Do I need lead fuel additive?

[Peter-T]

Okay, so I have a 2 litre '81 air cooled Devon and i'm not entirely sure if I should be using a lead fuel additive. The previous owner has been using it for a while, but I have no idea if this is correct or not?

Any help would be great!

[shepster]

No.

[Peter-T]

Ahh right, okay then, easy as that. Cheers

[kevtherev]

I wonder how much money the PO wasted on additives

[lefty67]

Out of interest. At what point would you consider using an additive? From what I can gather the increases in ethanol and bio-fuel in petrol can have a negative effect on older vehicles ie tank corrosion, valve seats, so will there come a point where we will need to use additives?

[CovKid]

Ethanol: I think the biggest threat is to plastics/rubber rather than heads. Unleaded/Leaded: Virtually all lead-only heads have replaced/vanished by now

[kevtherev]

At no point do I see the use of additives for any point.

[Peter-T]

I think the PO has been using the lead additive as he didn't know if the heads had been done or not. Safer to assume they hadn't and use the replacement surely?

There was some left when I picked the bus up, so I used it the other day when I filled up. Is it an easy process to identify if the heads have been done or not?

[CovKid]

Its almost a decade too late to worry about heads requiring a lead additive/substitute. This subject still resurfaces from time to time - would love to know why. Earlier bays and bugs perhaps but if they're still running on their original heads then its a miracle. Most old volks are on their third or fourth engine. It certainly doesn't apply to the T25. Maybe it goes hand in hand with "The 009 distributor is an excellent replacement for the stock distributor Sir" etc.

Must complile a list of V-dub myths - there are loads of them I've heard in 30 years.

Just put petrol in it and make sure the timing is set correctly. That is all that is required.

[kevtherev]

I think the PO has been using the lead additive as he didn't know if the heads had been done or not. Safer to assume they hadn't and use the replacement surely?

There was some left when I picked the bus up, so I used it the other day when I filled up. Is it an easy process to identify if the heads have been done or not?

But surely as an owner you would ask the manufacturer if any fuel additives are needed, if the manual is not present?

[Ralf85]

VW were building engines for T2s like my old one to run on unleaded back in the mid 1970s long before they built T3s like ours. Relax!

PS I met up with some guys who own model T Fords. They are as happy as larry running on unleaded!

[clift_d]

Might be a good idea to renew your fuel hoses. Particularly if the PO has been sticking all sorts of junk in the fuel tank. It's a sensible thing to do anyway.

[tobydog]

I've been reading about fuel additive, not for lead, but the ethanol in modern fuel. One that was mentioned is sold by Briggs & Stratton:

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/us/en ... -treatment" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm thinking of using it for my T25 and 1980 Guzzi.