Unleaded or not for the B19?

[SteveP]

[about a car sold on Ebay] A reg would be '83/'84.. but still B19 then! I thought it couldn't run on unleaded, which it actually states in the ad! I had a 1986 Metro that needed LRP, that was a pain to get and that was about 2 years ago. But look at it.....

Steve

[Janitor]

i have y plate 83 which i run on a mix of u/l + lrp
also a plate 83 which i use lrp in
can easy get fuel gadgets to convert u/l to similar octane for £40 ish

[V6 Man]

As far as I'm aware the B19E can be run on unleaded, but not the ordinary 95RON stuff - it needs 97 or higher.

The issue is not the lead for lubricating valves etc, but the octane rating.

[Fuse]

I guess they have to run unleaded because in here they haven't sold that leaded stuff in ten years and some people are still driving even older cars. Doesn't run on 95 though but with higher octanes it should run. I use 98 only in my GLT although the manual says it would run on 95 too. But better for engine with 98 because there is that turbo added and for turbo motors Volvo recommends min 98.

[360GL]

i saw it too

unfortunatly its an 'a' reg, which makes it an '82 or '83 by my reconing. the b200e came in in '85, and the glts before then used a b19, which wont run on unleaded. if it did it'd be my dream, alas, its bloomin useless cos you cant fill it up

It's not useless, you have to use some lead replacement thing which is usually sold on petrol stations.

If an engine requires leaded fuel and you use unleaded without lrp you will ruin it over time (or at least the valve seats).

[5lab]

lrp is bein phased out nationwide, on account of petrol stations do not make enough money on it. in a years time there will apparently be next-to-no pumps selling unleaded. i know you can add additive, but this is an expensive thing to do.

[François]

In the Netherlands these cars can run on LPG (liquefied petrol gas)
which is a very dry fuel. This can be used without any further
engine adjustments. In 1993 a wrote a letter to Volvo Netherlands
in which I asked if it would be permissable to use unleaded fuel
in my 1983 B14 engine. They told me it was, but only 98 RON,
because of detonation. So 98 RON unleaded should be allowed in
a B19/B200 as well.

[5lab]

depends. the b200 definatly runs fine, but if the valveheads on the b19 are made of a cirtain kinda stuff, then the engine needs leaded, for its lubricating qualities. i dunno if htis is the case or not

[Duvel78]

In 1993 a wrote a letter to Volvo Netherlands
in which I asked if it would be permissable to use unleaded fuel
in my 1983 B14 engine. They told me it was, but only 98 RON,
because of detonation. So 98 RON unleaded should be allowed in
a B19/B200 as well.

Same answer from Volvo Belgium, I use 98 for my 1984 B14 engine. Volvo France said a little bit more about the petrol choices:

> 98 mandatory for the engines (B14, B200, B19...) built BEFORE 1987

> 95 can be used for the 1987 - 1991 engines cause a specific place inside is stronger.

[Lonewolf]

The b19 engines were designed to run on leaded fuel only. The reason for this is that the lead in leaded fuels was used to stop valve seat recession into the head and general wearing of the valve crown from the intense heat of the combustion chamber. also the lead does prevent detonation to a degree.

When the unleaded versions came out the CR was reduced to 9.3:1 and the valve seats were designed to not need leaded fuel.

I think if a b19 was to be run on unleaded the valve seats would need to be upgraded to handle unleaded fuels, and i'd run an octane similar to unleaded and make sure the cooling system was up to scratch.

If the previous owner claims to have been running on unleaded only i personally wouldnt buy it as the valve seats will likely need attending to in the future, and the other unknown is if the engine's cooling system wasnt up to par and hes been running unleaded the engine may be suffering the aftermath of unoticed detonation depending on what sort of driver the person is.