Fuel for Ferret

[brh]

Hello all

 

I am a new member to the forum and to the concept of owning a classic MV.

 

I am toying with the idea of buying a Mk1 Ferret.

 

One of my concerns is that of fuel. I assume that the Ferret engine was designed to run on 4* fuel. I know that some garages still provide 4* but they are few and far between.

 

What are the options. Can I use unleaded? Is aviation 100LL fuel an option?

 

If I go ahead and buy are there any things I should particularly look out for when looking over the vehicle. I am not much of a mechanic so keep it simple please.

 

Brian :?

[Bodge Deep]

Hi Brian

Good question!

Someone will be along shortly to take your coat and offer you a drink

Take a seat and one of our specially appointed Ferret counsellors will be along to speak to you and offer you comfort and solace

 

you are among friends ;-)

[sirhc]

Brian,

I have a tech bulletin somewhere from Rolls-Royce which states they are fine on Unleaded Fuel. I've been running mine on unleaded for the past 5 years and covered 1000's of miles with no problems. These engines were designed to run on 1950s fuel, which if I remember correctly didn't contain lead. I will find and post the bulletin when I get home, unless someone beats me to it.

 

Chris

[fv1609]

Unleaded see below:

 

Edited February 3, 2012 by Marmite!!

[LeeEnfield]

Hi Brian,

 

welcome to the WONDERFUL world of MV's................

 

can I make a sugestion, re the looking over any potential purchase,........and it goes for ANYTHING, I guess,..........if unsure of what your looking at, try and find someone who in familiar with vehicle in question:

having had a look inside the bowels of a ferret,.........I came away feeling 'light headed', thinking,................glad I don't own one, mainly due to the (seemingly) complexaty of access and servicability, compaired, (maybe wrongly, agreed, ) to my truck.

 

I'm thinking ANY armoured vehicle,.....be their very nature, are going to be far more restrictive in their accessability, etc.

 

Please don't take this as me 'throwing a wet towel', in your direction,.............or trying to teach you to 'suck eggs'............

 

 

Anyways,..............again, welcome to the (in the BEST possible taste, :evil:) madhouse................ :tup:

 

 

Andy

[John Pearson]

If you get the chance to get a Ferret, don't hold back, they are great! It is true that the bits are close together and sometimes you need help to completely get panels off but the technology is simple and anyone who can read the handbooks available as photocopies can fix them.

Fuel by the way is no problem, LRP, real leaded or unleaded are all ok in any proportion or mixture but I would suggest you stick to one and fine tune the ignition timing to suit because all are of a higher octane than the B series engine was designed for so the timing needs to be advanced a bit.

For successful operation you need to check ALL oil levels EVERY time you drive it to start with. You will soon see which ones need a bit and which ones you can check less often. One final point: inflate all five tyres to the same pressure then jack up and measure the circumference of each. Put the two biggest on one side and the two smallest on the other with the middle one as a spare. The circumference measurement on each side must be within 2 inches (much better if it is within half an inch) but the differences side to side are irrelevant. If the tyres are uneven sizes front to back you will be risking transmission problems.

As with most old vehicles, do take advise from someone who knows them well before parting with money as neglect can cause a number of problems and it is best to have someone check for them before purchse rather than trying to fix them later!

[AlienFTM]

I am toying with the idea of buying a Mk1 Ferret.

 

Good move.

 

One of my concerns is that of fuel. I assume that the Ferret engine was designed to run on 4* fuel. I know that some garages still provide 4* but they are few and far between.

 

It was designed to run on Combat Gas, which was a very low common denominator which made 2* look high octane. Similarly, CVR(T) and CVR(W), even though they were powered by the J60, a derivative of a Jaguar XK420 sports car engine which ran on 5*, had low-compression (I think is the right term) head to allow them to run on <2* (that will never get past my Rexx interpreter).

 

Everything "petrol" ran on CombatGas, though the term "ran" can be qualified.

 

I suspect this tale has appeared on this forum somewhere before but I cannot remember where. Feel free to leave the thread if you have heard this one.

 

In 1976, newly converted to CVR(T) in Tidworth, our CVR(T)s ate plugs and points and suffered badly from running on CombatGas.

 

I was familiar with the POL (Petrol Oil & Lubricants) Storeman who had an office in a shed by the fuel pumps at the POL point. One day from across the vehicle park I saw him conclude business with a Texaco tanker driver whom he watched leave, with a puzzled expression on his face. I bimbled across to him to ask why.

 

"He pumped a tanker-load of fuel into the CombatGas tank and announced, 'There you go, topped up with Five star.'

 

"'Five Star?' I asked incredulously? 'It's meant to be CombatGas!!!'

 

"'Yes,' he replied, 'but there was an error on my work ticket and you're the lucky winner.'

 

"'But hang on,' I went on, 'If we are the lucky winners, surely there must be a loser somewhere?'

 

"'Yes,' he replied. 'Don't fill up with Five Star at the petrol station up the road in Burbage.'"

 

The POL Storeman went on, "At least our CVR(T)s will run well: Five Star is what they deserve. But don't tell a soul or the whole of Tidworth Garrison will be refuelling here."

 

There are no secrets. Every vehicle in camp quickly topped up with Five Star CombatGas and for a fortnight there were none of the usual breakdowns. But word DID reach the rest of the garrison and a lot of people (who hadn't heard) wondered why our POL point was the garrison's favourite for two weeks (until we got another delivery of CombatGas, this time, sadly, <2*).

[ArtistsRifles]

Similar story - similar time as well. Last exercise I did with 215 Sqdn RCT(VR) before the transfers went through was to be acting as a roving POL point on one of the Crusader exercises. I've got a feeling it was 76 as well?? Could be wrong though cos part of my memory are noticeable by their absence these days...

 

Anyways - we were supposed to collect a load of LWB militant full of jerry cans from the depot, Recklinghausen, in Germany, fill them at the POL point and then head on out to the first RV point. Militants were there, jerry cans there, POL point however was b*gg*r*d - pumps were all off line. So the O/C made one of his (admittedly rare) command decisions and we took over a civvy fuel station a few miles down the road. Owner/staff wasn't too happy but in those days..... Actually - thinking back _ it might have been two of them as one didn't have enough in it;s storage tanks..

So we wound up with a brace of militants running shuttles to and from the depot with empty jerry cans and on the return run pulling alongside the other side of the pump to another, empty Militant, the jerry cans were then handed down, filled from the pump then handed up and stowed. Last two trips they had to off load their own jerry cans, fill 'em and reload them. Then off we rumbled - 10 laden Militants with REME in attendance and Don-r outriders leaving behind a couple of filling stations drained to their last few litres of petrol and diesel. Guess who'd been parked up by the 100 octane pump :-)

Once word got around a certain Militant with the name "Skewball" chalked on the cab became rather popular with the Royal Engineers we were supporting. Think we lasted about 4 days before having to break off and refuel the cans elsewhere - can't recall the place now :-(

For the first few days of the exercise life seemed to revolve around lifting full cans, pouring them into whatever had anchored up alongside, and repeating until full - then moving onto the next RV point. Once we had the ordinary army no-star stuff loaded up after the refuel life got a lot quieter :-) :-) :-)

[brh]

Thanks everyone for the information, advice and anecdotes. All very helpful and much appreciated.

 

Brian :-)

[MiketheBike]

Brian,

 

I am also new to the forum (and MV ownership....a ferret!!).

I am no mechanic, but so far its all basic stuff, and you just need to get your head around the pre-select...but I have to say it only took a few miles to get the hang of it and it appears to me a better way to chaneg gears!!

As you may already have noticed, the guys on here have a wealth of experience and are glad to share it.

 

If (when) you do buy one, be prepared to pick the flies out of your teeth after each run :-D

[AlienFTM]

Brian,

 

I am also new to the forum (and MV ownership....a ferret!!).

I am no mechanic, but so far its all basic stuff, and you just need to get your head around the pre-select...but I have to say it only took a few miles to get the hang of it and it appears to me a better way to chaneg gears!!

As you may already have noticed, the guys on here have a wealth of experience and are glad to share it.

 

If (when) you do buy one, be prepared to pick the flies out of your teeth after each run :-D

 

 

Changing gears in a Ferret, oh yes.

 

Omagh, Spring of 76 (again).

 

I had recently qualified as a Crewman, Gunner, Scorpion Class 2 and been posted to my regiment as a section rifleman (obviously! ;o). Tim needed to carry out some servicing on his Ferret and I was volunteered to be duty gopher. We bimbled - I mean tank-park-shuffled - I mean marched in that idiosyncratic cavalry way - past the Air Squadron hangars where a Scout helicopter was taking off and a Sioux was being serviced ("Stay outside the yellow line or Air Squadron will try and chop your head off with their rotors. Don't even THINK of driving over the yellow line in case you contaminate their landing zone,") to the B Sqn hangars.

 

"Can you drive?" I was asked. "I have a full Group A licence, yes," I replied.

 

"That's enough to drive a Ferret: get in. I need to work on the wheelstations and I want you to move it to turn the weheels so I can access places in turn." I think he must have been checking the oil levels in the hubs.

 

"You want me to drive an armoured vehicle I have never sat in before over the top of you?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Don't you think it would be wise to let me have a spot of familiarisation first?"

 

"I'll talk you through it."

 

He showed me how to select neutral. I didn't believe "Select neutral then hit the GCP."

 

"What's a GCP?"

 

"It's the pedal like a clutch."

 

"I know what a clutch is. Why didn't you just say, 'clutch'?" He let it go. With the engine off and the Ferret already in neutral, it didn't make any difference. We got the engine started and idling nicely. He squatted down out of my sight. He told me to select second then hit the GCP. I "pressed the clutch" and selected first. then he held his hand up above the glacis plate and told me to press the accelerator gently until the revs got high enough to turn the flywheel and roll forward, and stop when he indicated.

 

Needless to say, not happy about his wierd instructions which made no sense at all to somebody who knew perfectly well how to change gear and his determination that I run him over (and he was a lot bigger than me), I was trepidacious in the extreme.

 

Eventually he bothered to explain to me that it was a pre-selective gearbox NOT a manual. I must have done the job well enough because I didn't run him over and a day or two later I was given a Ferret to drive on the streets.