Lead substitutes , any love ?

The bike is a few days away from being fired up and I'm going to try some of this stuff unless you guys can talk me out of it.



Last time it was running you could get gas with lead in it and it and she really liked it.

I could put 89 octane gas with lead in it and the engine would purr , put some unleaded in and I could hear pinging and knocks, didn't matter what octane.
actually I think the higher octanes made it worst.
Any thoughts ?

JD

I used a similar "lead substitute" product for a lot of years. I think it's better than nothing.

Now I use this stuff which contains real tetraethyl lead:

www.batterystuff.com/fuel-treatments/OS6q.html


don't use it with any engine which has a cat converter.

Good old "Marvels Mystery Oil". I have ran it in an old Harley shovel head since 1981.
The heads still have the original soft valve seats in it.

I remember you saying you used that octane booster before and that's what gave me the idea of finding the lead additive , but I'm not sold on more octane because she runs good on less.
I just want to eliminate the knocks and pings.

I do plan on using Marvels though in the crank case and as an gas additive, I also think that Marine stabil is a good idea for combating the evil ethanol.
I might have to go with higher octane just to cover all this other crap I'm throwing in :dry:

JD

bluej58 wrote: I remember you saying you used that octane booster before and that's what gave me the idea of finding the lead additive , but I'm not sold on more octane because she runs good on less.
I just want to eliminate the knocks and pings.

I actually bought it to get the lead which helps lube the valves. My bike never ran right on 87 octane, runs sorta OK on 89. So I buy 87 and add a few ounces of the booster which kicks it up to about 90. If you are getting knocks and pings, you have an octane problem which could be timing or something else.

A few years back, I was getting the booster for about $100 (delivered) for 12 quart bottles. The price has about doubled, so I won't be buying anymore. Every time Big Oil jacks the price of gas, the boosters get jacked too.

I'm thinking Kawasaki built these engines for lead free gas. Roy

roy-b-boy-b wrote: I'm thinking Kawasaki built these engines for lead free gas. Roy

They did. Kawasaki saw the 'writing on the wall' in the early 1970's, just prior to the lead-free transition.

Mcdroid wrote:

roy-b-boy-b wrote: I'm thinking Kawasaki built these engines for lead free gas. Roy

They did. Kawasaki saw the 'writing on the wall' in the early 1970's, just prior to the lead-free transition.

Yep, I had a specific discussion with LarryC about how hard the valve seats are in these heads. We were discussing the use of carbide cutters and how long they will last. Particularly on the exhaust seats. Leaded fuel is not necessary. Knocks and pings are signs of pre-ingnition IMO. Can be compensated for by fuel octain or timing adjustment. Could also be signs of carbon build up in the comustion chambers.

Never heard it when I was running leaded, only on the few time that I ran the unleaded :huh:

I do have a little problem with the advance that I will have to deal with , but I seem to remember the knocks being an issue a lower rpm's.

Should be interesting to see what I come up with now that I have all this support and a whole lot more patience.

Almost there, should be running sometime this weekend. :woohoo:

Thanks every one, JD