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snow trip

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:03 am
by wyliespatrol
hello all am going to the snow soon in my carby 4.2 gq (tb42) is dule fuel and was wondering what preperation i should make with the gas system as this is my first gas car?

-anti freeze/boil

is all i have done, is there anything else so this trip dosent end bad?

chris

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:24 am
by mkpatrol
Have it re plumbed so there is a direct flow from the engine, before the heater.

Most fitters make them a bypass system & this tends to not give them enough warm water flow for this region.

This may not help you until the car is warm as well, gas powered vehicles can have all sorts of issues when up here & Kosuiszko.

Buy a 12 volt jug & carry water so you can counteract a frozen converter, valve or anything else that might freeze while you are up here.

A good mix of anti freeze is a must, to at least -20, you neet to take in account for wind chill until the engine has reached operating temp.

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:05 pm
by Loanrangie
Make sure you have enough petrol to at least get the enigne warm before switching to gas.

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 5:33 pm
by pcman
ive always wondered about this but my cruiser is straight lpg

good antifreeze yep but apart from that i got nfi

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 7:29 pm
by coxy321
Make sure your battery/s are up to scratch. Sub zero temperatures eat batteries quicker than Quick Watson.

RE LPG, as said, make sure your car runs well on petrol (as a fall back), and if you can afford it take half/full tank of petrol, just in case. The coolant lines to the converter should be a direct line from the block, not inline with the heater core. Doing it this way can affect two things, poor heating in the car and poor heating of the converter.

You might also want to look at giving your converter a clean out too - the passages can get caked up with oil and waxy residue.

I would also check that your thermostat is working correctly - there's nothing worse than heading off on a snow trip with no heater!

Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:36 am
by mkpatrol
coxy321 wrote: The coolant lines to the converter should be a direct line from the block, not inline with the heater core. Doing it this way can affect two things, poor heating in the car and poor heating of the converter.
Mmm, I have set many up this way with no affect on the heater. The converter gets the warmer coolant sooner preventing converter freeze.

The guy who taught it to me it the most respected gas tuner in Canberra & he sets all his up this way. Reduces the chance of air locks too.

Totally agree on the battery part, the batteries will hold lower voltage in sub 0 temps & will not provide the normal cold cranking amps so if you are having trouble with the gas the last thing you need is the starting system not up to scratch.

Another thing, what is your ignition sytem? the old Kettering or has it been converted to Electronic?

If it is Kettering, the ignition switch provides 12V to the coil for starting. In the really cold climate when voltage can be low, converters are cold your initial cold start can be affected so make sure your tune is up to scratch. It is not a common problem but it doesnt hurt to be prepared.

With an electronic conversion you should be ok with this as firing voltages are naturally higher anyway.