Outer Limits 4x4 Board

hey people just a general question,
looking at brining normal every day driving cost down with the fuel on my GQ 4.2 wanna turn it into a duel fuel

dose any one know what sort of dollors to spend puting it on
and also where in melbourne i could get it done

thanx matt

where in melbourne are you, and for price ranges your looking at around 1000-1500 drive in drive out.

live in elsternwick

work in breaside

Check the trader for 2nd hand, but make sure the tanks ok.

with lpg going over 60c/litre and the consumption of lpg being around 130% that of petrol you're only going to save 20 - 30% on what you're paying for fuel, at 15,000km a year it will take about 4 years before you've paid off the cost of installing the LPG system, if you only use LPG (ie no petrol)even longer if the government starts charging excise on LPG.

so are you planning to have this vehicle for more than the next 4 years and/or drive it more than 15,000km/year (ie does the rest of the vehicle have at least 60,000km potential)? otherwise it's very hard to justify the up front cost.

yes I can provide the maths if you want.

dumbdunce wrote: the consumption of lpg being around 130% that of petrol

both of the TB42's that I own get pretty much exactly the same km/litre on petrol or gas?

yeah was somthing i was thinking about to put lpg on or not if it were really worth it ,

also if i did go ahead with lpg where most likely where would they stick the gas tank? if i keep petral on as well?
just a general passing questions just weighing things up

thanks guys

Wendle wrote:

dumbdunce wrote: the consumption of lpg being around 130% that of petrol

both of the TB42's that I own get pretty much exactly the same km/litre on petrol or gas?

only cos you drive like an old woman

oh well the equation changes, six - seven years instead of four, maybe it's worth it

dumbdunce wrote:only cos you drive like an old woman

oh well the equation changes, six - seven years instead of four, maybe it's worth it

your equation be backwards - 2-3 years instead of 4. it is worth changing over just for the other advantages anyway, truck will run at any angle just as well as on level ground. the one I have on straight gas ran smoother on gas the first time I kicked it over than it ever did on petrol, no need for emmisions gear, fuel pump, fuel filter changes, bla bla..

plus it's good for the enviroment, and that's important..

yeah I realised that jsut after I had pressed submit. I had had a few #6's by that stage, wasn't thinking straight.


but yeah it's good to have a motor that will run on angles if you are going to go hardkore

Seem to recall "AndrewT" had a setup for sale in the 4sale section, was a while back and maybe gone now....

My father in law has his GQ on gas and has had a problem with his head cracking twice now, apprently due to the LPG running hotter.

head cracking will only happen if the LPG is set up too lean. by far the bigger danger is valve seat recession causing the head to need rebuilding far sooner than if you were using petrol. not so much a problem with unleaded vehicles but it still happens. can be avoided by using flashlube or similar.

dumbdunce wrote:head cracking will only happen if the LPG is set up too lean. by far the bigger danger is valve seat recession causing the head to need rebuilding far sooner than if you were using petrol. not so much a problem with unleaded vehicles but it still happens. can be avoided by using flashlube or similar.

I read a lot about people who have issues when their LPG runs lean, my thoughts on that are, it's cheap so why not run it a bit rich if anything so as to help minimise the risk. You are already saving money with the cheaper bowser cost, why try to screw the last $1 out of it by running it really lean ?

Tom

would running ritch help? I thought that LPG didn't lube valvs etc thus the problem ppl have with valves

mind you I know nothing about gas. but I am thinking of running it in the 308 I am building for my cruiser

yeah thats was the other problem i would be facing runing gas was
because it gose in colder then petral it burns hotter and inturn cracks the head on it,
i did hear that most of these problems happened more so when under pressure ie . towing or out 4x4ing
but not only that it runs dry useing gas all the time so i have found out,
but dayd to day driving was ok i think

dont hold me to it im not a pro in gas or anything just what i have herd

so i may give lpg a miss and just put on a long rang tank and maybe years down trk a aux tank

thanks people been more then helpfull to me
matt

It may not help but I believe that it at least would not hurt

Tom

I've been running lpg since 1985 in a variety of vehicles from a 2.6 sigma to a V8 HZ 1 tonner aswell as 2 of the 3 patrols I currently own.

I run it slightly richer than required and in non alloy heads IE cast iron heads I run the "flashlube" oiler.

My ex V8 HZ 1 tonner is a 350 chev and runs standard valves and valve seats. An oiler was never fitted to this ute and it has done in excess of 300,000 ks and is still running an average of 150psi per cylinder. The gas was fitted to the ute back in 1990 and has never given a single problem since then. The oiler for the ute is still sitting in the shed somewhere.... I never got around to fitting it
A mate also has a 1 tonner powered by a 327 chev.... exactly the same setup and no problems to date.

I have in fact never had a single problem from any LPG powered vehicles I have owned over the years...... its all about setup, mixture, & maintaince........ do it once and do it right

Cracked heads are caused by ....
too lean a mixture,
running too hot for extended periods,
cooling down too quick when at normal operating temps,
overheating via a blown head gasket/radiator hose/ or damaged/non working radiator,
incorrect ignition timing.

Cracked valve seats are caused by
too lean a mixture,
overheating,
hot spots within the head ( factory flaws ),
over reving before proper operating temp is reached,
lack of lubricant to the valves and seats,
incorrect ignition timing.


Basicaly if you suffer from head damage then its more than likely poor maintaince, setup and mixture are to blame and there's only one person to point the finger at for that............................. YOU !

Gas set ups are in the trading post all the time from about $300-$400.
The fitting is not hard.

my fuel economy is way better on the pocket since fitting a V8 on gas. i get about the same km/L as my petrol 6cyl. but gas is cheaper. i dont drive like a granny either.

i bet when gas prices go up, petrol will too. thats a tight arse government for you. gas will always be cheaper, but petrol will be wider distributed, thats my only downfall of gas. but ive got good range so it doesnt really bother me.

MaccA