What fuel to use????

[Ron&Gill]

Apparently yes. There is some high tech pizoelectric goodie that you put somewhere on the engine and it tells you. These are used on high tech, high compression engine management systems. But, I don't know of any other lo tech way. Maybe you can feel it if you put your hand on the head? Bit difficult at 45km/h...

[Tony Z]

you should be able to feel it also... similar to an engine stalling, just more subtle.

Good info Ron!!!!

[JamesD]

I don't know if it helps but i run LRP or Unleaded. 93 not 95 unleaded. My bug didn't seem too happy on 95 for some reason. and i would say it runs a bit cooler on unleaded, my oil pressure stays a touch higher at idle after long runs and even during the run. But ya, haven't ever really run more than 2 tanks of unleaded after each other through my car. The unleaded is also a slightly cleaner "feul" (Higher solvent ratio and less additives) and that helps clean out any deposits in your fuel system and jets from what i have gathered.

unleaded has saved my ass as well once or twice when i couldn't find LRP

[louisvr45]

What fuel to use? The short version is UNLEADED.

Why? Because where other auto manufacturers only changed valve seats in the mid-80s onwards, VW already did so in 66. Same for valve guides. As always, well ahead of its competitors. Valve Seat Recession (VSR) is therefore not a problem. On older cars than 1966, if the heads were redone, or replaced, you’ll have hard valve seats, or should have.
Why not LRP? The least of the problem is because the additives in LRP cause spark plug fouling. More importantly, because the additives in LRP (oxygenates) can cause your engine to run lean, causing overheating. And because the oxygenates in LRP are an Octane booster which you don’t need.

The VW pages I looked at said “beware of anything over 6%”. Now I know Sasol, for example, love chucking ethanol into their fuel, although again, I can’t find percentages. E10, in the US, is 10% ethanol. This stuff is particularly nasty to ACVW engines as 10% ethanol makes your engine run 4% leaner, and additions of up to 20% ethanol have been recorded!

All the additional stuff like timing adjustment, flame front speeds, throttle position, turbos, vacuum advance, altitude above sea level, etc. are a moot point. While making the discussion very interesting, they have little to do with the question at hand. One interesting point though: your required Octane rating drops by one point for every 300m elevation, cool, huh?

John Muir’s The Compleat Idiot lives up to its name by insisting that you MUST ONLY use LRP. If you feel you belong to that category, go for it.

My references: Engen, Shell, NAAMSA, Sasol, Wikipedia, Dave and Rob’s ACVW pages.

Oh yes, and how to check for knocking, go to 45 or 50 km/h, shift into 4th, put the hammer down and listen for the pinging.

Hi do you have the info from the fuel company's or vw's website? cause I'm still not sure when to use unleaded in my bus or my vw fox.

I have read that using unleaded in older car damage valve guids and valve stem seals.

[Tony Z]

If you are unsure, then run LRP unless you have a lambda sensor.
As for your VW fox, you might have to contact VW.

[Tony Z]

BTW, my 2332 hasnt seen LRP except for the initial break-in period. Unleaded all the way

The beetle was designed to run on unleaded. Why do they say old cars? Cause many were not designed for unleaded. Then again, there is the chance your car was rebuilt and now cant run unleaded due to cheaper seats...

[louisvr45]

do you think the fleetine busses came out with quality valve seats?
And the fox has a new engine since 2007. Do they(like jap engines of engine den) use cheap or quality seats?

[Dark Cloud]

The Aircooled engine was designed to run on Unleaded.... Ok they didn't know about Unleaded back then but hay the man knew what he was doing... You can run the Unleaded fuel and like Tony said use some LRP now and then....

Not all of them can run on unleaded... but if you have a early 50's or late 40's engine, it might be time for a rebuild.

Dont worry Lesey, yours is safe for unleaded

I cant remember dates, but I think every engine after the early 50's was made with stainless steel seats (or another hard steel) which is unleaded safe. Its only the very early bugs that had cast iron seats and its those that need leaded fuel

I will always trust Tony Z's opinion.

[Tony Z]

you are a brave man....

[Ron&Gill]

Like I said up front in this thread, be very careful of LRPs. There is nothing in LRP that is actually good for your AC engine, the additives foul the plugs and the variable amountes of oxygenates make your mixture vary from slightly rich, where it should be, to lean, where you overheat, and this is unpredictable unless you drive with a lamda sensor permanently attached.

The worst that can happen on unleaded is valve seat recession, a problem VW dealt with back in 1966. If your car (or heads) are newer than 66, you're fine. If not, you have a problem.

(Remember LRP is not the same as "leaded" fuel that we had before the introduction of "unleaded". LRP is unleaded fuel with stuff added, amongst others oxygenates.)

My advice is to stay away from LRP completely. That's what I do. If I experience VSR I'll get the seats replaced and still run unleaded, it's better than cracking a head because I'm running 8% lean because some fuel manufacturer has tossed in 20% ethanol in his unleaded fuel and calls it LRP.

[Wentzel]

I run my Beetle on 95 unleaded and never had a problem but the heads are not std and have s/s valves and chrome-molly seats. On my wife's Beetle I use LRP but would like to use unleaded, that engine has been rebuilt and have a higher compression that std. Personally I would do some work on the heads to be safe. Do you get s/s valves and chrome-molly seats in std size? or what other options are there?

[IMPI]

I concur that it is a waste to use LRP on aircooled engines.
I have found one engine which had valve ressesion and I doubt that was due to the petrol used. I would even run those old 50's engines on it and I doubt that there will be any discernable wear Those old seats gets work hardened through the years and would probably be safe.
Seats are rarely changed during a rebuild (no matter what the "experts" say). You dont want to mess with something that gets pressed in as removal causes damage.

The only seats I check religeously are those type four ones. and that is for looseness.

Armand

[chop007]

Ja I heard next year they are doing away with LRP completely and then they are going to have a thing where you can put a few drops of this liquid in your tank and then fill up with unleaded. Darn planet savers, man, there is so much old technology that has been suppressed by the large oil companies(Spark plugs that last forever, etc etc), if we knew half of the stuff I reckon we could make a fortune on saving fuel and engine wear. I mean, my grandfather tuned me int heir day they used to just run everything on ethanol and some other stuff he explained to me in his ducktale language. Ja but these little bugs are awesome man, I will never stop loving this metal beast, I still get a laugh each time I am going around a sharp bend, some BMW driver is coming the other way, I always see the whites of their eyes and can imagine they get bite marks on their seat from getting such a skrik their rectums bite into their leather BMW'S seat. Ha, ha, ha, I swear, if the mad max days come true, us aircooled oaks will have all the chicks because it would be the only things without all the electronic gizmo's that can go bust from a Magnetic Solar Flare. Awesome oaks, I reckon if they pull LRP, I am gonna start Moonshining in my back yard and use a quarter of the product to run my Beetle, the rest I will give to Zuma instead of tax, that way, he will be happy and so will I.

[Friedrich]

You can also use "Wynns Valve guard Lead substitute", most motor spares and garages sell it, one bottle for every 50L of unleaded
http://www.wynns.co.za/fuel%20products.htm

Friedrich

[Ron&Gill]

This thread attemps to clarify that no LRP or additives to unleaded fuel is needed in your ACVW. The doing away with LRP is only a good thing.