Heat related effects on the boxer engine.

[bobhenry999]

Gerard,

There is of course an alternative solution to the problem, move out of SW London into the countryside !

Only joking.

Bob

[lancialulu]

I am fortunate in having an Esso Station within five miles of home, so I can get the high octane stuff minus the ethanol.  Sadly Esso stations are not as plentiful as they once were.   I've had the advance and retard looked at carefully on my Beta and my Fiat 124, but need to get them carefully checked on the HF and Appia and even on my old Landy, which although made in the early 80s has a 1950s Rover saloon car engine, only lightly modernised by BL for the end of the line.

While Esso is good fuel I have had predetonation problems with my Fulvia 1600 HF (modified hi compression) and also my Gamma, both of which have correct advance curves. I do not suffer when filling with Shell Vpower.

[GerardJPC]

But look at what happens to the fuel pump in this Lotus on V Power -


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKzLLgR5TVA

[GerardJPC]

Gerard,

There is of course an alternative solution to the problem, move out of SW London into the countryside !

Only joking.

Bob

I do not live in SW London.  Someone else who posted above does.  I have a flat near Lambeth Bridge, and a place in South Oxfordshire where my old cars live in a barn. 

[frankxhv773t]

A word of warning about hoovering debris from around the fuel system. Most vacuum cleaners pass the sucked air through the motor to cool it which is really fun if you suck petrol vapour over a sparking commutator. Proceed with caution.

[lancialulu]

But look at what happens to the fuel pump in this Lotus on V Power -


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKzLLgR5TVA

Thats nothing to do do with vpower..... its ethanol. Yes its in Vpower but also 99% of all other petrol.

[GerardJPC]

I know.  Subject to location of sale, Esso's most expensive petrol does not contain ethanol.  

Here's a speculative thought:  in the next few decades, classic cars with internal combustion engines will, I expect, continue to be driven, although in falling or stable numbers, supported by things such as developments in 3D printing to replace worn out parts (once all of eBay has run out of dusty boxes found in back rooms).    I would expect Governments to licence small supplies of fuel for use in classic cars, whilst most forms of personal transport will be running on other sources of energy, and may become largely autonomous.   I wonder if amongst the limited fossil fuel supplies there might be petrol of the kind sold in the 50s to 80s.  

Owning and running a classic car in, say, 2050 may require some sort of specialist licence and possibly a deep pocket, but I expect that it will still be possible.   I might just possibly still be around in 2050, but I think that I probaby won't be.  I wonder if my daughter (who will then be 46) will still have her old dad's 1962 Appia, or will her idea of a classic car be her old dad's 2009 Jaguar.  Hipsters in 2050 may be collecting early Teslas.

[lancianut666]

Just thinking that the chances of fixing a 2009 Jag against a much simpler Appia might be a factor only time will tell...
Clarkey