Hi,
I am sure this is an old old subject that's been gone over a thousand times, but what petrol grade/type should I be using in a '72 DSpecial (21 I think, with the single choke Solex carb). When I bought it, the previous owner was using lead replacement fuel additive ("Valvemaster", phosphorus based). Is this strictly necessary - are the original valve seats the hardened type, or the type that relied on lead in the fuel?
Also, I get quite a bit of pinking when accelerating/pulling uphill. The timing is set via dwell meter and strobe, but should I be adjusting this a few degrees off standard settings (retarding?) to cope with modern fuels?
And, is it worth buying the expensive "high octane super" type fuel, or is standard unleaded adequate?
And finally, what about 10% ethanol fuel? French cars were always designed to run on petrol watered down with cheap vin de table, weren't they? It was certainly one of the design criteria for the 2CV, along with the basket of eggs over the ploughed field. This I am quite sure of.
Cheers,
Dan
I am sure this is an old old subject that's been gone over a thousand times, but what petrol grade/type should I be using in a '72 DSpecial (21 I think, with the single choke Solex carb). When I bought it, the previous owner was using lead replacement fuel additive ("Valvemaster", phosphorus based). Is this strictly necessary - are the original valve seats the hardened type, or the type that relied on lead in the fuel?
Also, I get quite a bit of pinking when accelerating/pulling uphill. The timing is set via dwell meter and strobe, but should I be adjusting this a few degrees off standard settings (retarding?) to cope with modern fuels?
And, is it worth buying the expensive "high octane super" type fuel, or is standard unleaded adequate?
And finally, what about 10% ethanol fuel? French cars were always designed to run on petrol watered down with cheap vin de table, weren't they? It was certainly one of the design criteria for the 2CV, along with the basket of eggs over the ploughed field. This I am quite sure of.
Cheers,
Dan