Is coleman camping fuel just plain gas?

[jwnge]

There are 2 stroke gasoline radio control engines which are somewhat converted weed eater engines that tell you that you can use coleman fuel with proper oil mix with no warranty problems. I thought it was just white gasoline and would work fine, I never have because it costs more than regular gasoline..

 

[DrainPondDesign]

For what it is worth this is just an assumption with no hard data to back it up.

If the previous posts about Coleman fuel is correct that it is a blend containing cyclohexane then the engine noise reported by some may be due to detonation (engine knock) which also could burn a piston.

Gasoline is a class 2 flammable & cyclohexane is a class1, if I recall correctly High Octane gas has a retarder added to slow the burn rate which prevents detonation in high compression engines.

If you ran a low compression engine slowly on Coleman fuel just get to the gas station it might survive, run a high compresion engine on it hard & engine knock might destroy it?

Just an opinion buit it could explain the different experiences.

 

[DieselPower]

According to the Coleman MSDS for their fuel it has a number of thing's in it.

http://www.colemanforkids.com/coleman/msds/5103-232.pdf

 

[escavader]

I remember dad putting it in his 68 scout on a long trip pulling a camper from maryland .I dont remember why,or how far we went,but the scout ran fine,that i recall.Who nows the formula could have changed over the years.I use to be able to start a snowmobile engine on a workbenchon straight wd-4o and it would run fine ,15 years ago.They must have changed something,because thats no longer the case,its not as combustable.
ALAN

 

[Soundguy]

The propellant has changed inthe wd-40.

Soundguy

 

[rcmike]

Coleman fuel can be used in some 2 stroke applications (with oil of course). I have used it in an RC airplane with a converted poulan chainsaw engine and actually gained a couple of hundred rpm with it. A lot of RC airplane and helicopter guys with gasoline engines like it because it doesn't smell up their vehicle like regular gas does. I have also tried it in my weedeter when I ran out of regular gas and it worked just fine.

 

[TCarey]

I have used the "white fuel" for several years in an RC Helicopter running a 2-stroke engine with great results. The RC helicopter application is certainly one of the "heavy duty" uses of a 2-stoke engine (the engine is running at a constanst high power output). My personal experience show it is a very low octane fuel, but in the correct application is works fine. I would not use it on any engine which expects a very high octane fuel, but on all the two stroke engines I have run it in (weed trimmers, chain saws and my model toys) it has done very well.

 

[rcmike]

Cool, I fly helis too. I wish I had a gasser also but I just have nitro and electrics now. Where do you fly at?

 

[George2615]

Years ago we used to use Amoco high test gas (white gas, actually it was clear) in our Coleman camp stoves because gas was cheaper than Coleman fuel. I don't know if it works the other way around to use as fuel for a gas engine.

 

[California]

Years ago we used to use Amoco high test gas (white gas, actually it was clear) in our Coleman camp stoves because gas was cheaper than Coleman fuel.

I thought that was not recommended due to lead poisoning.

When Unleaded became available ('72?) I started using it for my Coleman stove and lantern. it crudded up the generators so bad that it cut heat, or light, output by half by the second summer. I replaced the generators (pre-heat tubes) and went back to Coleman Fuel.