Gasoline

1930Ford

1930Ford

Junior Member
1930 Model A, with B Engine.

Question: Which gasoline (85, 87, 88, 91 or Ethanol free)?
 
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If you drive the car lots, any of the above. If the car sits at all, use ethanol free. Performance wise for that engine,, they are all the same but the alcohol doesn't play nice with old cars.
 
As post 2 said use non ethanol if car sits more than driven . The ethanol draws moisture .89 ethanol will work if driven a lot, compression is only about 4 to 1 ,some people add marvel mystery oil to gas also.
 
Regular is fine, I always used to put Marvel Mystery Oil in When I got gas, usualoly 5-6 gallons at a time, GLUG-GLUG-GLUG.
Paul in CT
 
Keep in mind that in 1930, the octane rating of gasoline was maybe 60, and tetra-ethyl lead had not yet be introduced because compression ratios were quite low. So don't waste your money on high octane gas. If you can get ethanol free easily and without paying too much more for it, I'd use that as it will be less susceptible to vapor lock. The E85 has too much ethanol, so I would avoid that. Otherwise, 87 octane works.
 
For what it is worth, I drive my Model A a good bit and I noticed that the alcohol free runs better but it is also a little higher octane. Otherwise, everything that has already been said above.
 
Its a Model A, so it really doesn't care. It'll run on about anything.

However, I think it mostly matters which float needle you're using. A steel needle won't care, a viton tip one will.

When storing for any length of time I run the carburetor dry and walk away.
 
I have moved to Florida recently where ethanol-free seems to be easy to find. I've now gone through two full tanks of it. The difference, and improvement in performance, has been night to day. Also, no more "off" gas smell. I'm sold on it.
 
A couple things I don't see covered her:

1) my Grandfather always told me you can run your A on kerosene, but you can't get it started on that. He said you'd need to run it out, then carry a gallon of gasoline with you.

2) A guy in my A chapter has had a couple electric Volt(s). He said the factory manual says use premium fuel, because it may be in the tank for an extended time. I guess premium fuel does not break down nearly as fast as regular fuel.

Don't shoot the messenger...
 
Ethanol is basically water suspended in the gasoline. Hence, when it sits the water settles to the bottom. But, something else to think about is that there is not any thermal energy in water. What you are doing when you run ethanol is no more complicated than diluting you gasoline by 10%, It's all a "slight of hand" card trick being played on us by our federal government. When it's all said and done non ethanol gasoline has 11% more energy in it than ethanol gasoline does, so in rough numbers your gas mileage will increase by approximately that much.
 
'28 RPU said:
Ethanol is basically water suspended in the gasoline. Hence, when it sits the water settles to the bottom. But, something else to think about is that there is not any thermal energy in water. What you are doing when you run ethanol is no more complicated than diluting you gasoline by 10%, It's all a "slight of hand" card trick being played on us by our federal government. When it's all said and done non ethanol gasoline has 11% more energy in it than ethanol gasoline does, so in rough numbers your gas mileage will increase by approximately that much.
Click to expand...

The first two sentences are untrue. Ethanol is C2H5OH, and will keep water in suspension up to 10%. It does not settle out upon sitting. It burns well, but does not have as much BTU content as regular gasoline. Just the facts, No slight of hand.
 
'28 RPU said:
Ethanol is basically water suspended in the gasoline. Hence, when it sits the water settles to the bottom. But, something else to think about is that there is not any thermal energy in water. What you are doing when you run ethanol is no more complicated than diluting you gasoline by 10%, It's all a "slight of hand" card trick being played on us by our federal government. When it's all said and done non ethanol gasoline has 11% more energy in it than ethanol gasoline does, so in rough numbers your gas mileage will increase by approximately that much.
Click to expand...


This post is 90% wrong and misleading... :mad:
 
Patrick L. said:
Its a Model A, so it really doesn't care. It'll run on about anything.

However, I think it mostly matters which float needle you're using. A steel needle won't care, a viton tip one will.

When storing for any length of time I run the carburetor dry and walk away.
Click to expand...


I agree. I’ve even used the Model A to burn some several years old 2 cycle line trimmer fuel (i.e. with oil in it) that I needed to find a way to dispose of. There wasn’t any perceptible crud in the old fuel; so, I tried it. The car ran fine with it. It’s an incredible machine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
nkaminar said:
Model airplane works fine in a pinch. Methanol and nitro methane. Open up the GAV a bit.
Click to expand...

I don't know why, but I wondered about that not to long ago. I was putting away a couple of gallong of VP fuel with 15% nitro - 18% oil, and was wondering what the Model A would think about it.

Regards
Bill
 
The issue with the "new" green fuel is not with performance IMHO, it is corrosion.
The 10%-15% and E85 fuels are hydroscopic, they attract moisture out of the atmosphere and will cause corrosion. The cars/trucks sold when these fuels became available have much different materials in the lines and tanks than even just a couple years prior.

The Model "A" will run on just about anything, for such a low hp per cid I doubt that you would notice much degradation. But if your Model "A" has been modified, the fuel becomes much more important, one coupe I have runs on premium much better than the regular, but that is pushing 120-130 hp.

Best, John
 
You are right John. Remember quite a few years ago when we added "Heet" to the gas tank to keep the condensation from freezing the fuel lines. "Heet" is Methanol; the little brother of Ethanol.
 
Some years back I filled up my truck and drove home. Next morning it would not start, had fuel and spark, it was a healthy 383. I had turned it over enough that gas was dripping from the exhaust. I took some gas from lawnmower can and poured a little down the carby, hit the starter and it lit then died. What happened was my fuel tank was full of non flammable gas (water mixed in). Rather than dump 30 gallons, I added a gallon of methanol, this absorbed some of the water and allowed it to run.
Never went to that gas station again...

J
 
When I was going to school on the GI bill I had little money so I burned furnace fuel
oil in my A. Extra one gal. can with fittings under the hood. Started on gas and after
it warmed up switched to the fuel oil in the main tank and drove to school, 20 miles
each way. It left a huge cloud of smoke behind but it ran fine with no problems. I got
the info from a Popular science or a Popular mechanics mag. This was in the winter of
1958/1959.
 
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