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Re: Leaded Fuel

On the Leaded Fuel Question:

I ran my standard 2002 on unleaded for a year or so before indulging in an 
engine rebuild. When the valves were ground in, tiny hairline cracks were
evident running across the seat area ( i.e. the crack ran in the same direction
as the axis of the valve stem). I showed these to my local reputable engine
shop and they had seen nothing like it before. We tried grinding them out on
a valve re-facing machine but  no luck. So  I decided to put them back in the
car! (this was a budget rebuild...). I also decided that the cause might
have been valve overheating, and that unleaded fuel might make this worse,
so I now run on UK 4-star, european "super", 98 octane leaded. Its done
15,000 miles since then and there are no signs of lack of compression yet,
am I wasting my money on buying leaded fuel (much more expensive here...)?

Dave Lacey
Switzerland.

PS I didnt mention these are the exhaust valves I am talking about...