E10 Unleaded Auto-Gas: My Big Mistake as LSA Owner!

[roger lee]

Hi Dave,

If the fuel tanks are rated for the 10% ethanol from Sting then there is no real reason you couldn't use it. The engine is fine with it. A big majority of the LSA / Rotax owners use ethanol fuel. It's far better than 100LL and yes it would be nice to have just pure 91 oct. but the government's decision kind of trumps our own for now.
I'm calling a friend of mine with a Sting later today to get his take. Actually I think his plane is moving to Tucson to my field soon. What is Sting's stance on ethanol fuel and your tanks?

[drdehave]

*****(deleted).

I am going to go fly now, and cross my fingers that beads of resin aren't still emitting from the sump![/b]

From Roger: "What is Sting's stance on ethanol fuel and your tanks?" Just what is in the POH: "10% E10 is okay, but not for long-term storage." My point is, I don't believe it, based on the resin beads and flakes that have come from the tank, the other Stings with gas-tank leaks through the hull, and the "dead" Sting that was "totaled" at Lodi, CA, after a big crack appeared in the belly-tank following a broken nose-gear and prop strike. On the other hand, I don't have visual confirmation of anything wrong with my belly-tank--as yet, anyway.

[SportPilot]

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[MrMorden]

Can we please stop with the right-wing political commentary on this site?

Thin skin much? Somebody talks about California being the most regulated (which is factual) and "government-oppressed" state (which is just an opinion, no political statement there), and you get all panty-twisted?

[SportPilot]

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[3Dreaming]

Can we please stop with the right-wing political commentary on this site?

So, it is OK for you to make un-solicited left wing remark, but it's not Ok for someone to make a right wing remark? Got it!

[drdehave]

**** (sorry, I "lost" it there, for a minute)

[MrMorden]

Why do you feel compelled to follow behind me and comment on everything I say? I made a simple request. If you don't like what I have to say, why don't you just ignore it? Nobody was talking to you.

Not everything you say. Just the 90% that is pure, belligerent trolling.

Why don't you just ignore the "right wing" comments? Nobody was talking to YOU, either.

Goose, meet gander.

[dstclair]

Hi Dave,

If the fuel tanks are rated for the 10% ethanol from Sting then there is no real reason you couldn't use it. The engine is fine with it. A big majority of the LSA / Rotax owners use ethanol fuel. It's far better than 100LL and yes it would be nice to have just pure 91 oct. but the government's decision kind of trumps our own for now.
I'm calling a friend of mine with a Sting later today to get his take. Actually I think his plane is moving to Tucson to my field soon. What is Sting's stance on ethanol fuel and your tanks?

The Sting series is approved for up to 10% ethanol as per the POH and I confirmed some time ago with the US distributor SportAir. I estimate I've run 10% ethanol around 75% of the time for the last 7+ years in my Sting S3. I've never seen the flakes described by Rich.

A couple years ago I accidentally dropped something in my fuel tank (the Sting has a single belly tank that is fed by two optional 6 gallon wing tanks). We ended up draining the fuel tank completely and used one of the flexible scopes with a remote display to fish it out. We scoped every square inch of the tank fishing it out and we saw no issues with tank itself.

I'm comfortable my particular tank is fine.

[MrMorden]

Have you completely drained the tanks, dropped the float bowls on the carbs, and opened up the gascolator and fuel filter? Maybe you have an issue not related to fuel type.

[drdehave]

Could be (i.e., that my trouble is not dissolving resin, related to the E10 usage), as Dave and Andy suggest, and I hope that is the case. It is starting to get baffling, because today was the fourth day of fuel-sumping the Pure Gas, and still getting flakes and beads of what appears to be composite material and beads of resin! My tanks have been drained and dried numerous times, with no improvement. The gascolator is clean and is serviced every 25 hours. The debris is always most prevalent when the airplane has been sitting a few days.

I guess the next steps will be: scoping the inside of the dry tank to see if a wad of something is in there; and looking at some of the sump debris under a microscope--and/or having it tested.

The only other thing I can think of is: Could the plastic 6-gal Jaz Jugs I've always used be slowly dissolving into the gas--then precipitating back out of solution when sitting in the plane's tank? The insides of those Jugs do have some "acne spots."

[roger lee]

Your flakes and beads may not necessarily be from the tanks. It is possible it is some sealer somewhere. Flight Design's fuel tanks are coated with a product called Kreme Wisse. It is pretty much impervious to everything so any fuel can be used. You can slosh your own tanks and accomplish the same thing. It's actually quite easy. That said for the first few hundred hours sometimes you can see some very tiny white flakes, but visible and once in a while some small particles in the fuel filter. These are strands of fiber from the tank construction that stick up through the coating. As fuel sloshes over time these tiny strands and flake like material break off an float downstream. None of this should be large enough to cause any issue or at least I have never seen or heard of it being one. Then with time it goes away. Sealers used throughout the system by some Mfg's can start to disintegrate too over time, but is usually self limiting too.
It could also be coming from outside source when fueling?

[drdehave]

I'm going to save a bunch of this stuff, first--and photograph it. I'll post a photo or two here, in a couple days.

[Wm.Ince]

Can we please stop with the right-wing political commentary on this site?

Hey Sporty! . . . . lighten up a little.
I'm from California too and the guy is just stating some cold, hard facts.
Those are just a few reasons why I moved away from that place.

[SportPilot]

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