45 replies to this topic

[Artful Dodger]

The extra heat created would kill the engine, burnt out valves and just general engine failure would be common.

[ANON]

Don't do it, it will kill the engine to death in 5 mins. IIRC LPG runs at highs temps and (obviously) would have to be in an injection mini.


Seriously, you want a high mpg car, don't get a mini XD

it wont kill the engine, how you work that one out god only knows

and you can run lpg on a carbed engine, my granddad had a renault running on gas in the early 70s.

[Shifty]

I remember my uncle running a mk3 escort on LPG in about 1981.

[Noah]

My dad did the PR for the Very first LPG equipped shell station.

I wanted to get involved lol.

[Artful Dodger]

Hmm, I thought they ran the engine at a much higher temperature, due to it really being a gas rather than a mixture. Can't do the valve seats any good either!

Am I being stoopid?

[Noah]

Hmm, I thought they ran the engine at a much higher temperature, due to it really being a gas rather than a mixture. Can't do the valve seats any good either!

Am I being stoopid?

I think your being a tad on the Stoopid side . Though I have to say I agree that It must be burnt at higher tempratures, though to be honest I am quite unsure of how LPG systems work, thats something for me to re-search in college.

[mini-luke]

If engines ran on LPG melted, why would companies specialise in converting them?

[Ethel]

It's not that different, the P is for petroleum. As petrol camping stoves are generally regarded as more powerful than gas ones, I guess the temperatures are comparable at least - but the gas expansion will matter more, over advance your engine and things rapidly start to melt. LPG has a bit higher air stoichiometric ratio (and it has to get in the cylinder as a gas) so the power output will suffer. Valves used to suffer, but since the demise of leaded petrol it shouldn't be any worse now.

[Artful Dodger]

I can't see any point converting a mini anyway.. The bag for the gas would be the same size as the car!

[sledgehammer]

LPG conversion in a petrol engine means virtually no added carbon deposits - if set up correctly

as you are not relying on the fuel to vaporise in the cylinder

a leaded head will suffer a tiny bit on valve seat wear due to no lead - but un leaded should be fine

LPG is a bit lower mpg than petrol - but cheaper £££ by the litre

almost any petrol engine can be converted (except GDI engines IIRC)

Diesel engines can used LPG as a supplement

if installed correctly LPG is as safe as petrol

LPG was used long before un leaded with few problems

Mini's have been converted before - It's nothing new - you have to weigh up mileage vs installation costs vs government putting up price

[Noah]

LPG conversion in a petrol engine means virtually no added carbon deposits - if set up correctly

as you are not relying on the fuel to vaporise in the cylinder

a leaded head will suffer a tiny bit on valve seat wear due to no lead - but un leaded should be fine

LPG is a bit lower mpg than petrol - but cheaper £££ by the litre

almost any petrol engine can be converted (except GDI engines IIRC)

Diesel engines can used LPG as a supplement

if installed correctly LPG is as safe as petrol

LPG was used long before un leaded with few problems

Mini's have been converted before - It's nothing new - you have to weigh up mileage vs installation costs vs government putting up price

Slowly LPG specialists are beginning to introduce LPG packages for Direct Injection engines, but currently are almost double the price.

[Yoda]

I can't see any point converting a mini anyway.. The bag for the gas would be the same size as the car!

Doh! LPG is stored in Liquid form under pressure. The Tank, needs to be no bigger than the normal tank but you only get around 60-80% of the mileage per litre. This was fine when the Liquid petroleum gas was half the price of petrol but the prices are beginning to balance these days.

for the uninitiated, the liquid boils off at atmospheric pressures. The system takes liquid gas to a vaporiser that allows the pressure to decrease, therefore the liquid gas boils off (controlled by vac from the intake) and is fed to a jet directly in the carb mouth or injectors and mixes with the air through the intake. It really is that simple.

Why do it?

Why not, we have run golf buggies on LPG and it is way cheaper, Much cleaner burn, almost zero emissions. we ran several vehicles on LPG including Jeeps, our v8 monster truck. I may just have to convert a Mini and bring it to a show so you can see how simple it is.

Unless the law has changed, you dont even need to have the system inspected for use, We did all of our own conversions, the certificate requirement was basically for change of fuel on the v5 and also to allow the vehicle to be exempt from the London rip off road taxing.

We also started to develop a Hydrogen fuel generator for cheap fuel and we ran these on a few of our vehicles, "put water in, get fuel out" which allowed us to run an engine on water! Yes, i said water! there are still some issues to solve with this (mainly condensation issues within the engine and exhaust) but it works, but what we did find, was if you mix this new fuel with Petrol, LPG and even Diesel, we could get a power boost of up to a measured 40% for the same amount of fuel used. Our Diesel truck that previously struggled up hills with a trailer, suddenly sailed up hills fully loaded with two race cars.

This is not new technology, just reworking the conversion methods etc.

Hopefully this should make you guys realise that its not all Dark secret technology, and with a bit of research, LPG is a simple alternative to petrol, No more risky either.

If you want to do it, go ahead, we did and learned a bucket load of stuff along the way.

Edited by Yoda, 18 November 2012 - 06:54 AM.

[sport2000]

I Used to fit LPG kits around 1988-1994 to leased Ford Transits/ Escorts,Range Rovers..not that difficult
Back in those days the only real problem was the fitment of the tank as they were quite big,also the vaporiser used to ice up in the winter!...imagine how cheap LPG was in those days!!
Surely the only possible place would be in the boot for the mini,run all the pipe work either underneath or inside,mount changeover switch inside,and the vaporiser on inner wing near the radiator(no icing up)
I'm sure the kits have moved on since the 80s and many components changed!!

LPG kit.....expensive,rather put petrol in than have the hassle!!

[Artful Dodger]

I can't see any point converting a mini anyway.. The bag for the gas would be the same size as the car!

Doh! LPG is stored in Liquid form under pressure. The Tank, needs to be no bigger than the normal tank but you only get around 60-80% of the mileage per litre. This was fine when the Liquid petroleum gas was half the price of petrol but the prices are beginning to balance these days.

for the uninitiated, the liquid boils off at atmospheric pressures. The system takes liquid gas to a vaporiser that allows the pressure to decrease, therefore the liquid gas boils off (controlled by vac from the intake) and is fed to a jet directly in the carb mouth or injectors and mixes with the air through the intake. It really is that simple.

Why do it?

Why not, we have run golf buggies on LPG and it is way cheaper, Much cleaner burn, almost zero emissions. we ran several vehicles on LPG including Jeeps, our v8 monster truck. I may just have to convert a Mini and bring it to a show so you can see how simple it is.

Unless the law has changed, you dont even need to have the system inspected for use, We did all of our own conversions, the certificate requirement was basically for change of fuel on the v5 and also to allow the vehicle to be exempt from the London rip off road taxing.

We also started to develop a Hydrogen fuel generator for cheap fuel and we ran these on a few of our vehicles, "put water in, get fuel out" which allowed us to run an engine on water! Yes, i said water! there are still some issues to solve with this (mainly condensation issues within the engine and exhaust) but it works, but what we did find, was if you mix this new fuel with Petrol, LPG and even Diesel, we could get a power boost of up to a measured 40% for the same amount of fuel used. Our Diesel truck that previously struggled up hills with a trailer, suddenly sailed up hills fully loaded with two race cars.

This is not new technology, just reworking the conversion methods etc.

Hopefully this should make you guys realise that its not all Dark secret technology, and with a bit of research, LPG is a simple alternative to petrol, No more risky either.

If you want to do it, go ahead, we did and learned a bucket load of stuff along the way.

Not in dads army it's not! ;)

[mab01uk]

LPG is not ideal for small cars if you don't have much boot space to start with, New MINI is tight for boot space with an LPG tank, filler is in the corner of the rear bumper. This conversion cost around £900.
http://www.lpgforum....php?f=33&t=9819





LPG fuel saving calculator
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