{"id":103256,"date":"2024-03-14T21:18:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T04:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogv2prod.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=103256"},"modified":"2024-04-19T21:16:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T04:16:37","slug":"what-are-lead-substitutes-and-are-they-necessary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-are-lead-substitutes-and-are-they-necessary\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Lead Substitutes and Are They Necessary?"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><style>.kadence-column_b41947-cb > .kt-inside-inner-col{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;}.kadence-column_b41947-cb > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column_b41947-cb > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column_b41947-cb > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column_b41947-cb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column_b41947-cb > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column_b41947-cb > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column_b41947-cb{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column_b41947-cb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column_b41947-cb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column inner-column-1 kadence-column_b41947-cb qk-look-widget\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-row ultp-block-027b8a  qk-main-wrap\"><div class=\"ultp-row-wrapper\"><div class=\"ultp-row-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ultimate-post-column ultp-block-1f6986\"><div class=\"ultp-column-wrapper\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2\"]{text-align:center;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-family:Inter;font-weight:500;font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"kt-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2 summary-title wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading_9f3d95-d2\"><span>Summary<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Leaded gas was completely banned by 1996. Since lead helped reduce wear on a vehicle&rsquo;s valves and valve seats, lead substitutes were developed to replicate the lubricating properties of lead.<\/li><li>While lead substitutes can serve a crucial purpose in older engines, they aren&rsquo;t always needed because old vehicles can be modified with hardened valves and cylinder heads.<\/li><li>Generally, running an old engine on modern gas without lead substitutes isn&rsquo;t that detrimental. But many classic car owners still prefer to be on the safe side and use lead substitutes.<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Tetraethyllead or TEL used to be a gasoline additive to give fuel a higher octane rating. Using gasoline with a higher octane rating allowed vehicle engines to run more efficiently and reliably with less engine knock. TEL also lubricated valve seats and prevented premature wear in older engines. However, adding TEL in gasoline released lead into the atmosphere, which was incredibly toxic. TEL was known to cause cancer, lead poisoning, learning disabilities, and even birth defects, among other health risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The US slowly shifted to unleaded gas during the &rsquo;70s. Eventually, leaded gas was completely banned by 1996. However, the absence of lead raised concerns over engine reliability, as older vehicles were designed to run on leaded fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Was Lead Necessary?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lead specifically minimized wear on a vehicle&rsquo;s valves and valve seats, as the valves were known to hammer the valve seats thousands of times per minute. The extreme conditions inside the engine could cause the valve and valve seats to fuse momentarily. However, this connection is immediately torn apart as the valve moves. As this happens so many times, the valve can eventually no longer create a seat, which can cause the engine to lose power. In a worst-case scenario, the valve can even break off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since leaded gasoline was banned, what is a lead substitute for gasoline? Lead substitutes were developed to replicate the lubricating properties of lead and protect the valve and valve seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is Lead Substitute?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lead substitutes are made from a blend of lubricating agents and additives based on manganese, sodium, phosphate, or iron. These agents are designed to mimic the lubricating properties of lead inside an engine. The lead substitutes essentially coat valve seats and other internal components with a lubricant to reduce friction and minimize wear during combustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"article-search-widget\">\n<div class=\"cp-search\">\n<div align=\"center\">\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cld.partsimg.com\/image\/upload\/w_auto,dpr_auto\/carparts\/logos\/badge_wordmark\/full_color\/CP_LOGO_COLOUR_RGB\" alt=\"CarParts.com\" width=\"300\" height=\"56\">\n<\/div>\n<form id=\"cpsearchform\" name=\"cpsearchform\" action=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/search\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\" accept-charset=\"character_set\" aria-label=\"search CarParts.com\">\n    <input type=\"text\" class=\"keyword\" name=\"q\" placeholder=\"Search for parts on CarParts.com\" value=\"\" aria-label=\"Search CarParts.com\"><input type=\"submit\" class=\"btn-search\" value=\"Search\" aria-label=\"Search\">\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are Lead Substitutes Necessary?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While lead substitutes can serve a crucial purpose in older engines, they aren&rsquo;t always needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Old vehicles that rely on lead gasoline can be modified with hardened valves and cylinder heads that can withstand the heat and pressure inside the engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, there&rsquo;s a debate within the automotive community about whether lead substitutes or upgrading engines are even necessary. Many vehicle owners report that upgrading vehicle engines and adding lead substitutes are unnecessary and that running regular 93-octane fuel is sufficient. Moreover, many vehicles made after the mid-1960s were already equipped with hardened valve seals. However, some engine builders will insist that putting hardened valve seats is still a good idea when the cylinder heads are serviced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Others argue that vehicles that would have had problems with unleaded fuel would have already been damaged in the &rsquo;70s and &rsquo;80s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generally, running an old engine on modern gas without lead substitutes isn&rsquo;t that detrimental. But many classic car owners still prefer to be on the safe side and use lead substitutes. After all, there aren&rsquo;t any drawbacks to using lead substitutes. Plus, their low cost and ease of use give vehicle owners peace of mind for a small price.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>Tetraethyllead or TEL used to be a gasoline additive to give fuel a higher octane rating. Using gasoline with a&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/what-are-lead-substitutes-and-are-they-necessary\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":103290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[52,3743],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[2607,2985],"class_list":{"0":"post-103256","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-diy","8":"category-maintenance","9":"entry"},"acf":{"adrotate_specific_mobile_ad":"","adrotate_specific_desktop_ad":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Are Lead Substitutes and Are They Necessary? - In The Garage with CarParts.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lead substitutes are added to the fuel of vintage vehicles to help the engine combust unleaded fuel. 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Guided by CarParts.com's thorough editorial process, our team strives to produce guides and resources DIYers and casual car owners can trust."},{"term_id":2985,"user_id":1646,"is_guest":0,"slug":"richardmccuistian","display_name":"Richard McCuistian, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/richard-mccuistian.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/richard-mccuistian.png"},"author_category":"","user_url":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/author\/richardmccuistian\/","last_name":"McCuistian","first_name":"Richard","job_title":"ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician","description":"<div class=\"auth-social-links\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/richard-mccuistian-2681891b\/\" class=\"btn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"linkedin\" aria-labelledby=\"linkedin\">LinkedIn<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/McCuistian\" class=\"btn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"instagram\" aria-labelledby=\"instagram\">Youtube<\/a><\/div>\r\n\r\nRichard McCuistian grew up in Alabama learning from his father who ran an automotive repair shop. Richard has worked for nearly 50 years in the automotive field as a professional technician, an instructor, a freelance automotive writer for Motor Age, ACtion magazine, Power Stroke Registry, and others (published every year since May 2000). He has developed training courses and written or edited training material for companies in the U.S. Canada, and the Netherlands, and even Bulgaria. He maintained an \u201cask a mechanic\u201d website for 10 years answering questions emailed to him from all over the world.\r\n\r\nRichard has an instructional automotive YouTube channel \u201cMcCuistian\u201d with 13,500 subscribers and over 1,300 videos. Much of his professional work requires photography and videography in shop environments, but Richard also enjoys taking pictures of landscapes, skyscapes, old barns and houses, small towns. He has produced a coffee table book of digital watercolors called \u201cMemories of South Alabama\u201d created from his personal photos, along with a dozen Christian fiction short original novels and a collection of short stories, all available in Kindle or softcover format. Richard has written a 2,500-word Bible study every week for the past 20 years and uses it to teach a small group at his church every Sunday morning.\r\n\r\n<strong>Credentials:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"author-list\">\r\n<li><p>ASE Certified for more than 30 years in 10 categories, including L1 Advanced Engine Performance and Light Vehicle Diesel.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Professional Mechanic\/Technician for 25 years with experience on diesel and gasoline engines, vehicles and equipment (including hydraulics).<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Spent 5 years in fleet maintenance, 20 years in independent shops and dealerships (VW, Mazda, Renault, Jeep, Ford, Lincoln), specializing in driveability and electronics for the last 14 years of his career at the same dealership.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Senior Contributing Editor at Motor Age Magazine, first published in Motor Age in May of 2000 and every year since. He has won two International Automotive Media Awards for technical articles published in trade magazines.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Has attended hundreds of hours of automotive training from OEMs including GM, Volkswagen, Mazda, Renault, Jeep, Chrysler, as well as additional training at events like KC Vision and MACS (Mobile Air Climate Systems Association).<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Taught college level auto mechanics for 19 years.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Has written for automotive training companies (including course development work for training companies in Canada and the Netherlands) and has been hired to teach professional trade show technician courses at multiple training events in Texas and Alabama.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>While still teaching at the college level, Richard launched a new automotive program in Geneva, Alabama, setting up a dual enrollment department in a new building, organizing the shop and classroom, teaching morning classes to high school students for 2 years while still teaching at the college in the afternoon.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<li><p>Richard\u2019s college program at Lurleen B. Wallace Community College worked at professional shop speed during his tenure to prepare graduates for production level work in the real world.<\/p><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103256"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carparts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=103256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}