Gasoline additive

[ACman 7,559]

Back in the day all these old tractors ran on leaded fuel . Our family AC dealership also sold fuel oil , diesel , and gas to local farmers . I know the lead was to lube the valve seats . We used to mix all of the gas with this nasty smelling ( you could even taste it ) pinkish stuff for all the old tractors so the valves wouldn't beat themselves into the heads without hardened seats . We had one farmer accidentally fill his 140hp diesel with a whole tank full of our gas . He was running his corn chopper and couldn't figure out why he had so much power and a flame shooting out his stack ! Then he had an oh $h!t moment and realized what he did . That injection pump should have seized up pretty quick . The only thing we could think was that additive lubed the pump . Long story short do any of you guys worry about your valves with this crappy gas . I don't want to ruin any of my Kohlers .

[clip 185]

I've started to use StarTron every time I fill my gas cans. I used to treat the gas cans at the end of the season with StaBil, then drain each engine of the untreated gas and add a little treated to each tank, run til empty.

 

Can't tell any difference with StarTron vs untreated, and this is the first winter that I've skipped the StaBil treatment since each tank has had StarTron in it from earlier in the season. I just drained and then ran each engine til empty.

Edited January 17, 2016 by clip

[JAinVA 4,619]

AC man,

      I have wondered about this since they took lead out of gas in the early eighties.The newest large tractor I have is a 65 that has seen only unleaded regular since the 80's

I don't run it every day but use it a lot and have not had any valve issues.We are stuck with what we can get and I don't have a single tractor that has hardened valve seats.

So far I have not had an issue with valve resecession and I am skeptical of the effectiveness of lead additives.I have had more problems with ethanol in the gas than lack of lead.

I run ethanol free pump gas in my aircooled engines and straight pump gas in the water cooled machines.I have decent luck with this choice so I will keep on doing that.

Don't know if this helps you but I look forward to others replies.Luck,JAinVA

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,068]

JA where the heck do you get ethanol free gas from in Va. All I see in Richmond is gas with ethanol. In fact that's all I use. 

[mmmmmdonuts 274]

Luckily I got ethanol free right around me but use this website to find places by you:

 

http://www.pure-gas.org/

 

I found that by me until recently it was mostly marina's that sold it for the boats. 

[elcamino/wheelhorse 9,068]

Thanks for the info. I never had any problems with the ethanol gas , I use it in everything from a smaller front tine tiller, walk behind blower 74 c-120

87 310-8 . Maybe I am just lucky ( that would be the first time in 68 years).

[ACman 7,559]

I was just wondering about the valve issues . All the old AG tractors that we did a overhaul on we had hardened seats put in . Seen some heads with the exhaust valve beat right into the head . Wondering if was from larger loads on bigger tractors. Also seen it in flathead V8's and 50's, 60's car/truck engines .

[JAinVA 4,619]

Elcamino,

           There are at least two places that sell ethanol free gas here in Gloucester.If you want PM me and I can tell where.I had a new Briggs on my David Bradley that was ruined by ethanol fuel.I mixed up the fuel  that I used in the bigger tractors with what I used in the aircooled machines.I run the bigger machines more often and the crap I found

in the float bowl was amazing.I generally run Stabil in all my jugged fuel but some how didn't treat what the Briggs got.Never again.Luck,JainVa

[857 horse 2,581]

1 hour ago, elcamino/wheelhorse said:

JA where the heck do you get ethanol free gas from in Va. All I see in Richmond is gas with ethanol. In fact that's all I use. 

Elcamino in Richmond....Some of the Boat ramps with pumps carry ethanol fuel.......to far for me to drive......

I go to Lowes and Buy   TruFuel..............not cheap.....but my machines all start these days,,,,,always ruin good......

No problems in Fredericksburg Va,,,,,,,,

 

[Tankman 3,515]

Local airports, 100 octane, low lead, non-ethanol gas.

 

Try Berrymans, good stuff.  https://www.berrymanproducts.com/

[ericj 1,576]

i run pump hi-test gas in all my small engines and treat with Stabil in the gas can before i fill them, and knock on wood haven't had any problems worth speaking of and some of my tractors set for 2 or 3 months or more at time with out problems. also i buy my gas at Giant with our gas rewards points, so a lot of times the gas has been in the cans for a month or 2 before it even goes into the tractors with out a problem.

 

 

 

 

eric j   

[DennisThornton 4,769]

10 hours ago, elcamino/wheelhorse said:

Thanks for the info. I never had any problems with the ethanol gas , I use it in everything from a smaller front tine tiller, walk behind blower 74 c-120

87 310-8 . Maybe I am just lucky ( that would be the first time in 68 years).

 

You are lucky!  Or you use it fast enough to not have an issue.  I use it myself but only in tractors that get used often enough for the gas to still be fresh.  I never use it in 2 cycles!  I use both Stabil and Startron, not both together but each and I've not had any issues if I follow my own procedures...  Premium Ethanol free is available around here.

[ACman 7,559]

I didn't mean to hijack 6.0powerstrock thread ,maybe I should change my title . I want to no if anybody has had valve issues without running a lead substitute .

[DennisThornton 4,769]

24 minutes ago, ACman said:

I didn't mean to hijack 6.0powerstrock thread ,maybe I should change my title . I want to no if anybody has had valve issues without running a lead substitute .

Back in the 80's I always added some lead additive.  Still got a few bottles but I haven't used it in decades.  No issues after LOTs of hours!

[ACman 7,559]

Thanks Dennis I sent you PM .

[rick 217]

All my small engine fuel gets treated with 1 1/2 oz/gal of Schaeffer Neutra fuel treatment (www.schaefferoil.com). Two stroke mix is 93 octane, 4 stroke 89 octane. Once in a while I go by the airport and get some blue devil, Shell 100 octane low lead. It has enough lead in it to turn the exhaust  outlets light grey. No problems with fuel left in engines in the off season, such as it is here in Southern VA.

[Wishin4a416 2,189]

Good read. I wonder what year Kohler changed over to hardened valve seats. From what I remember, Unleaded started in 73-74? I know when I restored my 67 Chevelle, I added lead additive to the tank.

[6.0 powerstroke 62]

1 hour ago, ACman said:

I didn't mean to hijack 6.0powerstrock thread ,maybe I should change my title . I want to no if anybody has had valve issues without running a lead substitute .

 Ha ha don't worry about that.

it sounds like you really don't need to add lead ? I've wondered about that with the older machines

 

 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

4 hours ago, rick said:

All my small engine fuel gets treated with 1 1/2 oz/gal of Schaeffer Neutra fuel treatment (www.schaefferoil.com). Two stroke mix is 93 octane, 4 stroke 89 octane. Once in a while I go by the airport and get some blue devil, Shell 100 octane low lead. It has enough lead in it to turn the exhaust  outlets light grey. No problems with fuel left in engines in the off season, such as it is here in Southern VA.

 

I'd never heard of them, or forgotten (happening more now days..)  Been around forever so forgotten is more likely! 

 

I'm always interested in ingredients, too.  From their MSDS:
     Butan-1-o, 10 - 30%
Also called:
1-Butyl alcohol
1-butylalcohol
1-Hydroxybutane
Alcool butylique
alcoolbutylique
alcoolbutylique(french)
butanol(french)
Butanol-1

And more...

71-36-3

[305 380]

if you are wanting to add lead to your gas Gunk makes an lead additive , available at any O'Reillys 

 

i put some in the gas can i used for my Wheel Horses before i fill it up. i'm really not too worried about it on the Tecumseh H60 on my `68 commando 6..... if the motor goes to crap i'll just put another one on it.  but i am concerned about it with my `66 Honda 305 and use it with very fill up

 

i have two cars with mid 60s Chevy 283s  that i have had hardened exhaust seats installed

 

for those who don't think that unleaded gas will hurt the valves of an older engine , here is a picture of valves of a 327 Chevy i took apart several years ago.

 

 

 

[DennisThornton 4,769]

1 hour ago, 305 said:

if you are wanting to add lead to your gas Gunk makes an lead additive , available at any O'Reillys 

 

i put some in the gas can i used for my Wheel Horses before i fill it up. i'm really not too worried about it on the Tecumseh H60 on my `68 commando 6..... if the motor goes to crap i'll just put another one on it.  but i am concerned about it with my `66 Honda 305 and use it with very fill up

 

i have two cars with mid 60s Chevy 283s  that i have had hardened exhaust seats installed

 

for those who don't think that unleaded gas will hurt the valves of an older engine , here is a picture of valves of a 327 Chevy i took apart several years ago.

 

 

 

 

Oh my!  Wow!

[JAinVA 4,619]

305,

   Shocking photos for real.If memory serves me the small block Chevies would turn 5,000 to 6,000 rpm all day long with no valve float.That would be from higher

static spring pressues than say an engine govered to run at 3,000.I just rebuilt a Kohler 301 that had caught on fire in the 90's.I know that I put over 250 hours with unleaded fuel on it with no valve recession issues.If I have recession issues I am a firm believer in hardened seats but with only thirty hours of under 3,000 rpm use a year I feel that my engines will last longer than I will.Lead additive may be the ticket but I would like to see some test results for it.JMHO ,Luck,JAinVA

[Howie 884]

Some heads will tolerate the unleaded better than others. I know some years of the chevy heads were worse for valve recession than others. And it gets worse when

stiffer valve springs are added into the mix along with heavier loads on the engine. On our small engines I have not seen any recession like this, not saying it doesn't

happen. I would think it is also necessary to have a good flow of air around the cylinder and the head. Proper shields to direct the air and help keep the engine as 

cool as possible. I think the aluminum block engines with their press in seats are maybe at less of a disadvantage. The cast blocks may depend also on the type of

that the block is poured from.

 

David