Avgas ll100 changes colour

[hyflyer]

Hey Guys. I put avgas ll100 into an aluminum container that once had diesel fuel in it. I rinsed it several times with avgas before using it and it looked shiny clean. Three weeks later I go to use it in my airplane and it looks like a dark ale beer. Has anyone had this experience. Im afraid to use this fuel. seven hundred dollars worth!!! Any help appreciated. Good flying Murray

[cvavon]

Re: Avgas ll100 changes colour

do they color there diesel in Canada here we have green on road and red off road diesel if there was a left over from the dye in the diesel it would turn the fuel a different color it should not make the gas bad just a different color check with oil distributor and ask

[hyflyer]

Re: Avgas ll100 changes colour

Hey Chuck. The diesel was clear. The avgas LL100 was dyed blue. There was no diesel at all in the tank. I rinsed it with avgas 10 times. Someone sugested that diesel tanks are famous for growing some kind of algae that gets right into the pores of the aluminum. He thinks the avgas is cleaning that out. If so I dont think I want it in my airplane. Im at a loss??? Dont Know. !! Thanks Murray

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Avgas ll100 changes colour

Have you tried running some of the fuel through a really high quality filter to see if the color is from suspended particles or is a chemical change? If it is particles you might be able to filter it and get rid of the contamination, BUT I would still be nervous. Is there a lab that can test the fuel for you. They pump the fuel through pipelines that have been used for transport of different chemicals so if there is a pipeline depot nearby they should be able to recommend a lab that can test the fuel for contamination.
Hank

I sure wouldn't fly with any of it till I was sure what caused the change.

[cvavon]

Re: Avgas ll100 changes colour

Diesel will grow algae it is commen and does happen to a grate extent as hank said it will filter out and never was a problem in trucks but in a plane i would not use it till i had it checked by a lab to see what is going on or use it in the boat or some engine that don't have a cataletic converter will run jest fine and get some Power serve fuel treatment kills algae in fuel

[Marv]

Re: Avgas ll100 changes colour

I would probably Filter it through a chamois and test some in a lawnmower. If it ran good in the lawnmower i would be using $700 worth of fuel in my airplane. Marv

[af1zaf1z]

Re: Avgas ll100 changes colour

Right ! There's no difference between a lawnmower and an aircraft engine, especially when theres 700 bucks involved.

[hyflyer]

Re: Avgas ll100 changes colour

Hey Guys. Thanks for all the replies. A week has gone by and finally I have solved the mystery. When I set up this tank i put a 10 micron filtre and water seperator between the pump and the hose to catch any contaminants. then I put 50 feet of new fuel line so I could reach the plane when on floats. It turns out that the new gates fuel line had a brown coloured lubricant inside left over from the manufacturing process. The first time I used the tank to fuel up the fuel left the lubricant in the line. Then the line sat for a couple of weeks full of fuel and it lifted the lubricant and it mixed with the fuel changing the colour. The next time I went to fuel up hence the beer coloured fuel. I ran off another twenty litres of fuel and it cleaned up. I then drained the right tank of the aircraft as I had put some brown fuel in it. Took her for a test flight and checked the gascolator and it was spotless. Back in the air!!! Thanks again for your input. Good flying: Murray