THE GASOLINE YOU NEVER KNEW

By: Norm Tufts

M.M.T. what is it? Most people in Canada have no idea what Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl (M.M.T.) is or that our gas has M.M.T. in it. Most people can’t even pronounce the name let alone try and describe what it is or does. M.M.T. is a dangerous chemical found in Canadian gasolines since 1977, used as a replacement for lead. As indicated in the Middlesex-London Heath Unit report #117-98 and signed by Dr. Graham Pollett, Medical Officer of Health, M.M.T. poses a public health hazard when used in gasoline as an octane enhancer.

At high concentrations, manganese is known to be a neurotoxin and can cause brain damage. Some Ontario workers have developed a disease known as “Manganese Madness” from exposure to the product over a period of time and are now on compensation. Studies done by Professor Donna Mergla of the University of Quebec indicate a similar health problem in that province with M.M.T.

M.M.T. also causes serious damage to automobiles and trucks and testing over the last 20 years proves this point. All major automobile companies have repeatedly called for a ban on M.M.T. in Canadian gasoline. Ford, G.M., and Chyrsler Owner Guides for the past four years have stated that “your vehicle is not designed to run on M.M.T. gasoline”. The guide further states that the owner may be required to pay for damage caused by the use of this non-approved fuel! Owners have been paying for expensive repairs to automobiles and trucks in Canada, caused by M.M.T, knowing the cause of the problem. Usually the automobile manufacturer will be blamed and this is what is referred to as “misplaced aggression”!

Some problems that are caused by M.M.T. gasoline are:

1. Catalyst plugging.
2. Spark plug fouling at low mileage intervals resulting in frequent cleaning and early replacement. Engines operating under load are particularly vulnerable. Problems are evident with standard, copper tip, and platinum tip spark plugs.
3. Carburetor base plate passages plugging with deposits.
4. Carburetor idle fuel air passages plugging with deposits.
5. Fuel injector malfunction due to coatings on pintle and orifice.
6. Combustion chamber deposits requiring head removal and decarbonizing.
7. Gum ball formations in fuel. When this M.M.T. additive was first used we started receiving complaints about vehicles experiencing engine failure on the highway. Investigation revealed that this gummy substance was plugging fuel filter screens, clogging fuel tank filters, sticking and seizing carburetor power valves, and plugging carburetor jets and metering rods. These problems caused frequent carburetor overhauls, often at the customer’s expense.

These problems from M.M.T gasoline indicate why Canadian vehicle warranty costs are much higher than U.S. vehicle warranty costs. When the vehicle warranty is finished, the customer picks up the bills and these can run from $200 to over $2,000. Fouled emission components and other engine parts will cause increased vehicle emissions! All vehicles are affected, both new and old! New vehicles can experience these problems in 3 to 6,000 miles or 3 to 6 months.

Some people are concerned about the high sulphur content in Canadian gasolines. M.M.T. gasoline usually has the highest sulphur content because a lower quality of gasoline can be used with M.M.T., allowing the refiner to not refine the gasoline to as high a level as would be required when making “clean, unleaded gasoline”.

In the view of the proposed emission testing of automobiles and trucks that came into effect April 1, 1999, it would seem prudent for the Province of Ontario to join the Province of British Columbia in asking for National Clean Fuel Standards for gasoline and the immediate ban of M.M.T. used in Canadian fuels. As you no doubt realize, B.C. is the first province that began vehicle emissions checking and has had this program in effect for over 25 years. Obviously, they are in the best position to know about the damage to automobiles and the environment caused by M.M.T. gasoline.