Unleaded Fuel in UK Import 205

[JAC]

Hi there.. this is my first post so be gentle...

I've done a search on the various threads on this site about the use of Unleaded Fuel in older Pugs but none of them really applied to my car.

It's an '87 205 GTi 1.9.. (pic attached, i think) A previous owner personally imported it from the UK
a few years back and the owner before him personally imported it from France.
As a result the car has no anti-pollution systems on it.

I'm wondering if, as applies to Aussie 205's, I can use unleaded without valvelube additives (ie.. did UK model 205's of this era have hardened valve seats), and would it do my engine any harm to use additives even if they weren't required..? i was thinking of spending a bit more on a higher octane fuel as well...

One other question... what grade engine oil does anyone recommend I use on an engine of this age...

Any info muchly appreciated...

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JAC

[cam85]

Just use high octane fuel. I find i get the best from BP Ultimate. Your luckey to get an import with none of the emissions crap on it. Plus a little higher compression i think,

Cam

[dino]

welcome to the AF JAC.....hope you enjoy your stay, the little 205 is a wonderfull thing....

As far as your choice of fuel,...well, I'd do as Cam has recomended.....I wouldn t worry about the addetives....surely I m not wrong in thinking the 205 already has hardened valve seats ....
I use Ultimate (whenever I can) and my 205 runs perfectly on it (cat less).....
Yes I ve run Octane additives before but these are a waste of money on such a torquey little bugger......I d only recomend you consider a profesional fuel injector clean and just make sure your induction is nice and clean and that there are no leaks...its IMO always smart to also make sure all the various electrical connectors (in the engine bay) are clean and tidy (firm)...Consider a throttle clean (esp. idle screw which can gunk up a bit)....
Do a search and follow some consistant advice and she ll be purring like a cat.....addetives more often than not are a waste of money and time.....although I m a strong supporter of the nulon G line addetives for the transmission....
As for oil....I use penrite 25-70 in my and it just loves it.....My engine does suffer from worn valve stem seals though so my recomendation is probably to thick......Ideally....something in the 10w-60 would be my recomendation.....
Whats your consumption (oil) like at the moment....?what s the oil pressure like on a hot day?



cheers


dino

[JAC]

thanks for the info..

cam: yes, I count myself lucky every day that I managed to grab a 205 without any power-sapping emissions stuff on it... when tuned up properly it goes like a beast, plus it has 4-wheel discs which i don't think came out here
on the 205's until later on...?

dino: thanks for the info... my oil pressure seems to vary.. (please dont tell my this is a bad thing) according to revs... its usually just over half way on the gauge but drops at idle (altho the car is in need of a service as idle speed is quite low) and it does seem to go through a small amount of oil...can't be sure but i think i've been using 15w-40..

I guess just for peace of mind, and if i feel like throwing money away, i might use an additive just in case..

[dino]

my oil pressure seems to vary.. (please dont tell my this is a bad thing) according to revs...



Thats fine...no probs there......

15w-40....hmmmm......OK.....ofcourse she ll run fine on that and probably more freely but IMO (and I m sure there are many here that disagree) I really think this viscosity range is 2 THIN for a motor thats WHAT? possibly done more than 200K+ (what is the actual milage?)...
I think, you should try something a touch thicker next oil change simply because
we have higher ambient temperatures down under and the fact that the car has seen a few miles...Remeber the little 1.9 is quite torqey and IMO will not have any issues whatsoever handling a slightly thicker oil.....Good oil pressure is especially important on those odd days when the gti gets some action....



cheers


dino

[JAC]

Thats fine...no probs there......

thats good to hear... was having nightmares about changing oil pumps..!

mileage is about 100K (thats miles, so 160K in km's) which i think is quite low
for a car that age... anyway, think i might try a bit thicker next time..

thanks again for the info