LPG POWERED DIESELS

andyg · Post by **andyg** » 08 Apr 2003, 21:48

OK then, how many have fitted, are fitting, or thinking of fitting LPG conversions to their diesels?.
I have been quoted £1400 to have it fitted or £900 to fit it myself. They kind of promise a 60% power increase with a 60% fuel saving!![?]
Any thoughts?
Andy G.

Post by **RichardW** » 08 Apr 2003, 21:59

There's something about LPG conversions in this month's Diesel Car magazine, but I haven't read it yet. 60% power increase sounds unlikely, but I wait to be corrected....
Richard

Thompatruck · Post by **Thompatruck** » 08 Apr 2003, 22:27

Might be wrong, but I was under the impression that LPG conversion actually reduced performance by around 10%, As Richard says 60% increase isn't very likely.
Mark[:)]

rory_perrett · Post by **rory_perrett** » 08 Apr 2003, 22:49

Bought one to fit on my BX but didn't get the job done before the car expired. Now going to fit it to my Xantia. Cost £350 for the full DIY kit new. Some of the claims are spectacular. The guy I bought the kit off said savings very much depended on the type of driving/car use. (Isn't it always). There is also a trade off between power and economy depending on the proportion gas used. I guess its 60% more power or 60% more economy not both together.

andyg · Post by **andyg** » 09 Apr 2003, 02:04

Hello Rory,
Do you have details of who and where you purchased the kit from?.
The claims i quoted earlier are meant to be real enough but have to be seen.

rory_perrett · Post by **rory_perrett** » 09 Apr 2003, 02:52

Andy
Maxigas, Grimsby
http://www.maxigas.net/
Regards
Rory

DeKa · Post by **DeKa** » 09 Apr 2003, 12:00

Hi all,
AlanS sent me here - I'm an Aussiefrogger from Australia.
Our family business is landscape supplies, and several of the freight companies that deliver stock to us use trucks with LPG over Diesel (as they call it). They speak of a 60-70% increase in power when they switch the LPG system on. Most of the truckies I've spoken to seem to use it primarily for extra grunt dragging semi trailers up hills, and turn it off when they're cruising along flat ground.
The prime movers these are fitted to are Iveco trucks.
Thompatruck,
You're right about the approximate 10% loss of power, but that is with petrol. One of our company vehicles is a Ford Falcon dedicated LPG powered 6 cyclinder 4.0L utility. It has 143kw... the standard unleaded engine is 156kw. That is an 8.3% loss in power. There is however a corresponding 5% increase in torque figures with LPG powered version of this engine which is useful for us as we carry heavy loads of up to 1 tonne with the ute.
Derek.

aotearoa · Post by **aotearoa** » 11 Apr 2003, 20:08

Okay, this message will be a bit lengthy because I'm gonna paste in an email to me from a fella I know who I consulted on this very topic when I was thinking about converting my ZX diesel to LPG. Don't know how accurate his advice is - but he's an engineer (was in the Russian army, then did a PhD in Britain) and I generally find his advice spot on. By the way, Deka the aussiefrogger - what you doing in a citroen shouldn't you be hooning around in a Sandman or something? Only kidding from one anitpodean to another!

Ok, advice I received was as follows...:-
Regarding your LPG conversion question, my advice is not to
bother if you have got diesel car, as the proper technology is not
there I am affraid, and existing one is not worth the hassle. I'll try to
explain why.
If one tried to run a diesel engine solely on LPG one needs spark
plugs, I am affraid you are not up for precise drilling and threading
the engine head, which needs to be dismantled, and depending on
the model sometimes it is not an option at all. Nevertheless if you
did that, are you ready to meet all the costs for adopting a proper
ignition system for that engine. I believe it isn't straitforward.
The proper approach for diesels is to have a mix of diesel fuel,
which will be ignited by compression, and LPG which will be in
cylinders at the same time, thus reducing the amound of diesel fuel
requered. But once again, there are very few people in the UK who
would agree to convert your car. Most of the installers do not do
diesel conversions.
Assuming there is low demand for diesel lpg kits, there are very
few around at extremely high price and once again I am not sure
whether you can get hold of it or not. I ve been looking recently for
a DIY lpg kit for my 850. After researching a bit, I concluded that I
need an lpg injection system which would cost me 1100 pounds
even if I installed it myself. The mixer type systems (£300-£600)
have a potential for backfires which are not pleasant at all, although
not crucuial for engines with aluminium inlet manifoulds and
protected air flow meters.
I hope this information helps, if you need more
experienced advice you can visit www.lpgforum.co.uk.
There are many nice people there.