Fuel additive for unleaded gas

Fergienewbee

Well-known Member
I just finished an article where the author cautioned against using unleaded gas in older tractors with out a lead additive. He claimed unleaded gas would ruin the engine. Any truth to that?

Larry
 
All the head needs for good valve life is hardened exhaust seats if engine is worked hard. Most tractor gas engines have these anyway, or can be installed when head is rebuilt.
 
I have ran tractors and things on unleaded fuel for years, and haven't had any trouble with them.
I think when people say you shouldn't run them they are just trying to sell something you don't need.
Unless you have an engine that was built in the 1920s or 30s it isn't an issue. Most of the valves have hardned seats anyhow.
Just my thoughts, I don't know everything,but i'm close.
 
The Standard engine in the TEA20 tractors will run without damage on unleaded fuel.

I use Lead Replacement Fluid in all my old engines. [b:226416111f]THIS[/b:226416111f] is one example.

One highly illegal solution is to put a few round lead fishing sinkers in your gas tank. Rolling around they release micro amounts of lead into the fuel with the added advantage of also removing rust and lining the tank with a micro coating of lead. But as I said, it is highly illegal in most countries........ :D

Bob in Oz
 
I can vouch for the fishing sinker trick Bob . I
placed a few in a friends fairly grotty TEA tank ,
within months the inside was clean and bright . The
filters though were working overtime and needed
repeated cleaning for a while . One thing to watch
though , if the sinkers are too large and heavy they
will knock against and damage the bronze upright
gauze filters inside the tank .
 

The MSDS sheet lists the Lead Replacement as; 10-30% naphtha, 10-30% distillates and the balance to 100% as "other". The "other" is listed as non-harzardous therefore, there can be no lead in the product. Does anyone have a clue what the active ingredient is?
 
I'm with diesel tech here. Unleaded has been in use in the US since the 70's, some old engines are still going strong without a valvejob or rebuild yet, but as soon as it gets new/ modern valves, lead is a dead subject for eturnity... or however ya spell it...
 
Ken

I swear Lead Replacement Fluid is the old Upper Cylinder Lube that gas stations sold when I was a kid. Australians would be familiar with Redex Uper Cylinder Lube that we added to gasoline when filling the gas tank. Father had a gas station and it was one squirt per gallon at around a penny or so per squirt!

(How is my US accent - didn't use "petrol" once! :lol: )

Charles, how can you - lead sinkers in the gas tank are illegal!!! :lol: :lol:

I had a problem with rust in the tank of my E Type (XKE) Jaguar. After a couple of years and multiple cleaning the fuel filter, the tank and fuel are totally clean, thanks to half a dozen 3/8" lead fishing sinkers!

Bob in Oz
'53 TEA20
 
Bloody bang up job Bob! You didn't buggar up one single word in the whole soddin thing! You are one strine that could dissapear into the states better than a Mexican pizza chef any bloody day!
So, when your dad sold petrol, how many shillings per imperial quart was it? 2 farthings a squirt of leading? bloody good value in the that mate. The good ol days.....
 
When I visit my daughter in Houston I need her with me all the time to translate. Some of those dudes (particularly Walmart staff) speak in what sounds like a cross between Russian and Swahili, when the speaker is suffering lock jaw and constipation.........

My grand father built the first service station in Tasmania in 1923. When I was a kid at High School (1958 - 1960) I pumped petrol on Saturday and Sunday for 10 shillings (now $1.00) for the weekend. We had five or six hand pumps, the brands I thing were Golden Fleece, Vacuum, Mobil, Caltex and Shell. With the coming of the electric pumps Father went one brand, Caltex (which is Texaco in the USA.)

I don't remember the price of petrol but it must have been expensive by my standards. My first car was a 1929 (?) Hupmobile that I bought for $10 and I know that when broke I would buy a half gallon of petrol at a time............
 
based on my experience,

unless you know "for sure" your tractor has never had the motor rebuilt and the new style valve stem bushing installed.

i would not add that material to the gas.

one year (many years ago) my local coop offer gas with the lead additive in the fuel for the older tractors, i bought some and started using it in my to-35,

not too long after that, my tractor head had to be rebuilt as the valve guides all seized up.

my tractor had been rebuilt before and had the new type valve guides, i did not know that using this gas would cause my tractor motor to seize.

when the mech placed the head of my tractor on the work bench, he said most of these old tractor heads will almost fall apart as they are so worn and loose, but yours had to be driven and hammered apart as each part was seized.

just a word to the wise!!!!!!
 
First, LEAD is not legal to sell nor put in any product sold in the USA! Period. Secondly, these low compression engines don't take the abuse that the modern valves in engines do. Lastly, many 'snake oil' products are on the market. Marvel Mystery Oil is another. READ the ingredients. The older Ford and Ferguson engines do not need any additives, though my uncle swore by STP Oil Treatment, and running today's regular 87 octane unleaded fuel will not do any harm. Back when the octane was around 68/70.
 
Lead illegal for any US product???? What about batteries, as in car batteries???? Do they no longer contain any lead??????
 
Retail fuel formulations can vary from region to region. However in my 40+ years i have never ran any snkae oil fuel additives across 40's and 50's model Indians, Cushmans, Fergusons, Packards,, HD's, a multitude of various small engine power equipment such as string trimmers and generators and lawn mowers.

I will ABSOLUTELY NOT run a streight weight engine oil however in ANY 4 stroke gasoline engine. I use the multigrades (detergent) such as 10w-30 or maybe as high as 20w-50 for extremely hot running vintage engines such as motorcycles.

Any carbon build up issues is due to runnoing a streight weight engine oil. USe the multigrade and the carboning wil disappear or held to a minimum.

THe claim that multigrade should not be used in high sludge engines because it will loosen or suspend debris is grossly sensationalized. IF the engine is so heavily sludged then the sludge is circulating regardless of what type of oil is used.

Bottom line: NO fuel additives. Run a multigrade engine oil . I don;t care what kind of engine it is, who made it or how old it is.

Works for me. I have several engines here i've ran for over 40 years with good results.
 
Diesel tech is the only right answer so far .I've installed many harden exhaust seats in old engines it has nothin to do with valve material just the harden exhaust seats
 

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