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Re: SAAB96 Posted by eric in vermont [Email] (#2058) [Profile/Gallery] (more from eric in vermont) on Fri, 9 Feb 2007 17:05:59 In Reply to: SAAB96, BRIAN, Thu, 8 Feb 2007 12:50:06 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Brian,
The lead additive in the old leaded fuel provides lubrication for the exhaust valves. Without it, your exhaust valve seats will deteriorate over time. How long will it take?? About 15 years ago, I had my Sonett motor out and apart and had a simple valve job done. Sadly, I didn't have them install hardened seats... I drive the car just a couple of thousand miles in the spring, summer, fall. The last couple of years, I noticed that I had to adjust the valves once or twice during the summer. So I KNEW that one of these days, I was going to burn a valve. Sure enough, last summer the car started running rough. I pulled the plugs and did a compression check: 130, 130, 130, 40. Oh oh. So I then took off the nose and pulled the heads. Sure enough, the exhaust seat in the suspect cylinder was almost gone. The valve was egg-shaped and half-sucked into the head. Time for a rebuild with hardened seats! Mileage was about 30K from valve-job to valve-suck.
Some say that the lead additive is the way to prevent this. I never used it. In fact, I was recently told that the lead has been taken OUT of lead additive these days, due to environmental concerns, and that lead additive doesn't do much but boost the octane a bit. So some research should be done to see if that's the case.
So, what's in jeopardy is the exhaust valve seats.
posted by 68.142.50...
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