White Gas, Can Someone Refresh My Memory?

[Mel Taylor]

Way back in the olden days (IOW, the early 50's) when I first began to pay attention to outboard motors, I seem to remember that outboards ran on so-called white gas instead of regular gasoline. I'm almost certain I remember my dad going to a particular boat sales and tackle shop in Las Cruces that sold the stuff when we got ready to go fishing.

Questions:
# 1 - Am I wrong about outboards needing a different gas from automotive vehicles in those days?
#2 - If I'm right, what was white gas? Naptha (AKA Coleman fuel)? Simply some form of unleaded gas? What?
#3 - Why did outoards need a different fuel (if, indeed they did)?

I was a teenager at the time, a lot of years have gone by so naturally memories of things from those days are a bit hazy but I do remember the outboard in question was a Johnson, maybe a 15 or 18 horse, with the pressurized double hose.

 

[samm835]

Someone will correct me I'm sure......but I think it was the difference between "leaded" and "unleaded" right? I remember my uncle's truck would only take one of them.

 

[GA_Boater]

White gas was simply unleaded gas. Amoco stations sold it as their Super Premium or high test. Regular contained lead. White gas was also sold at some hardware stores and, as you know, some boat dealers. Coleman lanterns and camp stoves called for white gas as fuel. As far as your Pop using it in his boat, it was just his preference because no OB maker required lead-free gas - Finding white gas to go boating wasn't always easy.

 

[Frank Acampora]

No, you are not wrong!

Back in those days, AMOCO was the "white" gas. I don't remember but I think it was the only brand. It was highly refined compared to other gasoline brands and did cost more. It was the only gasoline available without tetraethyl lead (octane booster) and derived its octane rating the more expensive way: Through better refining.

At any rate, tetraethyl lead releases four ethyl compounds under combustion, increasing octane and knock resistance, AND lead. This lead will eventually clog exhaust ports in any two cycle engine. ( In fact, It also tended to collect on exhaust valves of automobiles, necessitating a "Valve job" )

Today special gas for a two cycle engine is a moot point because the government has banned lead compounds in gasoline--lead is poisonous and will pollute the environment. It is also banned from solder used in potable water copper piping. Now, for various reasons we use actual ethanol to boost octane and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

 

[smokeonthewater]

.......

 

[Mel Taylor]

Someone will correct me I'm sure......but I think it was the difference between "leaded" and "unleaded" right? I remember my uncle's truck would only take one of them.

The era you are speaking of was years later. I think unleaded gas for cars first appeared in the late 1960s or early 1970's.

The time I'm referring to was long before the development of unleaded gasoline for use in automotive gasoline, although now that I think of it, I believe some of the very early twentieth century cars may have used naptha as a fuel.

 

[smokeonthewater]

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...iscussions/455086-higher-octane-for-outboards

 

[smokeonthewater]

http://books.google.com/books?id=et...a=X&ei=LBZ-U8vICpaaqAb644DYAw&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA

 

[Mel Taylor]

No, you are not wrong!

Back in those days, AMOCO was the "white" gas. I don't remember but I think it was the only brand. It was highly refined compared to other gasoline brands and did cost more. It was the only gasoline available without tetraethyl lead (octane booster) and derived its octane rating the more expensive way: Through better refining.

At any rate, tetraethyl lead releases four ethyl compounds under combustion, increasing octane and knock resistance, AND lead. This lead will eventually clog exhaust ports in any two cycle engine. ( In fact, It also tended to collect on exhaust valves of automobiles, necessitating a "Valve job" )

Today special gas for a two cycle engine is a moot point because the government has banned lead compounds in gasoline--lead is poisonous and will pollute the environment. It is also banned from solder used in potable water copper piping. Now, for various reasons we use actual ethanol to boost octane and decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

Thanks for the answer. ​At least I know that my memory hasn't gone completely around the bend. Now that you mention it, I do seem to remember my dad (of blessed memory) and his cronies saying something about regular gasoline clogging up outboards, although I don't remember anyone saying exactly what it was that regular gas clogged up.

 

[GA_Boater]

Thanks for the answer. ​At least I know that my memory hasn't gone completely around the bend. Now that you mention it, I do seem to remember my dad (of blessed memory) and his cronies saying something about regular gasoline clogging up outboards, although I don't remember anyone saying exactly what it was that regular gas clogged up.

Sounds like even way back then it was the same as today's ethanol debate, nothing changes. I worked in an Amoco station in the early 60's and some people insisted on running the unleaded premium regardless that most the motors would probably run on kerosene. :smile: Amoco Super Premium always was the most expensive high test. Granted back then it was only a couple of tenths of a penny more expensive than other brands.

 

[Chris1956]

A related factoid: In the early 20th century, the major consumer product of oil refining was kerosene. John Rockefeller devised the Standard Oil (near ) monopoly to standardize the quality of kerosene. One of the byproducts of making kerosene was a compound called gasoline. There was little use for gasoline, until Henry Ford thought he could perfect a mass produced automobile that could run on it.

 

[Mel Taylor]

http://books.google.com/books?id=et...a=X&ei=LBZ-U8vICpaaqAb644DYAw&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA

Great article! Clears up a lot of the questions. Thank you.

 

[H20Rat]

Something else to chew on... Pretty much any 2 stroke will happily run on kerosene &/or white gas, with some minor carb changes. I have run weedeater engines on it for years without issue.

(in case you are wondering, I fly large scale model RC, many of which use small 35-50cc engines. Some based on weedeaters, some are high performance engines just for RC. Anyway, its far easier to transport kerosene than gasoline, it doesn't smell nearly as bad in a container inside a vehicle.

 

[Ned L]

Back during the time you are remembering (50's - 60's) Gulf oil also had "Gulf Marine White Gas".

 

[Mel Taylor]

Back during the time you are remembering (50's - 60's) Gulf oil also had "Gulf Marine White Gas".

That's more than likely what was available here. There was a Gulf distributor here at that time and I'm almost certain that we never had any Amoco stations in New Mexico.