Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Tele man
As yet unknown...sorta like when they took the lead out of gasoline, then discovered afterward that without the presence of lead, the valves were "sinking" into their head seats because previously the lead-oxide had acted like a "sponge-cushion" to prevent this from happening. An example of EPA's "Unintended Consquences" from not thoroughly investigating (understanding) the ramifications of their hasty mandates.
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Myth. There was no mystery that removing the lead would remove the lubrication supposedly needed for the valve seats. Additionally, studies have shown that running an engine designed for leaded fuel with unleaded fuel under normal conditions caused no more failures than average, and could even saved the owner money since leaded fuel can be more damaging to other parts of the engine (spark plugs, exhaust system, valves). The reason to get the lead out was, of course, to allow the use of catalytic converters, as the leaded fuel would have destroyed them.
The damage to human health that the leaded fuel has caused is still being uncovered, however...