Unleaded Fuel Operations

[brandon7766]

Hello,

My 140 has the STC for unleaded fuel. I want to start using unleaded fuel when I can. My questions are more related to operations with transport/fueling with ethanol free unleaded fuel.
The airports around me do not carry any mogas so I will be responsible for transporting it to the plane. I was looking at getting something like a gas caddy that is plastic and has a pump (https://scepter.com/products/consumer-p ... container/). I was also planning to get an ethanol testing kit.

Are there any gotchas with this set up? How have others solved this issue? Do I need to ground the plane something metal on the ground or to something metal on the gas caddy? Does anything really change with operating with unleaded fuel in a C85 that I need to be aware of?

[6597]

I cannot add to your storage/dispensing knowledge. I can tell you that when I burn ethanol-free mogas my plugs are very free of lead, and my oil gets a little darker sooner than with straight 100LL.

I do pre-heat the engine in the winter time even when it's say 40F, seems to help greatly.


Ethanol gas stations in Carrollton GA

Screenshot 2026-04-25 at 19-47-10 Pure-gas.org - ethanol-free gasoline in the U.S. and Canada.png (52.17 KiB) Viewed 172 times

Ethanol testing containers....

https://www.amazon.com/ethanol-test-kit ... l+test+kit

[8413]

Edited post to add more info:
I use No-Spill 2.5 gallon gas jugs. 2.5 gallon is lighter to heft up on the wing. I lay the can on a damp rag to protect the wing's paint and provide an electrical bond from the tank to the airframe.

Prior to filling the jugs, test for ethanol by partially filling an empty wide mouth (easier to work with) 12oz clear plastic disposable water bottle with the ethanol free fuel. Then add a few drops of water based food coloring and mix well. If, after mixing the drops fall to the bottom of the container and stay in droplet form and the fuel does not change color at all, the fuel has no ethanol. If the fuel turns any shade of the color of the food coloring, then it has ethanol. It’s easy, cheap and quick. Then I dump that sample into my car gas tank and fill the jugs using a Mr Funnel assuming no ethanol was found. All of these tools (paper towels, testing jar, Mr Funnel, food coloring and disposable gloves) go into a sealed bin so that the fuel smell doesn't get in my car.

Try to find a gas station that offers ethanol free fuel in dedicated dispensers. That way there is less chance of mixing in the hose of ethanol free and regular fuel.

You will find, this is a PROCESS that gets old compared to pulling up to the 100LL pumps. But, if you feel the benefits outweigh the cons, it may be worth it to you.
Josh

[V529]

Regarding fuel transfer from container to airplane.
It's important that the container is "bonded" electronically to the airframe so they both have the same electrical potential. In other words, one can't have a significantly differently electrical charge than the other, inducing a static charge transfer..........(i.e. spark).

A fuel truck sits on rubber tires, your airplane sits on rubber tires, but when the fuel truck attaches a bonding cable, wa, la, no spark and no excitement.

[6643]

Use metal containers and clip a wire from the can to a spot of bare metal on the airframe.