Thread: OPAL fuel and injector O ring fuel leaks

On a recent trip up the Great Central Road to Ayers Rock my Disco 2 V8 was fueled with OPAL.

After a tank full was consumed I started to smell petrol, however I was not able to determine the source. Suspecting a fuel line leak near the tank we lifted the carpet to inspect the fuel pump and lines. This was bone dry.

Popping the bonnet, a small pool of fuel was detected on top of the inlet manifold valley. The next day, on startup, this turned into a full on flood. With fuel being dumped over board and washing the exhaust manifolds with fuel. Not a good thing.

When we approached the very helpful local auto mechanic at Ayres Rock the first thing he asked was "are you using OPAL fuel?" Apparently it is well known in some circles that OPAL eats injector O rings, as was the case for my D2. I had not heard of this previously and was not prepared for this event... Hence this thread.

New O rings installed and my journey continued, a day late but better than standing back and watching a D2 disappear in flames.

My O rings were only two years old having been replaced due to a head gasket issue where the heads where reconditioned. In future I will be carrying a set of spare O rings if OPAL fuel is likely to be encountered with no other alternative fuel available. At Ayers Rock resort, Unleaded is OPAL and Premium Unleaded is available, however on the Great Central Road only OPAL is available.

I hope this post is of some use to other V8 petrol users that venture into OPAL land.

Cheers
Ron

May be it's not 100% petrol and has some content of ethanol or something in it. Ethanol I believe will eat rubber unless your vehicle is designed to run on petrol / ethanol mix
I know my Boat's out board fuel line had a warning not to use any ethanol and my new outboard also warned the ethanol can perish hoses.