Fuel

tonycondon

tonycondon

Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
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Tony
Whats the fuel situation going to be at 6Y9? Looks like i should be able to go nonstop in the Citabria. But Ill need some gas to get back, preferably Auto Gas.
 
tonycondon said:
Whats the fuel situation going to be at 6Y9? Looks like i should be able to go nonstop in the Citabria. But Ill need some gas to get back, preferably Auto Gas.
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There is that gas station right next to the field... Bring some gas cans and you're good to go! :yes:
 
ah wonderful Kent. thanks! I thought I had heards omething about a gas station nearby but couldnt remember
 
Is ethanol a problem? I would expect that Sidnaw, like the rest of the midwest has it an additive in auto fuel. If it is a problem there is Iron Mountain not too far away. The last time I was there I headed there to refuel so I would be light out of 6Y9. There is a self serve at Iron Mountain BTW.
 
of course we cant have ethanol. only about half the pumps here are ethanol. we'll keep iron mountain as a backup.
 
smigaldi said:
Is ethanol a problem? I would expect that Sidnaw, like the rest of the midwest has it an additive in auto fuel. If it is a problem there is Iron Mountain not too far away. The last time I was there I headed there to refuel so I would be light out of 6Y9. There is a self serve at Iron Mountain BTW.
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Actually, you'll find ethanol added mostly in areas where the feds are mandating it, which will almost never be in a rural area. Reason: (1) it costs more; (2) it does less (less energy/unit); (3) it is very difficult to handle (e.g., typically mixed in with gasoline at the truck level, not pipeline).

I would be very surprised if Sidnaw has ethanol in the gas.
 
my thoughts as well Spike. seems most metro areas are ethanol only. i have been putting ethanol in my car lately, as its about 10 cents a gallon cheaper, and I figure thats got to be near the break even point for the loss of energy. also helps that my uncle makes pretty good money off his corn selling it to ethanol plant *duck while James Dean punches me*
 
i just talked to the gas station guy at the mini mart. hes 99% they dont sell any ethanol, is going to call tomorrow and make sure.
 
tonycondon said:
of course we cant have ethanol. only about half the pumps here are ethanol. we'll keep iron mountain as a backup.
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You mean the corn lobby makes us have to burn that crap but THEY don't use it? :mad:
 
tonycondon said:
i just talked to the gas station guy at the mini mart. hes 99% they dont sell any ethanol, is going to call tomorrow and make sure.
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Just test it. I have found ethanol in gas that supposedly didn't have any in it.
 
mikea said:
You mean the corn lobby makes us have to burn that crap but THEY don't use it? :mad:
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oh yes we burn a lot of corn. it just isnt required. state does offer fairly significant tax breaks so that the price of ethanol is lower than regular.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Just test it. I have found ethanol in gas that supposedly didn't have any in it.
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[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]President Bush signed into law the 2005 Energy Policy Act on August 5, 2005, which includes a 7.5 billion gallon renewable fuels standard by 2012. This mandates the use of ethanol (and biodiesel) in the American fuel supply. Annual U.S. production of ethanol has surpassed the 4.85 billion gallon mark as of January 1, 2007.
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My concern would be that some of these pumps may not say that the fuel contains ethanol but that the distributor either shipped them some with it or the fuel truck loaded then up with the wrong stuff. Bubba behind the counter might not even realize it. [/SIZE][/FONT]
 
Another update on laws in Michigan about ethanol additives

In January 2007, Senator Switalski (Dist. 10-D) introduced SB 33. This bill would require gasoline to include at least 2% ethanol beginning December 31, 2007. Representative Law (Dist. 23-D) in February 2007 introduced HB 4198 that would require Michigan gasoline to include at least 10% ethanol beginning January 1, 2008.
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smigaldi said:
Mine would be let someone else put it in their plane. If their engines poops out don't put the fuel in your plane. :eek::D;)
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That was said in jest, but to check my understanding, that wouldn't actually work, right? The plane will burn the alcohol; it will just gradually do bad things to the engine?
 
gprellwitz said:
That was said in jest, but to check my understanding, that wouldn't actually work, right? The plane will burn the alcohol; it will just gradually do bad things to the engine?
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True, but I also think that there is a water/ice problem from the excess moisture that the alcohol can hold in the fuel. I have heard that excess water can cause lose of power to complete freeze up.
 
well i dont think they can get it here by tomorrow at noon. i think the club has a tester, ill have to ask friday morning.
 
tonycondon said:
whats your preferred testing method?
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I use a liter pop bottle. Fill it with water to the bottom ring, or if you want, you can make a mark with a marker. Fill it up the rest of the way with gasoline. Shake it up and let it settle out. If the water level appears to rise, there is ethanol in the gas. Don't use it. Doesn't matter what the percentage is. BTW, if there is alcohol in it, it will be obvious.

That is the free way to test.
 
yep after reading that website the same idea came to me. thanks greg
 
smigaldi said:
My concern would be that some of these pumps may not say that the fuel contains ethanol but that the distributor either shipped them some with it or the fuel truck loaded then up with the wrong stuff. Bubba behind the counter might not even realize it. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
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Bubba behind the counter in 99.9% of the cases will NOT know if there is ethanol in the gas. And in Missouri, it isn't even required that the pumps be labeled anymore.
 
All you need to make your own fuel tester is a small glass tube, a stopper or cork, some masking tape, and a permanent marking pen. The local high school or college chemistry department can set you up with a ~20 mL test tube and a rubber stopper. Any store in the area selling kids' science kits should have the same.

Apply a length of tape along the side of the tube near the top (mouth) of the tube. Make a mark (line) on the tape at ~70% full point and the 100% full point using the permanent marking pen. To test, fill the tube with gasoline to be tested to the first (70%) line, then add tap water to the 100% line. Stopper the tube and shake. Allow the mixture to settle and note where the fuel/water partition (meniscus) now lies. If it is still on the 70% line the fuel has no alcohol. If the fuel line is less than (below) the 70% line there is alcohol in the fuel.

If you want to calibrate the thing (% alcohol) you can do so with a ruler. There are some factors I'm not able to look up right now, but IIRC and if my WAG is good, 10% alcohol fuel will cause the fuel/water partition to be lower than the 70% mark by just slightly less than 1/4 the distance between 70% and 100% lines. Mark another line this distance below the 70% line and label it "10%". Things should be pretty much linear from there. IOW, 20% will be 2x the distance you determined for 10% alcohol, 5% will be 1/2x that distance, etc.
 
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Ed Guthrie said:
All you need to make your own fuel tester is a small glass tube, a stopper or cork, some masking tape, and a permanent marking pen.
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The only problem with that Ed is getting the gasoline into the test tube. The whole point is to test the gas before you pump too much into whatever container you are using. To get the gasoline into the test tube is problematic. With the liter bottle you can just put the nozzle into the bottle and fill it from there.

Otherwise, it is a viable method of testing.
 
Another point.

Ed Guthrie said:
Apply a length of tape along the side of the tube near the top (mouth) of the tube. Make a mark (line) on the tape at ~70% full point and the 100% full point using the permanent marking pen. To test, fill the tube with gasoline to be tested to the first (70%) line, then add tap water to the 100% line. Stopper the tube and shake. Allow the mixture to settle and note where the fuel/water partition (meniscus) now lies. If it is still on the 70% line the fuel has no alcohol. If the fuel line is less than (below) the 70% line there is alcohol in the fuel.
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Since water is heavier than the gasoline, you would want to mark from the bottom. In other words, mark up from the bottom 30% and then the 100% mark. Fill with water first, then gasoline. Shake. When it settles out, if the water level appears to be ABOVE the 30% line then there is water in it.

Doing it your way, Ed, the water settles to the bottom and there is no mark there.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Another point.



Since water is heavier than the gasoline, you would want to mark from the bottom. In other words, mark up from the bottom 30% and then the 100% mark. Fill with water first, then gasoline. Shake. When it settles out, if the water level appears to be ABOVE the 30% line then there is water in it.

Doing it your way, Ed, the water settles to the bottom and there is no mark there.
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Exactly! When I was an auto technician and we thought water was the cause of problems, what you describe is exactly what we would do to draw a proper conclusion.
 
greg your testing method worked wonderfully, as you knew it would.
 

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