Bob

From January 1st South Africa is phasing out leaded petrol.
I have a 1985 Range Rover Classic with a 3.5l V8 carb engine.
What sort of adjustments will I have to make and will lead free petrol do
any damage to the engine?

Thanks

Paul

Derek

"Bob" <paulri@email.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1e076e3edb282fc5989684@aioe.cjb.net...
>
> From January 1st South Africa is phasing out leaded petrol.
> I have a 1985 Range Rover Classic with a 3.5l V8 carb engine.
> What sort of adjustments will I have to make and will lead free petrol do
> any damage to the engine?
>
> Thanks
>
> Paul

You just need to retard the ignition timing a little post 1980 the heads had
harder valve seats so you shouldn't have a problem . Have a look at
http://www.roversd1.co.uk/new_fuels.htm for more info
Derek

Austin Shackles

On or around Mon, 12 Dec 2005 14:04:01 +0200, Bob <paulri@email.com>
enlightened us thusly:

>
>From January 1st South Africa is phasing out leaded petrol.
>I have a 1985 Range Rover Classic with a 3.5l V8 carb engine.
>What sort of adjustments will I have to make and will lead free petrol do
>any damage to the engine?

You might want to retard the timing a few degrees (about 3, ISTR, from a 98
octane setting) depending on what octane rating they give you. Ours is 95
octane, whereas leaded 4* used to be 98.

as to the lead... you might be OK with an '85 engine. I think it's only
early ones that are prone to damage, and not all of them - being an alloy
head, it already has valve seat inserts. The biggest problem engines are
cast-iron heads with the valve seat machined straight into the iron.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
"Festina Lente" (Hasten slowly) Suetonius (c.70-c.140) Augustus, 25

Tom Woods

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 14:25:09 +0000, Austin Shackles
<austinNOSPAM@ddol-las.net> wrote:

>On or around Mon, 12 Dec 2005 14:04:01 +0200, Bob <paulri@email.com>
>enlightened us thusly:
>
>>
>>From January 1st South Africa is phasing out leaded petrol.
>>I have a 1985 Range Rover Classic with a 3.5l V8 carb engine.
>>What sort of adjustments will I have to make and will lead free petrol do
>>any damage to the engine?
>
>You might want to retard the timing a few degrees (about 3, ISTR, from a 98
>octane setting) depending on what octane rating they give you. Ours is 95
>octane, whereas leaded 4* used to be 98.
>
>as to the lead... you might be OK with an '85 engine. I think it's only
>early ones that are prone to damage, and not all of them - being an alloy
>head, it already has valve seat inserts. The biggest problem engines are
>cast-iron heads with the valve seat machined straight into the iron.

Didnt we loose leaded petrol in the uk in about 98? I'm not sure i've
ever bought any for my own car?

Are there many 'modern' (meaning 70's onward) cars with cast iron
heads?

All my cars have been old (84 is my newest), and I was always of the
opinion that i'd just stick unleaded in my cars and if i ever had any
head trouble i'd sort it out when it became obvious. None in any of
them yet! (and i've had plenty of heads off to check!)

Nige

Tom Woods wrote:

> Didnt we loose leaded petrol in the uk in about 98? I'm not sure i've
> ever bought any for my own car?

Around that time.

>
> Are there many 'modern' (meaning 70's onward) cars with cast iron
> heads?

Crikey, where do we start here! Nearly all BL cars of the 80's (apart from the O series i think) had CI
heads. My old R5 Gt turbo had a CI head.

TBH, loads of cars & all dervs that I know of have CI heads.

I will, of course, be wrong now.

Nige

>
> All my cars have been old (84 is my newest), and I was always of the
> opinion that i'd just stick unleaded in my cars and if i ever had any
> head trouble i'd sort it out when it became obvious. None in any of
> them yet! (and i've had plenty of heads off to check!)

--�
Subaru WRX
Range Rover LSE (Bob)

'"gimme the f*ckin' money"

Paul S. Brown

Tom Woods wrote:

>
> Are there many 'modern' (meaning 70's onward) cars with cast iron
> heads?

The BMC A-Series used in Minis, Allegros and Metros up until 1998 had cast
iron heads.

The B-Series used in the Maestro and Montego had cast iron heads.

The lump Vauxhall put in the Chevette and Nova had a cast iron head.

And that's just off the top of my (cast iron) head.

Yes - there are many modern cars with cast iron heads.

P.

Larry

Well it wasn't the lead free petrol my last engine died from. With an old
engine you might as well not bother with any fancy conversion because whats
the point of spending a lot of money on something that is not going to last
anyway.



--
Larry
Series 3 rust and holes






"Austin Shackles" <austinNOSPAM@ddol-las.net> wrote in message
news:st1rp1hhgmkqhegrhtfsodpt0b32o69p39@4ax.com...
> On or around Mon, 12 Dec 2005 14:04:01 +0200, Bob <paulri@email.com>
> enlightened us thusly:
>
>
> You might want to retard the timing a few degrees (about 3, ISTR, from a
98
> octane setting) depending on what octane rating they give you. Ours is 95
> octane, whereas leaded 4* used to be 98.
>
> as to the lead... you might be OK with an '85 engine. I think it's only
> early ones that are prone to damage, and not all of them - being an alloy
> head, it already has valve seat inserts. The biggest problem engines are
> cast-iron heads with the valve seat machined straight into the iron.
> --
> Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
> "Festina Lente" (Hasten slowly) Suetonius (c.70-c.140) Augustus, 25

Austin Shackles

On or around Mon, 12 Dec 2005 23:21:55 +0000, "Paul S. Brown"
<landies@geekstuff.tv> enlightened us thusly:

>Tom Woods wrote:
>
>>
>> Are there many 'modern' (meaning 70's onward) cars with cast iron
>> heads?
>
>The BMC A-Series used in Minis, Allegros and Metros up until 1998 had cast
>iron heads.
>
>The B-Series used in the Maestro and Montego had cast iron heads.
>
>The lump Vauxhall put in the Chevette and Nova had a cast iron head.
>
>And that's just off the top of my (cast iron) head.
>
>Yes - there are many modern cars with cast iron heads.

Ford kent (pushrod), the littel one in the fiestas (valencia?), ford pinto,
ford cologne V6...

and of course the 2� and 2.5 land rovers.

leaded petrol was phased out and repalced with LRP which has in turn
disappeared. buggrem. They said "don;t worry, all you types with old
motors, we'll do LRP instead." And so they did, for about 3 years.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
Satisfying: Satisfy your inner child by eating ten tubes of Smarties
from the Little Book of Complete B***ocks by Alistair Beaton.

Austin Shackles

On or around Tue, 13 Dec 2005 00:34:43 -0000, "Larry" <NDA@larry-arnold.cwm>
enlightened us thusly:

>Well it wasn't the lead free petrol my last engine died from. With an old
>engine you might as well not bother with any fancy conversion because whats
>the point of spending a lot of money on something that is not going to last
>anyway.

and if you're doing a major rebuild on an old engine, then you get the head
converted at the same time.
--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
Satisfying: Satisfy your inner child by eating ten tubes of Smarties
from the Little Book of Complete B***ocks by Alistair Beaton.

Tom Woods

On Mon, 12 Dec 2005 23:21:55 +0000, "Paul S. Brown"
<landies@geekstuff.tv> wrote:

>Yes - there are many modern cars with cast iron heads.

I must have got far too used to saabs (which definately have alloy
heads!)