One of my first jobs involved getting a fleet of delivery vans started first thing each morning, back in the days when we squirted Easy Start in the air intake to get them running, and had to stall them to turn them off. That was smoky
General Fuel additives...... a good thing?
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General Fuel additives...... a good thing?
One of my first jobs involved getting a fleet of delivery vans started first thing each morning, back in the days when we squirted Easy Start in the air intake to get them running, and had to stall them to turn them off. That was smoky
I think I told you all that when I first left "the big smoke" and returned to Edinburgh I worked in a small country garage about 10 miles south of the city. The boss made extra money by allowing GUS (Great Union Stores) to garage their delivery vans and lorries in the main workshop overnight. So, every morning, these vehicles had to be started up and driven outside to be parked in the street. This was the late '70's, no DPFs or catalytic converters and the standard method of starting on these old engines was to allow the pump to overfuel during cranking. So the first few revs after starting, the fuel mix was very very "rich". Then, as the revs picked up, the governor would take over and knock the fueling back to where it should be. The problem was though that for the first few power strokes the exhaust emitted enough smoke to rival a royal naval destroyer laying down a smoke screen! Thick, white, choking smoke. Made you cough and eyes stream with tears. Even after making a cup of tea the workshop still wasn't a nice place to work in for maybe a half hour or so. But it was "normal" so we didn't question it and just got down to work.One of my first jobs involved getting a fleet of delivery vans started first thing each morning, back in the days when we squirted Easy Start in the air intake to get them running, and had to stall them to turn them off. That was smoky
Thinking about that garage and about another recent thread about engine oil for a Punto where thickness was discussed, has reminded me of an incident involving our apprentice. This young lad was very enthusiastic and keen to learn so after a while the foreman put him on the lube bay - we had a separate lube bay. We, the mechanics, would do the service and repair tasks at our work stations and then, if required, the vehicle was driven round to the lube bay where it's engine oil and filter would be changed, gearbox and axle levels checked, grease points greased, tyre pressures and tyres checked etc. Unfortunately the lad had not, unforgivably, been properly instructed in the power operated machinery in the lube bay, At that time I think we had two grades of engine oil, two grades of transmission oil, a powered greaser, etc. The lad started in the bay after lunch and did 3 lube jobs that afternoon (I know it was 3 because I had to go and recover all 3 cars) Everything was fine that day. The customers paid their bills, collected their cars, and went home. First thing next morning, within minutes of each other, all three rang up reporting flat batteries! I tried jumping the first car with leads from our Land Rover recovery truck but the engine would only just turn over slowly, just like a flat battery. Oh dear, probably the starter, never mind we'll bump it. Only it wouldn't - still wouldn't turn over fast enough. So recover to garage workshop. Repeat story for the other two. In the workshop we tried new starters, batteries, checked earth leads and so on. But not one of the three would turn over at any speed at all! Then the foreman came over and pulled the dipsticks. You've probably already guessed? The laddy had filled the sumps with rear axle oil because he didn't understand about the selector on the powered oiler! Actually they were separate for engine oils and gearbox oils, but he still hadn't "clocked" it. With oil drained and refilled with 20/50 they all trundled back happily to their owners. The boss refused to discuss it so we don't know what he told them!
We spent some time at the tea break trying to work out how they'd been able to drive the vehicles home the night before and we concluded that the engines were hot after the workshop tuneups etc so probably the engine heat managed to thin the oil enough to let the engine run but after a night outside in the Scottish weather it just got too thick! I was very impressed with the boss who just had a quiet wee talk with the lad and had him back in the bay, with a skilled man, the next day. Don't think he was so lenient with the shop foreman though, who was best avoided for the rest of the week! Although they managed to drive them home I bet the cars behaved like slugs?
Just to say regarding my wee diesel van, after the 2stroke oil, it stared very easily no matter the weather conditions. 1.3 turbo, quite a nippy thing when I put it through it’s paces. Stop/start driving, but I kept it clean and not soothed up too badly by a regular road tune up...
I don't think it is relevant at all to this thread, but was very interesting, and enjoyable to watch.
It is indeed a very entertaining watch PB and I too enjoyed watching it.
I found it particularly relevant having worked with my gardening squad for the last 15 years of my working life. Our machinery ranged from a large ride on through large and small walk behinds to a scarifier and selection of leaf blowers, hedge cutter and strimmers, all with various types of IC engine. The horticultural machinery "world" seems quite obsessed with fuel stabilizers. When buying spares towards the end of the season, often service items to "winterize" the machines and ready them for the winter layup, They would always try to sell me a fuel stabilizer. Briggs and Stratton, the engine maker, seem particularly keen and even sell their own branded product.
I resisted and never had any problems - still don't to this day - however our fuels were ethanol free at that time and even latterly now only contain 5% ethanol (That's what the E5 on your petrol pump stands for) whereas the Yanks have had E10 for years and even more in some cases https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_in_the_United_States
Ethanol seems to be the "baddie" so maybe that's why I've never had a problem but I see E10 is coming! I believe it's to be the standard "brew" by 2021? That's going to be fun for all the older cars because the ethanol rots things like rubber fuel hoses and petrol pump diaphragms and lots more. I've seen it said that anything older than about 2010, maybe 2012 could well be at risk?
I'ver read that Premium fuels will remain at 5% for the foreseeable future, not too great a financial burden running older low use vehicles.
When E10 was first mooted, I found somewhere that it will probably not affect most Euro4 cars or newer, which will be most of the daily use cars, as my 2006 Panda is Euro4.
With fuel injection, and an in-tank pump, it is probably only the hoses to be checked, so perhaps everything from 1993 will be less of a risk.
Was asked by someone about their 1998 Micra. Details for this car are vague, but after a bit of research, it appears that really only the fuel hoses are a potential risk. Not a big deal, unless they have specific ends on them, which is unlikley for most cars.
With my interest in elderly machinery, in particular horticultural and motor cycles, I'm thinking many of their engines fuel systems will be incompatible. Small Horticultural engines often have at least one rubberized diaphragm to pump fuel and other rubber parts like O rings and needle valve seats. I think B&S engines have been ethanol compliant for quite some time now but I don't know about some of their older engines with points type ignition or other makes like the defunct Tecumseh and others - I have a cast iron bore Tecumseh in my mower which is now about 30 years old and still refusing to "die". I think I'll just play safe and run them all on premium grade if indeed it really is to be E5? Hopefully it'll still have info on the pump?
Getting back to aftermarket fuel additives specifically, I came across a very interesting feature the other day - I'm trying to find it again so I can post a link - about concentrated fuel system cleaners (the type where you empty the whole can into about half a tank of fuel to thoroughly clear the system of lacquers and the like). This feature was highlighting something I'd not been aware of which is that excessive use of these products can destroy the small fuel filters incorporated in Direct Injection system injectors. Apparently the nylon/plastic type filter screen breaks down and then obstructs fuel flow to the nozzle.
I think you'd probably have to excessively overdose to get this happening, but, as I'm using the Archoil AR6900-P MAX in both the Ibiza and the Panda I'm trying to find out more from my supplier - https://www.powerenhancer.co.uk/brands/archoil.html - who I've found very helpful in the past and I'll pass on anything useful which might emerge.
I think you'd probably have to excessively overdose to get this happening, but, as I'm using the Archoil AR6900-P MAX in both the Ibiza and the Panda I'm trying to find out more from my supplier - https://www.powerenhancer.co.uk/brands/archoil.html - who I've found very helpful in the past and I'll pass on anything useful which might emerge.
