I've just acquired myself a replacement 2.25 3MB petrol for my Series III. The guy who sold it me (a Land Rover mechanic) has said that it should run on unleaded as long as it isnt thrashed etc. He said that I could try running it with Broquet pellets in the fuel tank to prevent valve wear if I was going to work it hard.
What are the group's views on using Broquet? Does anyone have anything good/bad to say about it?
Can I expand this question a bit as I've been wondering whether I'd look too stupid if I asked the following:
I have a 110 2.25 that I've been running on LRP. It doesn't get much use except to drive the whole way across Wales about 8 times a year. At the far side of Wales I use it to tow a 2 1/2 ton boat across some fields from where it is craned in/out of the water. The rest of the year it sits in my path growing green slime on its nice white top.
I can't get LRP anywhere here in NW England, so I've stocked up with Redex additive from Asda. But near Caernarvon, I can still buy Texaco LRP, which the Texaco agricultural fuels website tells me is the equivalent of 4-star, so I've tried to keep using this. I can normally cross Wales and get back to Carnaervon without having to hold up the queue measuring and calculating in a normal forecourt.
The thing is that whatever I put in the tank, it still seems to go and still sounds so noisy that I don't detect any pinking or knocking above the background noise.
My "Land Rover mechanic" seems offended when I suggest replacing the head, saying that with the mileage I do the present head will last longer than me.
Should I worry? Should I be using the 'better' unleaded petrol with the Redex? Redex + unleaded seems the cheaper option. I've never seen pellets in Asda.
older land rover engines are tough, crude beasts designed to run an fuels ranging wide in quality, I'd not worry too much, I don't know if the engine will happily take unleaded without modification, I'm a diesel-man myself but if I were running a petrol engine I'd probably buy a load of the cheapest redex-type stuff I could find and squirt it in alongside the cheapest unleaded I could find. If you can get LRP at a good price when in wales then I'd fill-up on that there.
On or around Wed, 15 Dec 2004 16:49:46 +0000, Mr.Nice. enlightened us thusly:
LRP is fast-disappearing - I think it's almost at the stage now where the only places still selling it are ones that still have a stock of it. Not sure if any oilco still produces it.
But generally, the 2¼ petrol will probably run on anything. I did once get one running on paraffin, and sister's BF had his farm hack running on TVO at one point, mainly 'cos he had a big tank of it to use up and nothing else to run on it.
You can always add a bottle of additive every now and then, but on normal use I doubt it needs it. The advice about LPG (which is worse than U/L for valves) is to suck it and see - and if you get valve problems later, swap the head or get it fitted with hard seats.
Pellets: dunno. do they have a life after which they're all gone, and you have to chuck another one in, or are they claiming that they last forever? If the latter, I strongly suspect that it's bullshit.
I reckon the mechanic is correct, especially since you're using lead replacers from time to time.
If the ignition timing is set to run OK on unleaded, you don't need to worry about the octane boost from 4-star LRP, and you don't need an additive intended to get the boost.
The main risk is that many older engines were designed to run on leaded fuel, assuming the lead would help the wear on the exhaust valves. Well, it does, as well as boosting octane rating. But on unleaded fuel, especially if worked hard, you get accelerated wear.
The V8 has hardened valve seats anyway. They can be added to the head on the 2.25 petrol. But 3rd-party lead-replacer works, and if you're doing low annual mileage it may work out better than paying for a rebuilt head.
On the other hand, if you are looking for extra performance (on a 2.25 petrol?) you likely want the head working over anyway. "Porting" to improve gas flow. So the extra cost of the hardened valve seats is much lower. But you might want an additive intended to boost octane rating as well.
(And, yes, the features which boost performance also boost efficiency. It depends how you drive. Insert ? and ! as you feel appropriate.)
I've had Broquet pellets in my 2.25 petrol for 6 years now (=about 9000 miles) and have run on unleaded for that time with no valve seat recession, if the valve clearances are any guide, as they've not shown any tendency to close up. I don't thrash the vehicle.
Have you any idea of the compression ratio of an old 2.25 Land-Rover engine? They'll run on creosote!
The lead was needed to protect the valves and seats in these engines as they are not hardened. However, buy now most of these engines are well 'work hardened' and should be OK. You don't need high octane fuel, standard unleaded is 95 octane and is fine - whether the valves or seats will wear is a matter of luck.
My old SIII ran fine on unleaded for 35,000 miles, then burnt out a couple of valves one night heading back here down the motorway at a steady 70mph. All I did then was fit hardened seats and new valves. It was fine the rest of the time I had it (about 15k miles) and is still working OK for the next owner.
Hardened seats are cheap to fit if you can do it yourself, or find a local old fashioned machine shop to do it. It cost me (including parts) about 75 quid for the valves and seats and gasket set and a days labour.
Heh... I daren't price up the hours spent working on s**te old landrovers instead of doing work I could invoice for. I probably could have bought a new Roller!
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