E85Forum.com

Edi · Joined: 11 Sep 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Germany

What is the meaning here about driving normal cars with may be E20 or E30 or more and the valves? Car factories say, that ethanol has not so good lubricating facilities like gasoline, so they must more harden the valves of flexible fuel vehicles.

hotrod · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 872 Location: Colorado

Some older cars needed the effects of lead in the gasoline to protect the valves. If run on unleaded fuels the valves would slowly wear and sink into the valve seats.

Many of the newer cars have gone to hard valve seat inserts like stellite to avoid the problem entirely. If your car is okay to run common unleaded gasoline it should not have any valve seat recession problems. If it is an older car designed with leaded fuel in mind you may need to get hard valve seat inserts installed, or get the valves hard coated.

Which car brand are you talking about ?

Larry

Edi · Joined: 11 Sep 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Germany

Thank you, Larry.

I have Mercedes 200 K , five years old. I hear from people, that all newer cars have hardend valves, but FFV cars have also hardend valves, but more than other cars. We have here in Germany long times no more lead in gasoline.

Edi

specialgreen · Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2005 6:29 pm Post subject:

I remember the "I fly bleifrei!" campaign from the late 1980's in Germany. I couldn't believe that you could still buy leaded gasoline anywhere in the world! It seems that regarding leaded fuel, the US moved faster than some countries. I think the "Baby Benz" 190E came with leaded/unleaded dual-fuel system even in 1990.