Talk > Automotive Social > Fill it with regular or jet fuel?

reply to Lurch77

Re: Fill it with regular or jet fuel?

It won't work with a catalytic converter, as I mentioned. But the cat was not the direct reason it was phased out. The cat was just another part of the Clean Air Act. Pollution and poisoning concerns were the reason.

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Landrigan and his studies played a key role in the government mandate phasing out lead components from gasoline, beginning in 1975, and the federal ban on lead paint in 1978 – culminating in an 88% drop in lead levels in American children by 2005.[10][11]
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_J._···gan#Lead

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reply to Bob
I remember hearing mentions that when leaded gas was still in use in Japan, children that grew up near some intersection in Tokyo had far higher chances of lead poisoning just from the air.

Naturally looking backwards, I want to ask "What idiot thought mixing a heavy metal into gasoline and then burning it was a bright idea?" But I have to remember when they came up with leaded gas they likely had no clue of the implications
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[65 Arcanist]Filan(High Elf) Zone: Broadband Reports

reply to Lurch77
Except then they would have simply banned leaded gas and, one day, only unleaded would have been available.

But there was a period of a few years where you could buy either. You had to ask, "fill it up, unleaded". And the only reason anyone ever bought unleaded was because their car had a catalytic converter.

reply to Kearnstd

reply to Bob

I was alive and buying gas in 1975, so I know what happened.

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1972 — Feb 22 — EPA announces that all gasoline stations will be required to carry “non-leaded” gasoline in the future to protect catalytic converters (which reduce other auto exhausts such as carbon monoxide). EPA asked the Dept. of Health Education and Welfare (HEW) “to provide a health basis for the planned reduction…” But HEW “informed EPA that they could not support the reduciton of lead in gasoline for reasons of adverse health effects since no medical or scientific data were available to indicate that it was a hazard to health.” EPA delays setting standards until 1973, then is sued by Ethyl Corp.

1974 — May 7 – 8 — Hearings before the Panel on Environmental Science and Technology of the Subcommittee on Environmental Pollution of the Committee on Public Works. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del) calls for “a panel of medical scientists having expertise in the field” to perform a literature review, but concludes: “In my opinion, lead from auto emissions does not constitute a public health hazard.”

»66.147.244.135/~enviror4/about/e···imeline/

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reply to Bob

said by Bob
Hey, we walked around behind lawnmowers burning leaded gas for hours, and we all survived.[/BQUOTE :

Naw you didn't.. Those affected by it are not aware of the symptoms!

In jest!

I remember my high school physics teacher (Henry Fischer) saying that using leaded gasoline in a lawn mower was bad, and thinking, "I use leaded gasoline all the time, it seems OK to me".

reply to Bob
as i understand it the lead also worked to help as lubricant for valve seats. the solution for the unleaded fuel was/is hardened valve seats. i remember in yesteryear when looking for heads to work on for my sbc i wanted to have '73+ or if i got older ones i just knew i was going to have them machined for hardened seats.
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reply to Bob
We'll just have to disagree then. You were alive and buying leaded gasoline, so I can understand your IQ being dropped a bit. I'm just kidding, hope you can take a joke.

I've provided a link with source stating the environmental reasons for phasing it out. Here is more. But we've gotten too far off topic now. You can disgree with me, and I'll leave it at that.
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline#T···thyllead

reply to Bob
Haha, Jay Leno just mentioned this on his show.

Does anyone know if it was actual Jet Fuel for turbine jet engines or was it AVGas which is for piston powered prop aircraft?

I once considered buying some 100LL AvGas from the local municipal airport for my turbocharged cat-less project car to be able to crank up the turbo boost.

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CompTIA Network+ Certified

See this post - »Re: Fill it with regular or jet fuel?

reply to Bob
Im pretty sure the main reason for lead was to cool the valves. After lead was removed sodium filled valves were standard which meant you no longer needed lead in the gas. Also helped with anti knocking and things like that but bottom line it was there for good reasons at the time. Bottom line lead went sodium filled valves and cats came. without checking i believe we are talking somewhere around 71 72 when unleaded was becoming standard. Could be wrong but i dont think cats came till around 74. I think reignators were first tho and probably misspelled that anyway. Im thinking air pumps were introduced around 72 also. Look up the horsepower of say a 1971 302 with two barrel carb. it comes in at 210 horsepower. Look up the horsepower of a 1972 302 2 barrel and it comes in at 140 horse. Thank you unleaded gas for that. Bottom line that lead made us run faster with higher compression engines something that back than was a big deal.

The main reason for lead was octane boosting. As an aside, lead also acted as a lubricant for the valves, but that was just a beneficial side effect.

As for the horsepower change -- at some point in the '70s, the HP rating changed from engine HP to HP at the wheel.
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Wacky Races 2012!

reply to aurgathor

With brake horsepower, they did a calculation to subtracted the losses cause by essential stuff like the water pump, alternator, transmission, etc. So the brake horsepower was much greater than what could be delivered to the wheels.

reply to Kearnstd
It was 71 to 72 when the change was made. I had the 71 comet gt and my buddy had the 72. Same car, same engine mine was rated 210 horse his was rated 140. Use to go to a local track. Not even close i blew his doors in every time. Dynomometers were invented in the 80s making the calculations easier. But in real world you can expect from 13 to 25 percent loss from crank to wheel. Depending on the drive line. More than just crank to wheel was done in that time.