Reading the various posts about octane and lead, makes me wonder about this. I remember years ago whenever I'd look at a car to buy, I'd always look at the exhaust pipe. If it was white inside, usually it meant the engine was in real good shape. Today I never see a white exhaust pipe on anything. Was this white layer due to lead? Some other additive? Purer gas maybe? Anybody got an idea. I just always wondered about this. "Burns the pipes white" used to really sum up the engine condition. tom

When the pipes turn white, in my experience, its generally due to a lean condition which overly heats up the pipes and basically burns them slightly causing them to discolor (turn white/gray).

It could be that the car just ran really clean, or it could be that it ran too lean. I saw one motor that was run too lean for long enough tbe pipes eventually started to get brittle.

Now I doubt you'd see white pipes since most cars produce alot more water vapor than they used to. I've noticed more and more newer cars tend to always have water running out of the exhaust pipe. Possibly this is cooling the pipes and keeping them from turning white.

Then again, maybe its just the lead and I'm full of it. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

I'm personally for blaming it on Canada.

Wes

Hey Wes...

What you blamming on us Canucks EH? The white pipes are from folks backin' into the snow banks!


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The proud owner of a Canadian 64-SS with ZZ4 Power!
Team Chevelle Gold Member #37
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There used to be a lubricant called "white lead". You could add it to gas. It very well may have been the lead you saw.

There used to be a lubricant called "white lead". You could add it to gas. It very well may have been the lead you saw. I'm not a pro, but I wouldn't consider a visual tail pipe check worth much. I used to put my hand over a running pipe to check for uneven pulsing indicating a valve problem though.

I'm personally convinced that white/gray tailpipes in the old days were due to the leaded gas, and here is why. I built the 350 in my 51 Chev back when gasoline was leaded. The premium gas in those days was called Ethyl (short for lead tetraethyl). When I used leaded gas in the 51, the tailpipes were a very light gray after a long drive at a sustained speed. Since leaded gas is no longer available, the pipes have never been white since. Only black. Except for age and wear, the absence of lead is all that has changed in that engine. Thus I feel the lead additive was what caused the white tailpipes.

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i think it means that the car is running at about the right mix of fuel/air. i recently had my holley rebuilt, the car runs great and my tail pipes are light grey. for what it's worth. john