Tony - I don't think they would have run on "dry cleaning fluid" = Carbon Tetrachloride. Noted fire extinguisher!
Regards
Dudley
On 25/07/2021 2:23 pm, Tony Galloway wrote:
> I reckon in Mercier’s day “Ethyl” would have been widely promoted as a positive marketing feature, like methyl benzine was.
>
> The full name, tetraethyl lead, doesn’t have much charisma.
>
> Both allowed petrol engines to run higher compression ratios by reducing pre-ignition - “knock” - that damaged pistons and conrods, and the lead in TEL also formed a cushion on valve seats that reduced valve and seat wear, and helped lubricate the valve stems. Engines designed to run on unleaded fuels have hardened valve seats, improved ignition and valve timing systems and fuels have different octane boosting additives to allow higher compression ratios than TEL and methyl benzine did.
>
> I’ve never had any problems running my ancient motorcycles on modern unleaded petrol, and back in the days of just “standard” or “super” petrol at the bowser I always ran my old sidevalve Harley and Indian on standard petrol, but then with 5 1/2 to 1 compression ratio they would've run on kerosene or dry cleaning fluid.
>
> Tony
>
>> On 24 Jul 2021, at 11:31 pm, David Batho dbatho@... mailto:dbatho@bigpond.net.au> wrote:
>>
>> So Emile Mercier, with his “Enchanting Ethel” brand of petrol in his cartoons, wasn’t too far off the mark!
>>
>> David
>>
>>
>>> On 24 Jul 2021, at 6:42 pm, Tony Galloway arg@... mailto:arg@aapt.net.au> wrote:
>>>
>>> And along with the Methyl came Ethyl - thanks to this “genius” :
>>>
>>> https://interestingengineering.com/thomas-midgley-jr-the-man-who-harmed-the-world-the-most https://interestingengineering.com/thomas-midgley-jr-the-man-who-harmed-the-world-the-most
>>>
>>> Tony
>>>
>>>> On 24 Jul 2021, at 2:19 pm, Mal Rowe mal.rowe@... mailto:mal.rowe@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> On 13/02/2021 11:23, Mal Rowe wrote:
>>>>> Melbourne is back in lockdown ... and the streets are quiet.
>>>>>
>>>>> Pascoe Vale Rd, near my home, is usually buzzing on Saturday mornings, but it was pretty quiet today.
>>>>
>>>> ... and here we go again ...
>>>>
>>>> The AOA brings back memories of the last days of the Wellington tramways, when to add insult to injury several of the trams carried ads for SHELL "with Methyl Benzene". Benzene was classified as a carcinogen in 1979 - so the current adverts promote "V-power".
>>>>
>>>> Mal Rowe - hoping to be released from his Tiny Tram World on Wednesday
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>> <2003_PascoeValeRd_24Jul2021.JPG>
>>>
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