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Fuel Additive

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Mashbox

04-28-2008 06:42:40




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I was told recently by someone who has a business selling parts and doing complete restorations for old Ford tractors that they recommend running a fuel additive. The reason I was given was the fuels today can/will cause the heads to crack, and using the additive they recommend would lower the operating temp of the fuel and prevent damage to the head. Does anyone here run an additive in the fuel, and if so, is this the reason why you do?

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dogobat

04-28-2008 18:13:33




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Mashbox, 04-28-2008 06:42:40  
tetraethyl lead was to raise octane to prevent detonation - it tends to deposit and make a mess of things (ask anyone who works on aircraft engines) it doesn't do squat for the valves and never did use clean fuel, and don't run year old gas, you'll be fine



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5000-nut

04-28-2008 15:58:01




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Mashbox, 04-28-2008 06:42:40  
Additives in gas are usually lead, and the lead lubes between the valve face and the seat. If the seats in the head are hardend no additive is needed, but if they are not the most that would happen is the valve will beat out the seat.. If this happens just replace the exhaust seat and you"re good to go.. All of the ones I machined had hard seats in them.



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trucker40

04-28-2008 09:24:17




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Mashbox, 04-28-2008 06:42:40  
Everything used to burn inside a motor has advantages and disadvantages.I have heard of people that put oil or ATF in nowdays gas to add lubrication to the top end,maybe it works.It probly works as good as lead did,which was more of an excuse to put in gas for the people lobbying for lead than to help lubrication of the valves.After somebody did a sample of the dirt on the side of the road and found it had many times over what was considered a safe amount of lead did they finally take it out of gas.I think motors nowdays and in the old days are lower compressioned anyway.There is no gas thats going to cause your head to crack without it having something else wrong anyway.Some people will say anything to make money nowdays.Most old tractors are low compression.When you burn other stuff in there besides gas it leaves more deposites.Deposites that might cause trouble if they stick on your valves and the tops of your pistons.Some of that stuff claims to take out deposites,and maybe they do.I have a friend thats a mechanic,we used to work together.He will pour any snake oil remedy in his own personal vehicle that he can find.If you drive his pickup is is almost undriveable.It has stuff like you have to push the emergency brake down just 1 click to keep it running,missing,hardly has enogh power to pull itself.Anybody except him would not put up with it.It still runs and has 200,000 miles on it,but most people wouldnt put up with it.So in his case the snake oil might help keep it running,but he probly has spent more on snake oil than it would cost to fix it.

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old

04-28-2008 08:16:37




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Mashbox, 04-28-2008 06:42:40  
Thats a good old scam that has been around for decades. Its just a way for some one else to make a buck and sell you things you don't need and never have needed. I have 30 plus tractors and I run straight gas in them what ever is cheapest and have NEVER had any engine problems using the gas you can get today.

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Fordfarmer

04-28-2008 07:55:54




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Mashbox, 04-28-2008 06:42:40  
Put about 100 hours a year on my Jubilee, using plain gas or a blend up to 12% ethanol, never any additives. Last engine rebuild was in the fall of '91, so that's 1500+ hours, no problems. No problems with the head when it was rebuilt either. Replaced the valves, ground the seats.



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604

04-28-2008 07:19:07




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Mashbox, 04-28-2008 06:42:40  
Lead lubricated the valve seats in the era before hardened valve seats were used. Will do nothing for cracking. I ran unleaded gas in a 64 1/2 ford mustang for years. It was pre hardened seats. Put over 40k hard miles on it. Tore down the engine and the valves looked just fine. Never worried about it since.



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souNdguy

04-28-2008 06:54:12




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Mashbox, 04-28-2008 06:42:40  
Fuesl today are lower octane than years back. Lower octane means less spark knock ( predetonation ) in high compression, hi-rev engines. Most old tractor engines are low compression ( 6:1 ) and low governed rpms.. IE.. less than 3000.. etc.

While there are a few addatives you can add to fuel .. like de-waterers, and stuff like MMO.. the bulk of the snake oil fuel addatives only do one thing.. that is to line the pockets o fthe people selling them.

I'v heard some pretty tall tales. but this is the first i've heard of needing a snake oil to prevent head cracks... sounds hokey to me.

Make sure your cooiling system is up to snuff and that she don't overheat.. and make sur ethe oil pressure is sufficient to keep things happy.. that will be good for your head...forget the snake oil..

soundguy

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Brian Allen

04-28-2008 06:53:07




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Mashbox, 04-28-2008 06:42:40  
What I remember is that all these tractors were built to run on leaded gas and now with the removal of lead they (in theory) run too hot.
Anyone else?
Be tractor safe.
Brian



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Wayne IA

04-28-2008 17:19:19




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Brian Allen, 04-28-2008 06:53:07  
That's what the cooling system is for!!!



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soundguy

04-28-2008 11:26:47




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Brian Allen, 04-28-2008 06:53:07  
AFAIK, TEL was not a valve lube addative.. but a pre-ignition addative..

soundguy



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Keith Williams

04-28-2008 10:57:32




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Brian Allen, 04-28-2008 06:53:07  
Actualy these engines were in many cases built BEFORE Leaded gas. The 9N's were even made to run on distilate.
The Valve seats are hardened on all tractors. They knew we would run them hard pulling a load.
my 2 cents.



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Brian in MA

04-28-2008 06:57:46




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 Re: Fuel Additive in reply to Brian Allen, 04-28-2008 06:53:07  
My understanding was that the lead lubricated the valves/guides and that lead substitute is intended to add that lubrication to make the top end last longer. That said, I don't generally add anything to my old gas engines.



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