what kind of gas should i use?

[Chasespeed21]

hey everyone I just bought my boat and I noticed a sticker next to the throttle control saying never to use unleaded fuel or else the motor could sustain serious damage. i asked the previous owner of the boat who was pretty knowledgeable and he told me he has always been told to use just regular 87 octane unleaded fuel. so im not sure what i should be using for the best results out of my engine. Someone please set me straight!

 

[mwph]

You'll not find leaded fuel anywhere. I am lucky enough to have this at my marina...
http://www.valvtect.com/marineFuelGasoline.asp

I found a lot of good reading on fuel, fuel additives and the like. Hopefully the above link will get you started. I'm also sure others will chime in.

 

[l-skynyrd]

You can buy Lead additives at auto parts stores. You just
add it to the fuel tank when you put gas in it. It helps
lubricate the valve train.

Len

 

[MonacoMike]

You should also read up on ethanol issues as well, particularly if you use pump gas.

Welcome aboard, MM

 

[aqua*holic]

Leaded gasoline is short for gasoline with Teta Ethyl Lead (TEL) additive. TEL was developed as an octane booster, thus allowing engine manufacturers to run higher compression ratios without detonation.

The result of usning gas with lead additive is the metal in the engine would become hard and brittle from the lead. Engines that were designed to run on this fuel were made with softer materials in the valve seats and cylinder walls, and the metal would harden up over time with the use of lead.

Once the metals in the engine have hardened, you do not need to use lead additive anymore. Now, when does that happen? That is the trick. I would say that if your engine has several hundred hours on it, you are probably fine. If you happen to have a motor that was made in the 70's and only has 60 hours on it, you better use the additive.

As someone said previously about lubricating the valve train, there may be some truth to this, but the effect is very minor. Fuels today can compensate for this easily.

 

[sbw1]

Lead was outlawed around 1979 because it is a pollutant that lasts a long time in the environment and does bad things. It was used to stop engines from "pinging", the sound made when fuel detonates prematurely on the compression cycle of internal combustion engines. The pre-1980 had valves made from softer metals and they also needed lead for lubrication. In the 80's the valves were hardend and the lead was no longer needed to protect them. I put nearly 4000 hours on a 1979 SR with the soft valves. When the boat was filled up, an additive went into the tank first and then the gasoline. So many boaters had this issue at the time, marina fuel docks carried the additives required to protect the engines. If your engine really has the original valves I woud add a lead substitute if you can find one.