Gasoline and Time Travel

I may have asked this question before on the old board, but I can't check it, so I apologize if I'm asking something for a second time.

I was thinking over the film Back to the Future, and I started thinking over what might happen if I, and my '01 Ford TAURUS, fell through a time warp, and I found myself driving around in 1955.

I'll set aside for the moment the fact that I (or more precisely, my car) would almost certainly be a center of attention for anyone who saw it, and the fact that I'd have a very interesting time explaining to any police officers I encountered that my license plates and inspection sticker were perfectly valid - for 56 years in the future!

I'll also set aside the fact that I'd be SOOL* if anything major went wrong with the car's electronics - I could imagine someone fitting a 1955 muffler onto the TAURUS, but I can't imagine they could do much with the electronics back then.

Instead, what I'll ask is what would 1955 gasoline do to the engine of the TAURUS? Would it wreck it instantly? Would it wreck the engine, but gradually? I have a dim notion from when I was a kid that unleaded gasoline would work OK in old cars, but that leaded gasoline would do damage to newer cars. Anyone have any knowledge about this?

*"Surely Out Of Luck"

You should really call in to "Car Talk" and have "Click and Clack" explain it to you in more detail. I'm by no means a mechanic, but I do remember covering this topic in a college class on differerent forms of energy. What I remember is that, if your car's engine is designed to burn unleaded gasoline you should use unleadeed gasoline, and if its designed to burn leaded, you should use leaded. I would not, for example, improve engine performance to burn unleaded gasoline in an engine intended for use with leaded fuel. In your case, burning leaded gas in an engine designed for unleaded, your car would run, but not effifiently. You carburetor would get all gunked up (I don't know the technical term) and you'd have to have it serviced frequently. If the electronics go out, you're on your own. All this is assuming David Collins doesn't remove your car's bleeder valve and you smash your car into a tree 100 miles* off the side of the road.

*100 miles. It seemed like 100 miles! 100 yards.

Replies

The Baron February 28, 2011 at 1:45pm

Found some info here. So, I guess the answer is, not right away.
Jeff of Earth-J February 28, 2011 at 1:48pm

You should really call in to "Car Talk" and have "Click and Clack" explain it to you in more detail. I'm by no means a mechanic, but I do remember covering this topic in a college class on differerent forms of energy. What I remember is that, if your car's engine is designed to burn unleaded gasoline you should use unleadeed gasoline, and if its designed to burn leaded, you should use leaded. I would not, for example, improve engine performance to burn unleaded gasoline in an engine intended for use with leaded fuel. In your case, burning leaded gas in an engine designed for unleaded, your car would run, but not effifiently. You carburetor would get all gunked up (I don't know the technical term) and you'd have to have it serviced frequently. If the electronics go out, you're on your own. All this is assuming David Collins doesn't remove your car's bleeder valve and you smash your car into a tree 100 miles* off the side of the road.

*100 miles. It seemed like 100 miles! 100 yards.
The Baron February 28, 2011 at 1:59pm

Awesome. Thanks, Jeff.
Doctor Hmmm? February 28, 2011 at 2:33pm

Jeff of Earth-J said:

You should really call in to "Car Talk" and have "Click and Clack" explain it to you in more detail.

I'd pay good cash money to listen to that!
The Baron February 28, 2011 at 2:36pm

I can just imagine: "I'm planning on doing some time traveling, and I was wondering what 1950's gasoline would do to my car."
Jeff of Earth-J March 1, 2011 at 7:49am

Actually, when I first read the title of this thread, that's what I thought you were planning to do!

I'd pay good cash money to listen to that!

You don't have to: it's on NPR (but remember to send a little donation during the pledge drive).
Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod) March 1, 2011 at 12:15pm

You know, they invite any kind of question. Doesn't even have to be automotive, and at least this one is. I think they'd get a charge out of answering it.

The Baron said:

I can just imagine: "I'm planning on doing some time traveling, and I was wondering what 1950's gasoline would do to my car."
Emerkeith Davyjack March 1, 2011 at 2:55pm

...I almost thought that this might be about the old newspaper strip GASOLINE ALLEY , which still runs and which I've started to follow recently , and the " time travel " might refer to the fact that , with GA famous as " the strip where people age normally " , the strip's original main character , Uncle Walt Wallet , has been stated , within the strip itself , to be 110 years old !!!!!!!!! Well , maybe I did .

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