U.K 1987, the move to unleaded riddled with issues.
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JHZR2
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Wow, they still used lead up to 1987?
I remember seeing the stickers on cars near the tanks saying to use unleaded. I remember being young and confused in the early-mid 80s as to what regular gas thst wasn’t unleaded was. But leaded gas was gone by my time...
I remember seeing the stickers on cars near the tanks saying to use unleaded. I remember being young and confused in the early-mid 80s as to what regular gas thst wasn’t unleaded was. But leaded gas was gone by my time...
In Germany too. They didn't put cats on most cars until late 88 early 89. In 1987 a new German market BMW 325 didn't even have hardened valve seats, the US market which came from the same factory did. The rare car that did have a cat had a special little sticker on the windshield. Go figure.
it was gone before I can remember here as well(Born late '79, here in OH), but in the Early 90's we went on vacation to visit mom's family in Southern ID. Dad would Let me pump the gas, I got out, grabbed the "regular" nozzle went to put it in the car...."clink clink" it was too large...wouldn't fit...Dad saw what was happening, and the very confused look on my face...then handed me the "unleaded" nozzle..... I don't remember the exact year, but some where in the 90-94 range.
Wow...I just found this..
"Unleaded gasoline was introduced in the 1970s when health problems from lead became apparent. In the United States, leaded gasoline for use in on-road vehicles was completely phased out as of January 1, 1996."
History of gasoline - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
A brief history of gasoline.
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Much further than that in France. Make it more like 1996/7? But at some point the "super 97" (which used to be leaded) wasn't containing lead anymore, but some kind of substitut...potassium based maybe?
(unleaded being 95 and 98)
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Yep, I remember that too. It would also be written own the dash somewhere, usually on the gas gauge. My 300ZX says "Premium Unleaded Only" all over it. The gauge, the gas cap, and a sticker under the gas cap.
Out my way leaded gasoline had disappeared from gas stations long before the 1996 deadline. I'd say the last station I remember having it was in the late 1980s. The difference in Europe is that unleaded gasoline was mostly unavailable until the late 1980s, and as mentioned, Euro-market cars didn't even have catalysts until around then. That's why you saw hand-wringing over the change there.
Some people like to think about Europe as being light-years ahead of North America in automotive technology, but in some key ways that often hasn't been true.
Some people like to think about Europe as being light-years ahead of North America in automotive technology, but in some key ways that often hasn't been true.
They sold leaded and unleaded side by side until mid nineties at least. I started driving in 96 and leaded was sill available.
New Zealand didn't go to unleaded until the '90's, and lots of drama too of course. First it was the regular grade, and one of the things that happened was cars were catching on fire, and it was because of that unleaded fuel ! But it was the same cars that always caught fire - Ford Escorts, Vauxhall Vivas and VW Beetles...the fuel hose would come off and squirt on the ign coil. We had a guy who filled his BMW up with this new fuel, took it home and it wouldn't go again. He blamed our fuel, we were going to have to get his car, remove the fuel, get it running again and fill it with real fuel...and we were going to have to pay his bill ! I found the needle valves were pressed into the carb body, not threaded...and they had fallen out. The things this horrible unleaded fuel could do to your car were endless.
In the late '90's premium went unleaded, and this was a big one, because real cars ran on premium...were were calling it 95 by now, the regular was now 91. I had a Ford Falcon at the time with a 250 engine, it wouldn't run on 91, and would rattle it's head off on 95, I had to run it on 98, but not many stations had 98, so had to use octane booster if we could't find a station with 98. It had run fine on the leaded 95.
We had no emission laws, cars for NZ had no cats, no EGR, we didn't need that stuff so it was stripped off to make them cheaper. We still have no ethanol in our fuel, just one brand has it in it's 98. The biggest thing I noticed with unlead was shelf life...if the engine sat around for a few weeks or months it wouldn't start again. So for the last 20 years I've turned my fuel taps off on my motorcycles and run the bowls dry, and will start with fresh fuel in the carbs.
In the late '90's premium went unleaded, and this was a big one, because real cars ran on premium...were were calling it 95 by now, the regular was now 91. I had a Ford Falcon at the time with a 250 engine, it wouldn't run on 91, and would rattle it's head off on 95, I had to run it on 98, but not many stations had 98, so had to use octane booster if we could't find a station with 98. It had run fine on the leaded 95.
We had no emission laws, cars for NZ had no cats, no EGR, we didn't need that stuff so it was stripped off to make them cheaper. We still have no ethanol in our fuel, just one brand has it in it's 98. The biggest thing I noticed with unlead was shelf life...if the engine sat around for a few weeks or months it wouldn't start again. So for the last 20 years I've turned my fuel taps off on my motorcycles and run the bowls dry, and will start with fresh fuel in the carbs.
Yes, I remember filling up my 1972 Gremlin with leaded gasoline in 1987. I had just turned 18 years old. The pumps that dispensed leaded fuel were clearly marked as LEADED. I thought the extreme signage was odd, until I realized that leaded fuel was being phased out and can ruin vehicles designed for unleaded.
I was thinking it was December 31 1991 but maybe that was just California. My dad remembered a couple of gas stations that still had leaded gas at the pump early in 1991. LA Times leaded gas
From what I read Australia was still using leaded gas until 2000.
From what I read Australia was still using leaded gas until 2000.
I remember when motoring seemed simple. No cats, egr, dpf or emission checks. We came to the unleaded game late too. My Diesel Jeep is a 2008 and has no DPF.
We are moving from E5 to E10 petrol in September 2021. Anyone having a vehicle not able to run on E10 will have to buy the 'premium super fuel' as that will remain at E5.
Diesel will remain at B7.
We are moving from E5 to E10 petrol in September 2021. Anyone having a vehicle not able to run on E10 will have to buy the 'premium super fuel' as that will remain at E5.
Diesel will remain at B7.
Yep, leaded disappeared at the gas stations in Canada in the late seventies and gasoline was labeled as “unleaded” well into the 2000’s. I think I’ll pour myself a uncreamed coffee.
A relevant Old Top Gear episode of similar vintage covering the same concerns
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