Re: Unleaded gasoline

Posted by Jeff King on March 16, 1999 at 18:51:59:

In Reply to: Unleaded gasoline posted by BLB on March 16, 1999 at 05:36:40:

Many old tractor engines were set up to burn distillate (drip gas) or propane. Those what were had hard seats installed in the cylinder heads from the factory. If you are using the tractor as a show piece or for weekend work, unleaded is probably just fine. If the machine is really getting used for some heavy duty pulling, then some additive may be warranted. Lead in gasoline and the additives is/was used to cushion the exhaust valve as it lands onto its seat. In casual use, you are more likely going to need a tear down because of worn valve guides causing a bad seat or burned valve, or a carboned up valve burning by long before you would see any seat damage due to unleaded fuel. I just bought another head for my Case 148 CID. After getting the rust carved off of it and hot tanked, we found it already had 8 hard seats (all 4 cyls) installed in it, and they had been beat to death (probably long before unleaded fuel came to be). So it is being machined out again and another complete set of hard seats installed. So hard seats are not the end of the world, and when done, you won't need to ask your question again.

Regards

Jeff

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