tabs Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I am currently lookng at the second hand market for a 4x4 use as a daily runner and lamping truck with a limited budget. Most of my mileage is around town for work, so I am keem to keep fuel costs as low as possible but still retaining a proper 4x4. There are a number of larger vehicles around which have been converted to LPG which leads me to my questions. Does LPG limit the life expectancy of an engine (running hotter?) Is there a difference in Bi Fuel and LPG conversions? Is there anything I should be lookng for when viewing, regisered conversion etc? If anyone has direct experience of running a converted vehicle any info would be useful. Thanks Tabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rushjob Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Had a Range Rover Classic on lpg - no downside I can think of, ran really smoothly & very clean, you had to keep an eye on when you last changed the oil as to look at the dipstick, the oil always looked new! Had a valve seat lube system on mine to look after the valve seats. Never had a problem with overheating but then I had a bloody great Kenlowe fan on it! In the next month or two, I'll be looking for a nice Discovery II either fitted up or ripe for conversion. As regards installs, they are generally well executed but can have **** kit fitted. Look for BRC, Stag OMVL stuff as it's good quality and go for sequential injection rather than the low tech venturi in the inlet tract, when was it last serviced - the LPG that is and also the certification paperwork. Bi fuel is usually a factory fitted system and conversions are self explanatory - after market jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 yes they do reduce engine life significantly as well as lead to sensor problems etc. We run a load of vauxhall lpg vans and generally the heads are knackered at 100K and they go through things like lambdas regularly. Any faults with the LPG kits are expensive to fix, for instance most of ours need new gas injectors and aren't worth fixing at £600 a set so we just run them on petrol. If the mileage is low and the vehicle cheap they can be worth a punt but the problem comes if you have LPG issues that running a 4x4 on petrol isn't cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabs Posted August 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 TY Rush' good info, what engine size was the RR and what mileage did you keep it till? Hi Al4x, is the shorter life the same with larger blocks? 4-5 litre? Tabs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I gather you can add a lubricant to the gas to reduce it but if not fitted then I gather yes it will still eat the valve seats. Just watch the kit and make sure it flips onto it fine and runs for a good while without switching back. Most problems with the kits they just switch back to petrol which on a 4.5 you don't want to be running on for more than you have to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chally2 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 I run my 101 on lpg. To be honest I would much prefer a diesel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rushjob Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 3.5, I ran it from 65K to 105K over about 4 years then my mate ran it to about 115K before the tin worm ate it. The engine was transplanted into a lightweight - when they did it it was stripped to be checked - nothing needed and AFAIK is still going strong..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rangey Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 I am currently lookng at the second hand market for a 4x4 use as a daily runner and lamping truck with a limited budget. Most of my mileage is around town for work, so I am keem to keep fuel costs as low as possible but still retaining a proper 4x4. There are a number of larger vehicles around which have been converted to LPG which leads me to my questions. Does LPG limit the life expectancy of an engine (running hotter?) Is there a difference in Bi Fuel and LPG conversions? Is there anything I should be lookng for when viewing, regisered conversion etc? If anyone has direct experience of running a converted vehicle any info would be useful. Thanks Tabs ive been running a rr p38 4.6 on lpg for 3years now and no problems.more economical than most deisel 4x4s.i would also advice your installer that your gona use it off road as placement of the ecu is important as you dont want mud and water getting into it as this happened with mine and had to be relocated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 (edited) I gather you can add a lubricant to the gas to reduce it but if not fitted then I gather yes it will still eat the valve seats. Just watch the kit and make sure it flips onto it fine and runs for a good while without switching back. Most problems with the kits they just switch back to petrol which on a 4.5 you don't want to be running on for more than you have to I sell the kits to add the special lubricant. The original was Flashlube, but there are now better products on the market. It is prudent to fit valve lubrication to all engines of Japanise origin and most recent Ford engines. There is no substitute for sound engineering. LPG Autogas technology has advanced in leaps and bounds since I converted my first vehicle when I was 18. Quality kit, fitted by an experienced converter will do all of the switching, whistles, bells flashing lights that you could wish for. My Range Rover P38 was converted in our works about 6 years ago. With the exception of changing the gas filters (a few pounds). The only work that has been required on the gas system was a few weeks ago when a gas injector started to mal function, it was repaired within 30 minutes, the repair kit was only a few pounds. Edited August 21, 2011 by webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redditch Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 (edited) You´ll need hardened valve seats or they´ll burn out quick. Also you´ll lose about 15% power, and it´ll do about 15% less mpg to the litre, but normally if you do a fair amount of miles, or have a very thirsty motor (Most 4x4´s ), you´ll find that the price of it compared to petrol or even diesel will be advantageous I´ve run Ford Mustangs, Land Rovers, Range Rovers, and even normal cars on it, but you need to do a lot of miles to make it pay if you have an engine of less than 2.0 litres. Another thing is that in VERY cold weather (I was on the continent, and minus 38c in the winter was normal), starting can be a problem, so most people switched to petrol just before stopping the engine, then started the engine on petrol, and as soon as it warmed up a bit, switched back to gas, plus that is also good for the engine, and you should always have a bit of petrol, because you might find yourself somewhere where there is no gas, and it´ll get you to the next gas station too. Edited August 21, 2011 by Redditch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houlsby Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 alot of people are scared of lpg.. yes it runs dry, but if you install a lubricator its fine. even if it does go.. its only a headgasket! put it this way, my 1.4 berlingo vans done 170k and i thrash the knackers off it mainly country roads and motorways. my last tank full i did 450 miles to £48 of lpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 Our fleet of vans are all LPG and the problems are: 1)Bad MPG. 2)No torque. 3)Not everywhere sells it. 4)Titchy gas tank so means 200 miles max (it replaces the spare wheel on ours). 5)Not all garages can service an LPG equipped vehicle. Gas maybe cheaper than diesel,but theres no torque in the engine so means you're constantly going up and down the gears which then uses more fuel.It certainly wouldnt be my first choice of fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Mongrel- Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 (edited) Well that's odd My 3.9l Discovery runs just as well on LPG as it does on petrol, economy is down a bit with LPG but power doesn't seem compromised in any way. Edited August 21, 2011 by -Mongrel- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 Iam on my 3rd lpg car now jeep disco then back to jeep not had any problems with them first 2 were single point. next car will be diesel though as the figures dont stack up anymore, although the car will be much cheaper to buy than a diesel. cheers john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 Things to think about before getting one 1. the engine starts on petrol so if most of your driving is short trips you will use quite a bit of petrol. 2. Do you live near to a garage that sells LPG I have to go 5 miles to fill up so that is 10 miles waisted fuel. 3. Should you have any problems is there an installer that lives near to where you live. 4. I got my 4ltr jeep about seven years ago and for most of that time I have had no problems with it but I recently had problems with the LPG system and ended up paying out £600 to get it fixed my next one will not be a diesel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark@mbb Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 Does every one know you can get a manual pump on your lpg tank to fill your own vehicles at about .35p a litre Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webber Posted August 24, 2011 Report Share Posted August 24, 2011 Does every one know you can get a manual pump on your lpg tank to fill your own vehicles at about .35p a litre Mark Yes you can; but unless you own the tank the gas company that do own the tank won't be too please about having the pipework fiddled with. If HMRC get wind of what you are doing, you risk the loss of your vehicle. Manual pumps are hard work. webber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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