Thread: Running Jet A1 (fuel) in a TD5

Originally Posted by RR P38

Why would you want to do this?
Why would you risk damage to a perfectly good engine?


I recal as a youth making for the aviation fuel bowsers at Bankstown airport to fuel up for a drag race (not sure if you can do this any more)
Some people managed to burn holes in pistons with this fuel.You need to run it quite rich.

Its a long way between air ports to fuel up.

That would have been AVGAS....different fuel, it's very much like hi-octane petrol. Once apon a time you used to be able to get AVGAS Purple.....145 Octane.....

Originally Posted by Celtoid

That would have been AVGAS....different fuel, it's very much like hi-octane petrol. Once apon a time you used to be able to get AVGAS Purple.....145 Octane.....

I used to run my Dodge Hemi 426 on 115 Avgas. I lived at Coogee and bought fuel at Mascot. If I took it on a trip I carried as much fuel as possible in drums and if caught short used Super petrol with one gallon of benzol/methyl benzine to four gallons petrol. It was a play car so did not do a lot of miles. I had a company car for unrestricted use.

I am told that nowadays the airport fuel outlets are only permitted to pump Avgas into an aircraft, and all that is available is Low Lead 100, so you might as well use 98 unleaded and add benzol.

Originally Posted by RR P38

Why would you want to do this?
Why would you risk damage to a perfectly good engine?

Do you want more power?
Buy a V8 Disco if you do.


Do you want more economy?
On a recent 800k trip 90k off road (dirt) cruising 110 km/hr on the Hume highway i managed 10.9L per 100k.
Even if the A1 is 20c a litre cheaper over a year the savings are not that great if you burn a piston out.

I recal as a youth making for the aviation fuel bowsers at Bankstown airport to fuel up for a drag race (not sure if you can do this any more)
Some people managed to burn holes in pistons with this fuel.You need to run it quite rich.

Its a long way between air ports to fuel up.

................................

running a td5 on avgas would be a big mistake, run for about 2 minutes i reckon if that then kaput

Originally Posted by 5teve

ok just to add a bit of confusion....

Why do i recall that a lot of the testing on the td5 was done using Kero and Aviation fuel? i know i have read it somewhere... and it stayed stuck in my head (like most useless information) but i cannot for the life of me remember where i saw it.... and nor can i find it again...

Steve

You're not alone!
I remember reading similar. Buggered if I can find it again. I reckon it must have been a few years ago, though.

Originally Posted by Quarks

You're not alone!
I remember reading similar. Buggered if I can find it again. I reckon it must have been a few years ago, though.

There is heresay about it on many forums, but no facts. Smells like BS to me.

This is the closest I can find to first hand info:

We were running AVTUR in most of our diesel vehicles that were operating in Iraq on OP Telic. We always filled up with diesel in our own breakdown Landrover because it was a Td5, we could get diesel in Kuwait and used jerry cans to last us on the convoys into Iraq. Td5's do not make a good military vehicles, too many electrics in it but you have to use what you are given.

After a while we were getting large numbers of turbo's failing on the Landrovers (300tdi). We put it down to using AVTUR but the MOD blamed incorrect/not enough servicing. We serviced them properly in the RAF so I blame the AVTUR. We had no problems with our Seddon and Volvo truck, which ran fine.

AVTUR doesn't have any lubrication properties on CI engines, it is designed for turbine engines. Some people recommend adding some engine oil to it (OMD 90) to provide lubrication, but we didn't try this out.

wolf mods


ANd another:

We run on 'JP8' sometimes - its a Kero/diesle mix and its death to most engines eventually so its used for as short a time as possible before the proper stuff can be gotten into theatre.........

The WOLF is basically a civvy 300TDi with the only changes being 24V electrics - so, its not a multi-fuel angine - that practice died out in the late 80's and hasnt been resurected, yet.

http://www.lro.com/forum/viewtopic.p...886bd8921e45a8


NOTE - both are talking about the 300Tdi.

we look after a fleet of aircraft using jet a1 in a diesel engine [not a turbine]
the engine's fuel pumps are modified to run the low lubricity avtur/jet a1.
although most people here are telling you about the injector cost,
in your engine, the first thing that will fail is the fuel pump.

put your dads jet fuel into a drum for washing parts or kill the weeds with it.

as to earlier comments that Im too lazy to multi quote.

yes you can run a TD5 on all sorts of things that arent diesel its been tested and proven that it can be done BUT without special care you are risking the injectors (which in a td5 consist of the injector pump and injector in each injector unit). In a pinch and for short term use diluted with some diesel or lube you will probabley find that you wont do any long term damage. HOWEVER.

there will be a point at which it will all go west, be it sooner or later it will eventually happen and I'm tipping it will be sooner than with standard diesel the question that really needs answering is will it happen before the cost saving of doing it outweighs the cost of replacing the fuel system or after?

If it was me.. I wouldnt be putting anything other than diesel in it unless there was a very critical reason to do so and just to pick an example say I had picked up an accident victim on board needed to refuel and the onlything available in the pump was AVTUR and some 2 stroke oil from the shop, and a phone call reveals that the local ambulance is broken. I guarantee that AVTUR would be in my tank in a shot with some 2 stroke oil and Id be on the way.

If I had to wait 2 day wait for the diesel truck to turn up to refill the servo I'd just park the car up at the pump and setup camp.