Premium Unleaded?? Do I really need to???

[azpaquin]

Originally Posted by OkieRover

Let me know what mods you do and if they work. If I got 17 or 18 I would be in heaven.

Here is what I did to get me from 12 to 15, from an earlier post. .

FWIW, if you are looking to up your MPG, Change every oil in your car to synthetic and I mean everything. Lube your U's and CVs and get synthetic in the diffs. Less friciton is good. Do it yourself and save some cashish.

Get very good wires and plugs, 9.5mm or better. Do not go cheap.

I put in a Jacobs Ignition kit, that added 2 mi per gal and gives better burn to your plugs.

Also I just did a NRP exhaust (will not do that again, can build better 4 cheaper), modified the intake.. I am in the middle of a cooling upgrade which is not going so hot. I am getting lampoon blasted flamed on another BB for asking for help.

[Muttley]

Originally Posted by azpaquin

FWIW, if you are looking to up your MPG, Change every oil in your car to synthetic and I mean everything. Lube your U's and CVs and get synthetic in the diffs. Less friciton is good. Do it yourself and save some cashish.

Sorry I thought you mentioned the words Range Rover and fully synthetic oils in the same sentance there matey..... .............ahhh You did.............oooerrrr.


My experience with synthetic oil (read ultra thin) and landys is that the nice expensive synthetic stuff ends up all over your drive as it invarably pours out of every orifice on the motor................

Stick to the standard reccomended oils, they don't leak out half as fast I've found.



edited bitty

azpaquin, sorry mate didn't realise that you had been flamed, lampooned elsewhere, I am not trying to be offensive and rubbish your suggestion, if your mechanicals are in top notch condition with good gaskets & seals all round then there will not be an issue with leaks. Call it the Scottish sense of humor.

I have never had a landy that didn't leak oil so the toughts of adding something even thinner filled me with dread, I had a friend who went with fully synthetic everything and ended up nearly getting divorced about the state of his drive when his wife saw it! .............weirdly enough the chassis of his Disco stopped rotting almost overnight as well.......... ......could be coincidental of course......

[Muttley]

Originally Posted by Serg

My owners manual for my 19995 Classic LWB says to use Premium Unleaded only... well that's fine and dandy for my M3.. heck it even gets 21 MPG when I romp on it.. However for my Rover (which gets a whopping 11-15mpg so far) I would like to use mid range or even regular unleaded..

Question is, will this hurt it?? I really can't see how since it is not a high performance engine... I just don't want to save a few bucks if it means engine problems down the line.

Serg

Serg

Why don't you convert it to dual fuel petrol/lpg (or propane to you guys) fit underfloor sill tanks so you don't loose any boot (trunk???) space.

Negligable loss of performance, Propane is actually safer than petrol, your engine runs a LOT cleaner with the added benefit that LPG is a hell of a lot cheaper, well it is in the UK anyway.

Propane is considered a GREEN fuel (significantly reduces emissions) so there may be tax breaks / incentives for conversion. My wife's '89 3.5 EFi is converted and isn't running well at the moment but is still doing the equivilent of 28 - 30MPG (Yes you did read that right).

Note I said "equivilent of", LPG in the uk is £0.35/ltr ($0.62), petrol is £0.85/ltr ($1.52) and sky rocketing, you will get around 12 - 15 MPG from LPG as opposed to 15 - 18 MPG from petrol BUT when you calculate out the cost factor you end up with your equivilent running cost.

It will cost you around £1500 ($2688) in the UK to get your vehicle converted by an approved supplied BUT you could DIY (if allowed of course) for around £500 ($896) for the kit.

Does this help?

BTW "Petrol" is our word for "GAS" when we say GAS we actually mean something like propane. Confusing isn't it.

[troverman]

What I have read is the Rover (ex-Buick) V8 was designed from the start to run on very low-grade gas because it would be used throughout the world where "premium" grades of gas were unavailable. Thus the compression of the engine was reduced, and all versions of the engine (3.5, 3.9, 4.2, 4.0, 4.6) were able to run on low grade gas. However, the real reason for the need for premium in these engines is the emissions system, mainly the two catalytic converters. From experience, we have replaced the 2 cats (very$$$) which failed because the previous owner used regular. Regular may also, as mentioned, cause knocking although it would be very light and not detrimental. The O2 sensor (s) might also be affected. Premium is about 20c higher but will cause the engine to run a little cleaner and better, so it is worth it. As for synthetic oil, you might gain 1/2-1 mpg improvement in the engine, but since the engine design is from the 50's there is really no need. The key to longevity is frequent 3,000 mile oil changes or wear on the cam and pistons may result.

[SimonArmstrong]

Okie, how about importing a 300TDI engine and bellhousing etc from here (well, england) and fitting it yourself, or having it fitted? Im sure that, including carrige costs, it wouldnt cost $9000 fitted and all, never mind just for the engine!

[Muttley]

Originally Posted by SimonArmstrong

Okie, how about importing a 300TDI engine and bellhousing etc from here (well, england) and fitting it yourself, or having it fitted? Im sure that, including carrige costs, it wouldnt cost $9000 fitted and all, never mind just for the engine!

Diseasel........... in a Rangie......... .................. you heathen




Nothing against diseasels, in fact I love em to bits especially 300TDi wiv BIG intercooler like mine in my 90 but in a RANGIE oooo..er missus no thanks

[SimonArmstrong]

Muttly look at my other post, bout the VM diesel....think im startin to think the same way as you!!!

[Serg]

Muttly..Converting to LPG is out of the question for 2 reasons..

1. I have NO desire to have a LPG powered vehicle
2. Too much hassle and then there is #1


Serg

[azpaquin]

Originally Posted by Muttley

Sorry I thought you mentioned the words Range Rover and fully synthetic oils in the same sentance there matey..... .............ahhh You did.............oooerrrr.


My experience with synthetic oil (read ultra thin) and landys is that the nice expensive synthetic stuff ends up all over your drive as it invarably pours out of every orifice on the motor................

Stick to the standard reccomended oils, they don't leak out half as fast I've found.



edited bitty

azpaquin, sorry mate didn't realise that you had been flamed, lampooned elsewhere, I am not trying to be offensive and rubbish your suggestion, if your mechanicals are in top notch condition with good gaskets & seals all round then there will not be an issue with leaks. Call it the Scottish sense of humor.

I have never had a landy that didn't leak oil so the toughts of adding something even thinner filled me with dread, I had a friend who went with fully synthetic everything and ended up nearly getting divorced about the state of his drive when his wife saw it! .............weirdly enough the chassis of his Disco stopped rotting almost overnight as well.......... ......could be coincidental of course......

Stick to the reccomended, yeah? Please no. Every grade I got was thicker from the engine to the diffs to the tranny. I only run 20/50 on the engine. No probs on my seals at all. It does not leak that bad at all .. no more than my old Renault Le Merd Car used to.

I got a little flamed on the other site for launching into the issues with the cooling design and since then I have been paying for my comments dearly.

[OkieRover]

Originally Posted by SimonArmstrong

Okie, how about importing a 300TDI engine and bellhousing etc from here (well, england) and fitting it yourself, or having it fitted? Im sure that, including carrige costs, it wouldnt cost $9000 fitted and all, never mind just for the engine!

I thought about that. And I haven't ruled it out. My best friends wife's sister's husband (boy that's a mouthful) is an auto buff or works for the auto industry there or something like that and has good access. BUt now that I have this board I may have to hook up with one of my new mates there in Jolly Ole England and coordinate with ya'll to ship me one.
I can rebuild my 4.2 for just under a thousand dollars (US) and so I'll have to think about it long and hard first.
But the miles per gallon would eventually pay for the engine. I just have to decide whether I want to wait that long.
I'm guessing I could order a 300Tdi that would directly bolt on to my existing transmission with not too much trouble?

I dropped visiting another board for the flamming they do. You would think people would have some manners when in a public forum but I guess that's too much to ask. I was responded to by one guy, "do your research before asking any questions". Hell, I thought I was doing research by asking questions. So after I researched the problem I found I didn't need their grumpy know-it-all attitudes.

[SimonArmstrong]

Hey Okie...

The very late classics (1995/6) came with the 300tdi engine as an option. All you will need is a suitable bellhousing (get it with the engine) and possibly new and/ or repositioned engine mounts

You will, however have a bit of electrical work to do. The stop solenoid on the injection pump will require an ignition contolled live. You will also need the glowplug timer and relay for the engine

I assume you already have a return pipe to the fuel tank, what with the current engine being an EFI?

[OkieRover]

It's the little things like a fuel tank and electronics, I believe, that cause this job to soar in cost over here. I know it will be a big job but I am seriously thinking about it.

[TOZROVR]

Synthetics don't cause leaks. They tend to have higher detergent packages in them and will sometimes excaberate a leak that is already there by removing sludge or buildup.

My RRC leaks less than my Land Cruiser.

[azpaquin]

Originally Posted by OkieRover

I thought about that. And I haven't ruled it out. My best friends wife's sister's husband (boy that's a mouthful) is an auto buff or works for the auto industry there or something like that and has good access. BUt now that I have this board I may have to hook up with one of my new mates there in Jolly Ole England and coordinate with ya'll to ship me one.
I can rebuild my 4.2 for just under a thousand dollars (US) and so I'll have to think about it long and hard first.
But the miles per gallon would eventually pay for the engine. I just have to decide whether I want to wait that long.
I'm guessing I could order a 300Tdi that would directly bolt on to my existing transmission with not too much trouble?

I dropped visiting another board for the flamming they do. You would think people would have some manners when in a public forum but I guess that's too much to ask. I was responded to by one guy, "do your research before asking any questions". Hell, I thought I was doing research by asking questions. So after I researched the problem I found I didn't need their grumpy know-it-all attitudes.

Aside from the other BBs. They all have their place. Like they say, sticks and stones will break bones....

Now for a 300 TDi conversion you would have to do most of the work yourself to keep that cost down. Also consider the new fuel tank, lines, hose inlet, electronic changeout,etc, etc. Even if you can get everything for say 7k... the time and energy to install and dial that in.. man. It is like doing a ground up resto-mod.

When I have a new garage to do that kind of project... I am rebuilding a series on a galv frame and putting in a powerstroke diesel on some d60 axles.

Just do a rebuild, have them drop in a better cam, better exhaust, better ignition, good wires and put in all synthetics. Others do not synthetics on this board, but I just did a 185mi trip (one way) in a 3.5ltr with 300k mi on it an averaged 16mi per gallon without my Jacobs ignition. I ran the OEM ignition.
Here is the kicker.. I had a 500 lb utility trailer on the back!

Rebuild it and enjoy it.

[TOZROVR]

Originally Posted by azpaquin

When I have a new garage to do that kind of project... I am rebuilding a series on a galv frame and putting in a powerstroke diesel on some d60 axles.

Like my buddy's rig...no 60's though....