Series IIA Fuel Requirements

[Robert Pugh]

Does our 109" Series IIA 1963 Rover Gasoline engine require leaded fuels? Our shop and owners manuals do not make it clear. If so, can an additive such as Stead-o-lead do the job?

[TSR53]

Welcome the Rovers North Land Rover forums! Thanks for your posting of this thread and question. I'm sure someone with good solid petrol knowledge and Series vehicles will chime in. In any event, I have moved this to the proper forum under Series I, II, IIA, III.

[lrdukdog]

Yes, it was originally built for leaded fuel and if the head hasn't been rebuilt to used unleaded then you should use a lead additive.
Jim Wolf

[yorker]

If the head has not been converted to use unleaded gas then you will want to use the additive. It doesn't mention it in any of the workshop manuals because leaded fuel was generally available when they were printed so they assumed that is what you would use.

Matt Nelson

[TeriAnn]

Yes, it was originally built for leaded fuel and if the head hasn't been rebuilt to used unleaded then you should use a lead additive.

You can usually get about 40K miles on a LR cylinder head without the additive, ASSUMING hardened valve seats were not installed during a previous valve job. Most heads on vehicles that actually get used have long been converted to run on unleaded.

I suggest just driving without additives until You need a valve job then have the machinest install hardened valve seats. It is way cheaper than buying lead additive every time you fill up.

You'd hate to have spent lots of $$$ for additives only to discover hardened seats had already been installed.

Just a suggestion

[a109]

You can usually get about 40K miles on a LR cylinder head without the additive, ASSUMING hardened valve seats were not installed during a previous valve job. Most heads on vehicles that actually get used have long been converted to run on unleaded.

I suggest just driving without additives until You need a valve job then have the machinest install hardened valve seats. It is way cheaper than buying lead additive every time you fill up.

You'd hate to have spent lots of $$$ for additives only to discover hardened seats had already been installed.

Just a suggestion

I agree with TeriAnn here. Most of the engines that have never been rebuilt ran for many miles on leaded gas and the exhaust valve seats absorbed enough lead to last for many more miles. When the valves go out of adjustment frequently or when you decide to rebuilt the engine it is time to get hardened valve seats installed. In the mean time if you have the head off for a quick repair like a head gasket don't touch the valves without new seats.
John

[yorker]

My last unleaded engine burned the valves and seats in ~10,000 miles of use with unleaded gas so as they say YMMV. You really don't know what the PO did to it or if they used additive or if they have already run the pi$$ out of it with unleaded gas for 20 years. If I were to do it again I'd make sure the valves were on the loose side and I'd run a Rochester or other slightly richly jetted carb. Part of my problem was likely a Weber single barrel (some have stated thatthey can run lean- they don't always come properly jetted for a 2.25).

It was more than a little annoying to have a perfectly good engine with good compression go to hell in a years time due to the valves. I was relying on the "lead build up" that others have mentioned. I'd have been far better off to have installed hardened valve seats from the get go- or use the additive- which at the time was only ~$7 for 300 gallons worth of treatment.

If you are really worried about it there is a vendor on ebay that sells new heads complete with valves and hardened seats for ~$500 shipped. The last auction I watched went for $360 or so.

[Robert Pugh]

Thanks for all the great responses! We bought our Rover new in 1967 from the original purchaser who never took delivery. It had been shipped to New Zealand, where I was working, by a couple that never got to use it. It has 54,000 miles since new and has been in storage here at the ranch since 1983. It has never been run on anything but leaded fuels. We are currently in restoration and mechanically it all seems great.
It is with great relief that we found all of you good people.

[PH4]

Yorker, where on ebay did you find the hardened valves with heads for $500.00?