on corn fuel and wouldn't even attempt to run with going through the entire fuel system,is that a real big deal, no but to me it says alot about the quality of the old fuel compared to now. So to me the Benifits outweigh the risk as many of my saws are collector's pieces so the long term storage is a big deal, yes when wood cutting season comes in there's a saw in my hands every weekend,yes I probly shouldn't be breathing the fumes, but until I can find pure fuel close by this is my option. Also yes saws do have to be retuned for the heavy fuel but once you retune they start and run everybit as good as any other fuel.
Al, I don't think folks are looking neccesarily for a performance increase as such or even seeking higher octane fuel, they just want a quality E free product that will store well not attracting water out of thin air. Aviation fuel ticks those boxes.
GPX433Todd
Small Engine Addict
100LL in my saws. All the time. Run it in all my small engines.
LegDeLimber
Addicted to ArboristSite
I drive a bit over 30 miles, round trip, to avoid the ethanol.
After looking at the Dollar cost & time spent on replacing the corroded parts and rotted rubber.
Plus the down time and aggravation from it.....
Driving for the uncontaminated fuel, was much cheaper and far less stress inducing.
Oh and here's the latest Ethanol victim. Pulled this Carburetor off of my neighbors string trimmer yesterday.
If you notice that discolored area with the crusty gray spots:
You can see it's been leaking around were the crud has swollen and created small gaps (under the blue diaphragm) all around it.
You can faintly see the yellowish stains (among the chalky/black spots), that show where the fuel has traveled into the gaps , thus bypassing the flap/valve.
I'm speculating that crud is from the fuel filter breaking down in the alcohol.
The screen is a pretty nice mess and notice how much of it is in the pump cover also.
You can also see that the carb body has been banged around by someone, (before I received it).
Sorry for going so far off of Boomer 87s original question.
Just wanted to show a little bit of why that some of us holdouts
are so concerned with dodging the Corn.
Thus asking about the effects of alternate fuels.
Edited to hopefully be a bit more coherent reading.
It had been a serious "bad knee day".
After looking at the Dollar cost & time spent on replacing the corroded parts and rotted rubber.
Plus the down time and aggravation from it.....
Driving for the uncontaminated fuel, was much cheaper and far less stress inducing.
Oh and here's the latest Ethanol victim. Pulled this Carburetor off of my neighbors string trimmer yesterday.
If you notice that discolored area with the crusty gray spots:
You can see it's been leaking around were the crud has swollen and created small gaps (under the blue diaphragm) all around it.
You can faintly see the yellowish stains (among the chalky/black spots), that show where the fuel has traveled into the gaps , thus bypassing the flap/valve.
I'm speculating that crud is from the fuel filter breaking down in the alcohol.
The screen is a pretty nice mess and notice how much of it is in the pump cover also.
You can also see that the carb body has been banged around by someone, (before I received it).
Sorry for going so far off of Boomer 87s original question.
Just wanted to show a little bit of why that some of us holdouts
are so concerned with dodging the Corn.
Thus asking about the effects of alternate fuels.
Edited to hopefully be a bit more coherent reading.
It had been a serious "bad knee day".
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Flint Mitch
ArboristSite Guru
I live in the Flint area and no they haven't done much. But are supposedly working on it. I'm well out if the affected area but it still sucks
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G850A using Tapatalk
I'd rather pay for a chainsaw carb rebuild than a human carb rebuild. I heard lungs and brain cells are hard to replace.
GPX433Todd
Small Engine Addict
Are you advocating that mogas exhaust is 100% eco-friendly, and good for your lungs and brain?
Can't believe that in one morning I have actually read a fuel thread and an oil thread as I usually don't read either much less post in them as all I know about fuel and oil is anecdotal. Nonetheless these two threads were short and here is what I gather from this one: Lead is bad for you. Too much ethanol is bad for your saw. Fresh low E fuel is not so bad. Stale E fuel is very bad. Aviation fuel is subject to better quality controls, but has lead and a higher octane rating than needed for the typical saw. Canned non-E fuel is good; but may not be economical.
Like Boomer 87, I have some saws that may go for a year or more without being run. I also have purchased used saws with rubber parts having the consistency of a marshmallow. FWIW for the last five years I use advertised non-E high octane fuel purchased from a convenience store. I say advertised non-E fuel because I have never tested it and some locals allege that it really isn't non-E fuel but just a scam to command a higher price. I have had zero fuel issues. I do not drain my saws and can routinely start those that have year old plus gas in them. With that said, if I had collector saws I would drain and run them dry before putting them up if they see extended periods without use. If I had no source for non-E other than aviation fuel or canned fuel to use I would seriously consider the canned.
Ron
Like Boomer 87, I have some saws that may go for a year or more without being run. I also have purchased used saws with rubber parts having the consistency of a marshmallow. FWIW for the last five years I use advertised non-E high octane fuel purchased from a convenience store. I say advertised non-E fuel because I have never tested it and some locals allege that it really isn't non-E fuel but just a scam to command a higher price. I have had zero fuel issues. I do not drain my saws and can routinely start those that have year old plus gas in them. With that said, if I had collector saws I would drain and run them dry before putting them up if they see extended periods without use. If I had no source for non-E other than aviation fuel or canned fuel to use I would seriously consider the canned.
Ron
All I'm saying is I wouldn't purposely breath lead exhause if I had the chouce, even if it meant more maintenance cost. Just as I wouldn't weld without the proper PPE just for the sake of saving some money. The OP could use ethanol gas and then dump back in the can if the saw saw going to sit for a while and dump a half a cup of truefuel in the tank to purge the ethanol out before storage.
7sleeper
Addicted to ArboristSite
Excellent technique. I do it similar. What I find important to consinder is that one should NEVER underestimate the amount of fuel in the fuel system. With my saws with a purge bulb, I empty the fuel tank, close the cap and press a few times on the purge bulb. It is amazing how much fuel still is in the system. Often this method has to be redone because there is so much fuel that your system is refilled to a certail extent.
7
If you run the saw dry for storage just hit the primer button as it's running out until it's gone.
HuskStihl
Chairin'em for the sound
I wasn't trying to lecture. I just find many people don't really understand the neurotoxicity of lead and the exhaust of a 2-stroke. "I ran it in my car for years and I'm fine". Two strokes just pollute at a much higher level than a 4 stroke, and you are usually more than 18 inches away from your car's exhaust. Chainsaws and their fuel systems are also very simple and relatively cheap to repair. If y'all get this, and feel its a worthwhile trade off to avoid the ethanol, then I wouldn't dream of telling you different.
Boomer 87
Addicted to ArboristSite
I haven't taken any offense to anybodys replys I asked for opinions, however what I was really looking for was opinions of the men that do run 100ll, and long term affects of it on equipment. I got broad shoulders I can take a virtual jab,bc this isn't that important to me, you wanna see me come uncorked we can discuss politics and our overreaching government tryin to take my guns but that's a different forum. Long story short I run 100ll some run E10 .... at the end of the day it's up to the operator. There's a wealth of knowledge to be had on here from everyone
Chris-PA
Where the Wild Things Are
That looks to me like sawdust in the pump diaphragm. You'd have to ask how it got there, likely from an open fuel line (no filter), or because the castings of the carb don't fit well now given the apparent abuse. Those blue diaphragms are thin and hard and won't fill any gaps.
Still, none of that is from ethanol. Those white deposits might be, but they also look just like the hard white coating that was in my Dad's carb after he stored fuel in old plastic jugs.
In the end we have an abused carb of unknown history, and one can't condem E10 from that.
EDIT: Re-reading I see it's from a trimmer, not a saw, but I still think it looks like fines and dirt.
I don't use aviation fuel as I can really easily get E free unleaded. If 5% ethanol fuel was all I could get, I'd probably use it over driving to an airport. I like fresh fuel & buy it in small amounts which is easy. However farmers and the like that have their own bowzer tank may get a fuel delivery every 2-4-months and I feel for those guys having to use E fuel. I think if using E fuels one may be best doing things a little different.
