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LPG

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:12 am
by Kippa
Gents,

I'm considering going down the LPG route but don't really want the large tank in the rear of my wagon.

Does anyone know of any alternatives, also any recommendations as to which system, pitfalls, costs etc...?

I know the price of petrol is rocketing but I'm only doing 2k to 3k miles a year so does the costs of installing LPG outweigh the rise in petrol?

One last query, does anyone know how long is LPG going to be half the price of petrol?

Kev.

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:43 am
by map1275
All the LPG issues are well documented in most auto magazines.

If you are doing that small a distance then you probably wont recoup the cost of the installation.




The typical problems:

- Tight fisted owners looking for tightwad answers.
- The rough job that the typical installers do.
- Getting a carb motor to run on duel fuel.
- Engine damage if you run LPG only, or are too tight fisted to run the car on petrol for at least on day a week. The usual excuse is that this is done on Sunday - the day the car isn't driven at all.

LPG

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:14 am
by Kippa
Hey Map1275,

Have you ever heard of the saying ‘if you can’t say anything constructive don’t say anything at all’?

I take exception to being referred to as a ‘tight fisted owner looking for tightwad answers’
Anybody who owns a Stage 1 knows that’s impossible to be ‘tight fisted’

Rant over …

Take care,
Kev.

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 11:01 am
by map1275
If you bothered to read what I wrote, I never suggested in any way that you were tight fisted.

However you asked what the associated problems were of LPG and the primary problem is tight assed owners. That statement covers 90% of all LPG issues. Ask any RAC or AA patrolman what the real reason is behind most LPG breakdowns...

To get a carb car to run properly on duel fuel has an immense array of problems.

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:47 pm
by 5988
Is it worth it - Yes , i did it on my 88 in aril 08 , paid for itself within a year (4.2k exactly) ...stage 1 's drink more so could be quicker (but will need bigger more expensive vaporiser so may not be)
Mine was a DIY kit, cost me about £450IIRC , and £25 to have it inspected and certified (your insurance company will want this)
cost will increase quite allot if you want twin tanks etc as does complexity of fitting
forget little tanks, they hold 80% of the quoted size (to allow expansion) so work out whats an acceptable range (on my 88 ive a 90 litre tank, so 75 acutely which gives 300-330 miles ...which i find ok, anything under 250 i find inconvenient (parents RRC does 270 and that's borderline annoying)

I believe the tax level is fixed until 2012 (info from tinley tech website)
Id suggest getting a closed loop (lambda controlled) system, costs about £100 more in kit form, but mine is worth 2mpg, and it has more power , especialy as you use the fuel, the fixed setting system i fund ok so long as the tank was kept about 1/2 full

Tanks vary in cost, single holes ones beeing cheaper than the 4 hole type, they are slower to fill (aparently) and more fiddly with the piping, but ive never had a problem, speed to fill varys on the pump more, so i wouldnt pay more
the more complex you get with tanks and there positions its going to cost more
the only way to work out the repayment, is to find the kit you want, work out its cost and then how many miles to cover it
(fuel consumption may be slightly down ...though i cant tell on my 88)

if you do it yourself it will take 3 or 4 days to do the first time, while you work out where to put everything, where to run pipes etc

I always run on petrol at the start and end of a journey in winter, economy is horrible on gas for first 1/2 mile or so. I cant see an issue with not using it though , in summer i dont, and my carb never has a problem with it (with injection systems its a good idea to run on petrol to stop the injectors sticking)

I had to do no mods to make it run on a carb engine (other than put the stop solenoid in the fuel line - might have to think about that one as the V8 has a recirculating fuel system ...cant be hard to sort though

Your ignition system needs to be very good, gas is harder to burn, so it will find any weaknesses (no need for upgrades though ...as some installers may tell you )
The engine runs soother and cleaner on gas than petrol

thank locations - a big one in the back is easiest , you could put one along the top of a wheel box , so to the side if you need the load bed
or you could get 2 under the seats - would need to make brackets and re-locate the battery though, and modify the seatbox

you could replace the petrol tank with one , and then have a petrol tank somewhere else (front like S2's and 88 S3's)

you realy need to alter the timing to run on gas, so it wants to be a all the time thing or not at all, as it will run badly on petrol when timed for gas and visa versa, a 50-50 compromise doesnt go that well on either

that answer your questions ? if not let me know and ill type some more :shock:

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:24 pm
by landiman
my lpg kit came from TINLEY TECH, very proffesional and they don't push you to buy what you don't need.
Mine runs very well on lpg with the twin carbs too.
As for the fuel shut of solenoid i didn't fit it, all i did with approval from tinley tech was fit a relay into the fuel pump feed so when you switch over to lpg the fuel pump is shut off, hope this helps
Rob

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:38 pm
by V8_Disco
Its worth it but on that millage it will take a while to make up, My stage 1 has a large tank in the boot but there are better solutions I bought the truck with the kit on it

Closed kits are better, the best is multi point (I have this on my disco) its right that EFI makes life easier than carbs

It need gen parts ignition parts or better as its harder on these parts than a Petrol/Air Mix

Time it for LPG, it will run OK but not great on Petrol that way, as you wont be on petrol that much its the best compromise

Multi tank set up you need to think about fill rates for the multiple tanks

I good tidy instalation makes life so mutch easier, dont assume that a pro will fit it well, cert is only to prove a very lose min standerd and that the kit is gas tight

Tinley tech are very helpfull

any more specific questions, I have helped on quite a few LPG v8s over the years

A

Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 10:02 am
by Raggylad
Some good advice above.

The Tinley Tech system fitted to my 110 V8 by Richard at Glencoyne (he's on this forum too, but worth scanning the LPG page on his website) paid for itself in about a year.

Very few problems with it. I always start & warm up on petrol before switching over to lpg - it seems to run better that way & keeps the carbs in fettle.

Occasionally have a problem with it dying at tickover when the engine is hot (doesn't do this on petrol).

Large tanks in the back of a 110 is not a problem for me.

good luck with the conversion.