Re: Proper gas for 374 engine

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2011/3/4 10:59:05

In the heyday of Amoco, at least here in NJ, only the premium was unleaded - the regular grade contained TEL. Premium Amoco is also what most campers bought for their Coleman lanterns, gas stoves, etc. in lieu of Coleman fuel which was more expensive.

I didn't see it mentioned in this thread before, excuse me if I missed it, but it takes considerably more crude oil to make a gallon of unleaded premium than it took to get that same octane using TEL. Though there are certainly disadvantages to TEL in regards to health and the environment, going no-lead, as well as requiring low-sulfur crude for home heating oil and diesel and other uses have all increased the demand for crude above and beyond other considerations. It's among the costs we're paying for a better environment.

PS - If you examine the list of other chemical compounds which had the ability to both raise octane and minimize valve recession, there were remarkably few from the hundred thousand or so tested. One that I do recall from the list was an organic iodine compound which probably presented even greater health hazards than TEL. And TEL's first commercial subsitute, MTBE (methytertiarybutyl ether) also had it's own severe environmental issues due to it's affinity for partitioning into ground water rather than rising to the surface with the gasoline and evaporating.