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Non lead additives for gasoline

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
I could really use a recommendation on an additive
for a 1950's 4 cylinder engine. I understand a
valve job is almost inevitable.
 
Not true. Running regular gas (today's) is not a problem. The fuel W/O lead is much better on internal parts, and has little deposit causing metal in it. There is no reason to be concerned at all. JimN
 
Do not believe rumors that started in the 70s, if you ever need a valve job, then worry about it. I have a 40 year old tractor that has been running unleaded gas for 25 years and I haven t had the head off yet.
 
i got a '62 Ford 2000 thats been running unleaded 90% of its life...remember AMOCO white gas??? that was unleaded...lots of people used it in Coleman lanterns and stoves instead of that expensive coleman fuel.
tractors got close to 8000 hours on it and i'll admit it could prob use a valve job and rings while i got it apart.
 
That thing about burned valves because of not having lead in the gas any more is just a wives tail and is about as true as pigs flying. I have tractors that have been used for decades on the no lead gas and NONE of them have ever burned a valve yet and one is a 1935 JD-B and it just keeps on keeping on and has not been opened up since some time in the late 40 or early 50s so figure it out no lead needed to keep them running
 
Now that unleaded gasoline fuel is used. Gasoline engines go the distance that only diesels used to obtain between overhauls. And when those engines do come apart they are almost as clean as a LP engine.
Lead never was added LP. natural gas, allfuel or diesel engines.Nobody worries about valve life with those fuels.
 
(quoted from post at 03:43:22 11/01/09) I could really use a recommendation on an additive
for a 1950's 4 cylinder engine. I understand a
valve job is almost inevitable.
Click to expand...
Lead in gasoline was used to "lubricate" the seats. This was especially important with the intake valve which were not hardened to the same specs as the exhaust.
Problems can be encountered with the valve receding. A lot of money was spent on older engines to add hardened intake valves and seats and in most cases it was unnecessary.
It all depends on how the engine is used. For example, if the engine is in a large truck that is always hauling a load and the engine is under great stress, you could have a problem.
On the other hand, I you have a tractor or a regular half ton truck that is occasionally used to haul great loads, you probably wount have a problem.
I have a 1977 Dodge W100 4X4 truck that I have owned for over 20 years and I have never encountered a problem.
 
You posted: "Lead in gasoline was used to "lubricate" the seats."

Actually, you don't suppose the "lead" could have been added to the gasoline to raise octane and prevent detonation, do you???
 
The amount of lead required to "cushion" the valve seat is quite small. If the tractor has ever run on leaded gas, it already has all the lead it needs, until the next valve job. As you probably know, aviation gasoline is still leaded. Although many aircraft are now running unleaded premium, manufacturers and rebuilders recommend running avgas for the first ten hours so the valve seats get a bit of lead.
 
From E-notes
Tetraethyl lead (a colorless, oily, poisonous liquid), commonly called "lead," was used as a gasoline additive for automobiles made between the mid-1940s and the end of the 1970s. There were several reasons for adding lead to gasoline. First, lead improved the way that gasoline burned. Second, it reduced or eliminated the "knocking" sound caused by premature ignition in high-performance large engines and in smaller, high-compression engines. Lead also provided lubrication, which prevented the close-fitting parts of the engine from chafing against one another.
 
Some of these older engines will use the unleaded without any additions..If you know the make I'm sure your fuel depot will know.
 
Just use the 89 octane or higher to prevent knocking. Run it it all my tractors with no problem and no lead additive
 
CD2 has such a product. Don't know if it helps but I have used it since the lead went out and AFIK have not damaged anything by using it. I qt. treats 320 US gal.and costs maybe $16.00. Price doubled when gas went to $4.00.
 
(quoted from post at 00:41:28 11/01/09)
(quoted from post at 03:43:22 11/01/09)the intake valve which were not hardened to the same specs as the exhaust.
Click to expand...

There never was a problem with the cooler operating intake valve. The earlier exhaust valves and seats were manufactures from softer metals that also had a lower melting temperature.
The fouling left by lead formed a film on the exhaust valve/seat which prevented direct metal to metal contact. Spot welding caused by heat and pressure was thus less prevalent.
Click to expand...
 
it did that too but as he said the seats were not harden then and it would pound them into an oblivian.
 
You don't say what engine you are posting about, but you probably don't have to worry. If this is a tractor, almost all had hardened valve seats to begin with. If this is a car or truck, I'd worry about it only if it is raced, driven exceptionally hard or was an overloaded grain hauler.
Unleaded gas began when cars started having catalytic converters in 1975 and of course a 1977 truck would have no problems because it was already built for it. Most manufacturers had hardened valve seats in several years earlier because they saw the writing on the wall.
There have been some lab tests that show most aftermarket lead additives are truly worthless.
Personally, I'd save my money and just have the machine shop install hardened valve seats if and when it ever needs it, which it probably won't.
 
My understanding is that it was a byproduct because of less refining used back when lead was not a health issue. Thanks for the info!
 
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