LPG - a way forward.........

[jimbo]

OK. Like everyone on this forum, I'm a bit fed up with the cost of petrol. Given that I'm not competing in anything, I figure I should look into LPG, as a means of keeping my costs down.

 

Has anyone investigated this as an option?

 

I currently have a 1600 X-Flow in my escort, and would like to keep it if possible. What are my chances? Or do I have to swap for a newer lump?

 

Any thoughts and comments on the technology welcomed.

[bomber1]

large out lay for a small recoup of money plus the goverment have gone past the deadline for keeping lpg tax free if u had a guzzling V6/8/10 then i could see the fuel saving. dont u need to start on petrol then switch over then every 4/5 tank u need to do a tank of petrol. tho the gas powerd forklift i use to use never had black oil in it so oil changes may b extended

[bortaf]

You only need a run on petrol every 4th tank if your engine is leaded cos LPG has no lead

[Rick]

is this the gas conversion?

 

my dad keeps telling me to do it on the escort

 

iv got all the fittings here to do it but do i really want a gas canister in the boot?

[Burns]

i've heard the lpg gives more bhp, wonder if it's true

[Jimbob-Squarepants ©]

A mate of mine has LPG fitted on his Range Rover 3.5 V8. It actually runs soley on LPG, he has no fuel tank, pump or fuel lines. This is how he bought it, and we have done some homework on the engine, it turns out the engine has been built by a company that specializes in LPG. It has a stronger bottom end (to cope with the advanced timing), and better valves.

 

The downside is the lack of boot space... there is none with two whacking great big tanks in there. He is looking into underslung tanks though.

 

The running, starting and performance is excellent... not to mention the economy, but he is running twin SU's which is better than EFI for gas. To be honest, I don't really see any point on something with a small engine, and as Jason quite rightly says, the government have now passed the tax freeze boundary on gas.

 

As soon as the majority turns to gas, you can bet your bottom dollar, they will tax the stuff right up to the eye balls!!!

[Jimbob-Squarepants ©]

i've heard the lpg gives more bhp, wonder if it's true

 

That maybe down to advancing the timing to run on gas. It is denser (for want of a better word) than petrol, so you need a very good ignition system, and the engine has to be timed up with more advance. If it's a duel fuel engine, it can't be as far advanced because it has to run on petrol, but if it's an engine that has been built to run soley on gas, it is able to run so much more advanced.

 

*edit* It's getting late, and I have realised I have used the word 'advanced' quite alot I appologise! Obviously if you run a petrol engine with to much advance, it will 'pink' and eventually take out your big ends. This idoesn't happen on an engine that runs soley on gas.

[boXXer]

i thought LPG LOST you power? my dads jeep cherokee dies big time when it switches over to LPG.

[hotrodholty]

is this the gas conversion?

 

my dad keeps telling me to do it on the escort

 

iv got all the fittings here to do it but do i really want a gas canister in the boot?

no worse than a couple of bottles of nitrous

[Vista]

i thought LPG LOST you power? my dads jeep cherokee dies big time when it switches over to LPG.

 

Agreed, that was always my understanding too. plus it's quite an expensive conversion so you need to be quite a high mileage driver and use a lot of gas to recoup your outlay. The government did offer grants for gas conversions but only cars built after a certain year (well after an classic ford) qualified

[sab6024]

I'm running LPG at the moment on an XR4x4. My ex converted it because he was towing his Mk1 Escy everywhere. I bought it and use it for work. Although I have sold it to my brother and borrowed it back. The boot space is taken up by an 85ltr tank though so not much else going on in there

 

There is a loss of power but I don't think it's very much to be honest. Doing about 30-40000 miles a year it really pays for itself

 

I'm also looking at buying a Mk1 Fezza, dropping a 1400 zetec motor in and converting it to gas purely for work purposes But then I did think about converting the Capri

[ZetecVan 2.0]

Best to buy a diesel and run it on chip fat.

[bortaf]

You'll loose power in a standard engine and get less miles to the gallon on lpg but if you raise the comp ratio you'll gain back that extra power, this is only really good for LPG only engines as too high a comp ratio or too advanced an ign will cause pinking which will nock out the piston crowns.

One easy way is to run lpg and turbo the engine effectively raising the comp ratio with the turbo

If you got for sequencial lpg injection system the ecu can be set to change the ign advance for lpg then retard for petrol as can some dists, mainly the rover v8 which has been a major lpg base for years.

There are lots ofdifferent types with different ways of mixing the LPG/AIR from the very basic gas pipe stuffed in the air box through ring mixers that go in the inlet tract of EFi engines right up to gas injectors mounted in the inlet manifold (ally welding anyone?)

 

The main problem is loosing boot space

There are ways to get the LPG even cheaper, like camping bottles hand pumped into the cars tanks halves the cost per litre, or pinch one of the big orange bottles that road works use to light temp road signs that's even cheaper not that i've ever done it back in me pikey scrap collecting days with an LPG 2.3 CF wagon or anything

 

 

Chip fat is ok but the used stuff needs preperation before it will run well and new stuff has doubled in price recently form 42p per ltr to 80p

Check the local black cab breakers/garage there's usually a SVO pump near, mine sell SVO at 89p per litre at the mo, personly i just use 75% diesel 25% new cooking oil it's like adding octain booster to a petrol car as new cooking oil has i higher calorific value than diesel, i get 5 to 6 mile per gallon more on the mix and my Di transit runs smother and quieter and well as being more powerfull, as does my mk4 escort Diesel but the wife don't like the chipshop smell from the zorst

another point about SVO the govermant has made a consesion to home made SVO so leagaly you can produce and use 2,500 ltrs a year without having to declare it and pay tax (probably why cooking oil has doubled in price in the last 6 months) a win win situation but lucas pumps don't like thick cooking oil and modern systems don't like the aditives in SVO as it rots the seals apparently

 

I'm still after a TD 5ierra as a doner for me mk3 cortina

[lee_capri]

ive rand jag's,range rover's and 2.9i serria's on lpg,and must say f**king brillent,you all say about putting petrol in every 4th tank,i never and never had any problum's,and did'nt suffer with loss of power,

one ranger rover i had was hooked would'nt run at all on petrol ,i think it's a great idea,going to get the limo converted to lpg