mickB
Part of things
Posts: 46
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anyone running a gas converted ride,has it paid off the initial cost of having it fitted,have yiou noticed any bad bits.......
I rekon I'll start to get some quotes of having a LPG conversion done on the crew-cab with fuel at 99.99p/lt and running a 2.8v6 I think it'll be very cost effective as we are planning on keeping the truck
anybody got some tips/advice
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help I'm trapped in old car hell..........
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I converted my 130 to LPG myself.
Only tip I can suggest is, don't fit any tackle thats come from eastern europe, the quality of the kit i fitted was a total fuggin disgrace. 'Voltran' I think was the manufacturer. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! I think the Italian 'Tartarini' gear is quite well respected.
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1972 Fiat 130 1985 Talbot Alpine 1974 Lancia Beta Saloon 1975 + 1986 Mazda 929 Koop + Wagon 1982 Fiat Argenta 2.0 iniezione elettronica 1977 Toyota Carina TA14 BEST CAR EVER!!!!!!!! 1979 Datsun B310 Sunny 4-dr 1984 Audi 200 Quattro Turbo 1983 Honda Accord 1.6 DX GONE1989 Alfa 75 2.0 TS Mr T says: TREAT YO MOTHER RIGHT!
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Christoff has his 560 merc LPG'd.................
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mickB
Part of things
Posts: 46
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I converted my 130 to LPG myself. Only tip I can suggest is, don't fit any tackle thats come from eastern europe, the quality of the kit i fitted was a total fuggin disgrace. 'Voltran' I think was the manufacturer. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! I think the Italian 'Tartarini' gear is quite well respected. don't you have to have whatsits to do it yourself?? it is gas after all.....or is it a DIY jobbie
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help I'm trapped in old car hell..........
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I converted my 130 to LPG myself. Only tip I can suggest is, don't fit any tackle thats come from eastern europe, the quality of the kit i fitted was a total fuggin disgrace. 'Voltran' I think was the manufacturer. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! I think the Italian 'Tartarini' gear is quite well respected. don't you have to have whatsits to do it yourself?? it is gas after all.....or is it a DIY jobbie Yeah I had whatsits at the time.
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1972 Fiat 130 1985 Talbot Alpine 1974 Lancia Beta Saloon 1975 + 1986 Mazda 929 Koop + Wagon 1982 Fiat Argenta 2.0 iniezione elettronica 1977 Toyota Carina TA14 BEST CAR EVER!!!!!!!! 1979 Datsun B310 Sunny 4-dr 1984 Audi 200 Quattro Turbo 1983 Honda Accord 1.6 DX GONE1989 Alfa 75 2.0 TS Mr T says: TREAT YO MOTHER RIGHT!
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mickB
Part of things
Posts: 46
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sorry I wasn't taking the curse word,is it a home mechanic thing or deffo a specialist job
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help I'm trapped in old car hell..........
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I looked at doing this on my old Punto Cabrio and I agree the Italian systems are the best. I didnt do it in the end becuase of the cost and there was no grant available even though at the time the car was under 5yrs old. There is a Powershift grant for new cars, but its a complete curse word con really, e.g. say a Peugeot 206 LX 1124cc is listed, a Peugeot 206 special edition 1124cc doesnt qualify even though its mechanically identical. There is no problem fitting LPG to older cars, but you have to think about things like mechanical fuel pumps etc I think.
Some insurance companies insist on the conversion certificate, bit like the old MOT style document, to show conformity and safety.
Power output and MPG are both down on LPG as the gas has a lower calorific value and petrol.
With gas still under 50p a litre its a worth while option! plus if you get it recognised on the V5 you don't pay the congestion charge!!
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You can fit one yourself, its not terribly complicated, especially if its to go on a carburettor-equipped engine or one with an oldish injection system where you can fit a mixer on the throttle body. The more complex gas injection ones, i'm not so sure about.
However I am not sure what the insurance crack would be if it was not certified, I did mine about 6 or 7 years ago but the rules are probably a bit stricter now.
If you fitted it yourself and did a good job, I am fairly certain you could get it checked and certified by a proper fitter and you would be OK.
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1972 Fiat 130 1985 Talbot Alpine 1974 Lancia Beta Saloon 1975 + 1986 Mazda 929 Koop + Wagon 1982 Fiat Argenta 2.0 iniezione elettronica 1977 Toyota Carina TA14 BEST CAR EVER!!!!!!!! 1979 Datsun B310 Sunny 4-dr 1984 Audi 200 Quattro Turbo 1983 Honda Accord 1.6 DX GONE1989 Alfa 75 2.0 TS Mr T says: TREAT YO MOTHER RIGHT!
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mickB
Part of things
Posts: 46
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I looked at doing this on my old Punto Cabrio and I agree the Italian systems are the best. I didnt do it in the end becuase of the cost and there was no grant available even though at the time the car was under 5yrs old. There is a Powershift grant for new cars, but its a complete child born out of wedlock con really, e.g. say a Peugeot 206 LX 1124cc is listed, a Peugeot 206 special edition 1124cc doesnt qualify even though its mechanically identical. There is no problem fitting LPG to older cars, but you have to think about things like mechanical fuel pumps etc I think. Some insurance companies insist on the conversion certificate, bit like the old MOT style document, to show conformity and safety. Power output and MPG are both down on LPG as the gas has a lower calorific value and petrol. With gas still under 50p a litre its a worth while option! plus if you get it recognised on the V5 you don't pay the congestion charge!! thanks for the info if power output drops i guess you can find the lost power elsewhere,I'm thinking of upgrading the 2.8v6 thats in it anyhow
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help I'm trapped in old car hell..........
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mickB
Part of things
Posts: 46
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You can fit one yourself, its not terribly complicated, especially if its to go on a carburettor-equipped engine or one with an oldish injection system where you can fit a mixer on the throttle body. The more complex gas injection ones, i'm not so sure about. However I am not sure what the insurance crack would be if it was not certified, I did mine about 6 or 7 years ago but the rules are probably a bit stricter now. If you fitted it yourself and did a good job, I am fairly certain you could get it checked and certified by a proper fitter and you would be OK. cheers
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help I'm trapped in old car hell..........
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bryn
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,913
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I run two LPG powered cars, or should that be one as the Volvo 240 is currently on ebay... I do 30K per year and the BMW I had done cost £1750, I've never been asked for an installation certificate and always insure with specialist firms... If you're a competent home mechanic, it shouldn't be outside of your skills, and after having a good look at the work done on mine if I had the time I'd probably do it myself next time. Then get it inspected for a certificate.
I would highly recommend it if you're looking at keeping the van for a while or do high mileage, I would never go back now. Availability is great and after you've filled up with fifty litres for a shade over 20 snoots, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner... ;D
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Volvo, Buggy, Discovery and an old tractor.
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mercmad
Posted a lot
Flush Hard,it's a long way to McDonalds.
Posts: 1,740
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Theres lot's of old cars here running on LPG and when I was at the car auctions last week I saw a few guys buying wrecks to get the conversion bits off.with our Petrol prices going through the effing roof it makes good sense. It's 102 RON octane so you can run as much advance in the ignition as you can ...which means more POWER!!!!! .Also in OZ there is a ignition module that offers a dual advance curve so you can run retarded spark for curse word petrol and advanced spark for the gas.
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Many years ago I changed my driving style to cope with rising fuel prices; I have now reached the stage where I am contemplating keeping my eyes shut in order to lower wind resistance.
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bryn
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,913
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Theres lot's of old cars here running on LPG and when I was at the car auctions last week I saw a few guys buying wrecks to get the conversion bits off.with our Petrol prices going through the effing roof it makes good sense. It's 102 RON octane so you can run as much advance in the ignition as you can ...which means more POWER!!!!! .Also in OZ there is a ignition module that offers a dual advance curve so you can run retarded spark for curse word petrol and advanced spark for the gas. Not sure about the power thing as I was told it has a lower calorific value which is the key, not that I completely understand that you understand ;D Plus neither of my converted cars have gained, even after being correctly set up on the rollers.
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Volvo, Buggy, Discovery and an old tractor.
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yeah I think that is very much dependent on the type of engine management and how it manages its ignition timing.
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1972 Fiat 130 1985 Talbot Alpine 1974 Lancia Beta Saloon 1975 + 1986 Mazda 929 Koop + Wagon 1982 Fiat Argenta 2.0 iniezione elettronica 1977 Toyota Carina TA14 BEST CAR EVER!!!!!!!! 1979 Datsun B310 Sunny 4-dr 1984 Audi 200 Quattro Turbo 1983 Honda Accord 1.6 DX GONE1989 Alfa 75 2.0 TS Mr T says: TREAT YO MOTHER RIGHT!
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It's 102 RON octane so you can run as much advance in the ignition as you can ...which means more POWER!!!!! It's quite a lot higher than that, but has lower calorific value (whatever that means), so you do loose some power in real terms. On a carb or mechanical fuel injection car, it will take about a weekend to fit. I've done a few installs now and just about to do another on our v8 Roger. Getting a certificate may be easier siad than done as professional LPG fitters do not want to survey other peoples work, and you absolutely must tell your insurance company even if they don't ask for a certificate. If you don't, you are uninsured. Simple.
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There is nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes
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Smiler
Posted a lot
I no longer own anything FWD! Or with less than 6 cylinders, or 2.5ltrs! :)
Posts: 2,492
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I'm converting my 2.9 powered Cortina at the moment with a secondhand kit (OMVL - Italian and apparently one of the better ones) that came from a Rover 216 that snapped its cam belt and buggered the head. It is a simple kit and easy to fit. I will eventualy be putting pictures up on my website to show it. The page is in it's infancy at the moment but here is a taster: www.escortupgrades.co.uk/Other%20Stuff/Cortina/LPG.htmSmiler.
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www.Auto-tat.co.uk'96 Range Rover P38 DSE (daily driver) '71 Reliant Scimitar SE5 GTE 3.0ltr Jag V6 Conversion '79 Reliant Scimitar SE6A 3.0ltr 24valve Omega Conversion '85 Escort Cabrio 2.0 Zetec - Sold '91 BMW 525i - Sold '82 Cortina 2.9i Ghia Cosworth - Sold '72 VW Campervan - Sold '65 LandRover 88" - Sold
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mickB
Part of things
Posts: 46
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thanks all for the info,I'll make some calls
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help I'm trapped in old car hell..........
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I've had 2 experiences of LPG systems, neither of them good.
My ex had his Fiesta LPG'd by a government approved garage (if your car is less than I think 3 years old you can get money for the conversion from the government, forget what the scheme's called) and while it was great running on such cheap fuel, the poewr was down and then the LPG system starter having all sorts of issues. Turned out the chip had blown so the garage pulled one from a Landie from behind the counter and whacked it in there instead. Needless to say it improved the power but then frazzled again and he never used the system again.
His best bate also went the government approved route and had a brand spanking new 206 LPG'd. 6 months later the car had to be written off because the system was so dangerous.
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B-8-D
Posted a lot
down to one car!!
Posts: 4,038
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ive put a couple of cars on lpg... 4.0 xj40 jag. my pontiac.. smallblock chevy.. landrovers.. my cortina mk4 (volvo engine) they are not too bad to do and if done properly u will hardly notice any power drop. better if you advance the timing for lpg. it has a slightly less calorific value than unleaded and takes a little longer to burn hense the advanced timing... it is ace with turbo/supercharged engines of high compression as it is approx 112 ron octane.. the performance fuel of the future??! there are some dragracing cars running gas only and getting good results.. but if u do a diy system make sure u fit it correctly to the modern regs... and get it approved by a lpga station. some will check it and give u a certificate. the only way to make sure it is safe and legal!! si
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is there any e85 in england? thats stuff is the way forward, no more yoyoing fuel prices where the u.s. decide's to have a tiff with the neighbours. I'm gonna convert one of my bikes to use it. 105 octane. it's 87cpl compared to unleaded which is at 128cpl right now. sweden is very very into e85.
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