Auto-LPG Conversion Thread

[ryanboy]

Before conversion i consume on the average 6km/l on unleaded. At NAIDS i went for the efi emulator venturi type, cost me 24,500 pesos end of July this year. I never had the time to go back for check up at Naidds, but will try pass there by Dec for maintenance check.

Before i decided to convert i was already reading this thread on problems encountered by cars on sgi, so this made it easier for me to go for the cheaper conversion. I was also monitoring GH with his Corolla done at NAIDS and so far LPG is ok.

[dencio1976]

it's been awhile since last i posted on this section.


anyway, nabasa ko yung problem about SGI?

yung isang sentra GX 07 namin equipped with SGI nagkaron din ng problems.

1st encounter i had with it was clogged fuel filter inside the fuel tank. you will have problems running your car on gasoline. even worse, it won't start at all since it starts on gasoline and only runs on LPG after it reaches a certain engine temp.

problem is the fuel pump keeps pumping gas kahit hindi naman need ng engine mo as you run your car on LPG. nagkakaron ng build up ng dumi sa fuel tank that way. probably a breakdown(by stirring). nakakapalya din.

solution? i installed a manual switch on the fuel pump. problem solved.



problem with this is since it's manually overriden, minsan makakalimutan. either ayaw magstart kasi nakalimutan on yung switch or hindi naipatay nung nagswitch to LPG na yung engine.



my thoughts:

since may fuel management na ang SGI, dapat nakaincorporate na sa computer box yung fuel pump cutoff which i thought they already did.




pero the best pa rin ang SGI kit conversion para sakin. hindi makulit sa tono generally.

[ghosthunter]

yung isang sentra GX 07 namin equipped with SGI nagkaron din ng problems.

1st encounter i had with it was clogged fuel filter inside the fuel tank. you will have problems running your car on gasoline. even worse, it won't start at all since it starts on gasoline and only runs on LPG after it reaches a certain engine temp.

problem is the fuel pump keeps pumping gas kahit hindi naman need ng engine mo as you run your car on LPG. nagkakaron ng build up ng dumi sa fuel tank that way. probably a breakdown(by stirring). nakakapalya din.

solution? i installed a manual switch on the fuel pump. problem solved.



problem with this is since it's manually overriden, minsan makakalimutan. either ayaw magstart kasi nakalimutan on yung switch or hindi naipatay nung nagswitch to LPG na yung engine.

my thoughts:

since may fuel management na ang SGI, dapat nakaincorporate na sa computer box yung fuel pump cutoff which i thought they already did.

pero the best pa rin ang SGI kit conversion para sakin. hindi makulit sa tono generally.

In my system, the fuel pump is automatically cut off when I switch to LPG.

In our other cars (greenfuel SGI systems), a relay was installed to automatically cut off the fuel pump when the Auto-LPG is engaged.

[aamd]

Fuel Consumption as of 09 August 2009

Car:.................2004 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4.........1998 RAV4 2.0
LPG Kit:............SGI Greenfuel..............................CATGAS Open loop
Date (2008):.....June 23 - March 09.....................May 19 - August 08
Km/Liter:..........5.79.............................. .............5.62
Peso/Km:..........4.41................................. ..........4.53
% Loss:............27%.............................. .............20%
Peso Savings:.....P39,384.88........................... . .......P36,082.67
% Savings :.......27.50%.................................... ..34.10%

Fuel Consumption as of 3 December 2009

Car:.................2004 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4.........1998 RAV4 2.0
LPG Kit:............SGI Greenfuel..............................CATGAS Open loop
Date (2008):.....June 23, 2008 - Nov 15....................May 19, 2008 - Aug 22
Km/Liter:..........5.76.............................. .............5.62
Peso/Km:..........4.39................................. . ..........4.51
% Loss:............27%.............................. .............19%
Peso Savings:.....P43,109.41........................... . .......P37,272.35
% Savings :.......27.30%.................................... ..34%

Sadly, i sold my RAV4. i just got a company issued car to replace it. If only i have an extra parking slot i would have maintained RAV4.

RAV4 - I earned 16,272.35 pesos

ROI for Outlander is 39k - Nakakasave na ako ng 4,109.41 pesos

I seldomly use the Outlander. That is why my LPG savings decreased.

Thank you CATGAS...
Thank you Greenfuel...

More LPG....More peso to your pockets...

[n5110]

So far the only periodic maintenance needed was periodic draining of the vaporizer of the water that collects inside.

How do you exactly drain the vaporizer? few month ago i had my car service at GF because of no idling, pagkabukas may liquid (oil) substance inside contaminants ata, hinde naman ako naturuan ng tamang pag bleed nito. may nakausap kasi akong suking taxi driver na dapat daw luwagan yung bleed screw then i switch ON ang ignition. naguluhan tuloy ako.

[ghosthunter]

How do you exactly drain the vaporizer?

Just remove or loosen the drain plug under the vaporizer and wait for the accumulated liquids to finish dripping out of it. Replace the drain plug.

With most installations, the vaporizer would be more accessible. But in my case, it's installed between the engine and firewall, so access is limited. To make my life easier, I just bring it to NAIADSS (the installer for my kit) and have their guys drain it for me.

[Mile2]

How do you exactly drain the vaporizer? few month ago i had my car service at GF because of no idling, pagkabukas may liquid (oil) substance inside contaminants ata, hinde naman ako naturuan ng tamang pag bleed nito. may nakausap kasi akong suking taxi driver na dapat daw luwagan yung bleed screw then i switch ON ang ignition. naguluhan tuloy ako.

Maganda niyan paturo ka sa GF technicians, pero sa nakita ko ang ginawa nila ay disconnect the vaporizer hose going to the nozzle rail then activate the solenoid check valve by supplying +12V.

or disconnect the hose going to the nozzle rail and then switch the ignition on and then switch to LPG mode.

[Mile2]

Bad trip nagka oily lpg contamintion na naman ako when I switch to other LPG refilling station, nagkaroon ng hesitation ang takbo at ng tinignan ko ang spark plug ko maitim.

[speed unlimited]

Kadalasan naman na nakausap ko na nagpa convert ng LPG kadalasan problema nila ay tagas ng langis sa valve cover gasket at mga oil seal dahil pag LPG raw ay masyadong mainit ang makina.

[ehnriko]

LPG is indeed a hot set-up, this is the reason why you need some sort of protective oil that goes with your fuel feed... otherwise, the spark plugs will foul faster and engine wear will also be accelerated. If you want to do an LPG conversion, you need to go to those who have shops with good reputation.

Another thing is, when you go lean burn, it's like using LPG... both ways will heat up your engine temperature. This is why it is not recommended to run with a lean setting.

Unless you have supplementary fuel that will aid the combustion speed from the flame front near the power stroke of the piston. Increasing the flame speed will keep the hot gas or combustion out of the cylinders before the valves closes totally. The reason why it builds up heat is because the fuel mixture is too dry, the standard 14:1 mixture of Air and fuel is just enough to do some cooling effect to the chambers.

The gaskets are good for at least 200 deg. Centigrate or more... but if heat is building up from the cylinders... the engine temp will rise to above 95 deg. most of the time... causing gaskets or seals to deform or crack. Silicon gaskets may withstand about 200 deg. C. neoprene - maybe a bit more. Engine temps.. near the exhaust side can go much higher.

If you keep the mixture at standard setting with normal fuel, you can keep the temp lower.

[ghosthunter]

Kadalasan naman na nakausap ko na nagpa convert ng LPG kadalasan problema nila ay tagas ng langis sa valve cover gasket at mga oil seal dahil pag LPG raw ay masyadong mainit ang makina.

We have over half a dozen cars converted to Auto-LPG and all of them do not have problems regarding oil leaks through the valve cover gasket.

Chances are, the people you have talked to would be taxi drivers who are driving pretty old taxi cabs.

There is a pretty big chance that those drivers whom you have talked to would also have tinkered with the settings of the Auto-LPG causing it to run lean resulting in higher cylinder temperatures and even detonation in higher RPMs.

Honestly, my daily driver is a 1999 Corolla and it has been using Auto-LPG for a couple of years and it has yet to see any oil leaking out of the engine through any of the oil seals.

No overheat either.

I use regular Shell motor oil and even regular NGK sparkplugs (not platinum and not cold plugs) which are changed every 5000 km.

My car have driven around Metro Manila and even up to Baguio without problem fueled by Auto-LPG.

[XOOMaster]

Dear all,

Happy Holidays to all Tsikot Auto-LPG users! The Auto LPG industry wants to encourage more Private users to enjoy the benefits of LPG.
The Philippine transport sector has been enjoying and saving by using LPG as their alternative fuel. While there are private interests it is not yet wide spread, we would like to ask for all members help to spread the word.

We are particularly calling all Carburetor Car owners to make the switch! Not only will you help our environment by emitting cleaner gas but you will also benefit from the fuel savings for the minimal cost of conversion.

Pls. make sure to refer to the list of accredited installers. Spread the word now!

[eikichi]

My cylinder head needed a top overhauling just this week. According to my mechanic cousin, there were some accumulation of dried up gasoline in the intake manifold if I remember it right. He said that I may not be using my gasoline long enough to burn completely that's why there are some residue left. Last time my injectors also had the same residue. Good thing there was no need to replace the valves because initially upon visual inspection, it looked like 4 of my intake valves will need replacing. My problem here is that now I am not sure if I am using my lpg kit correctly. According to GF, I should start the car on gas and run for a few minutes then use lpg. Switch back to gas for a few minutes before shutting off the engine. This is how I've been doing it since my kit was installed mid 2008. Now I am contemplating on changing how I run my car. Probably full tank lpg and finish it then use about 2-3 liters of gas continuously then use lpg again till it's finished. What do you guys think? I'm now confused. Repairs were quite costly and I wouldn't want that same thing to happen again. My car is a 1998 Corolla using a venturi kit.

[ghosthunter]

My problem here is that now I am not sure if I am using my lpg kit correctly. According to GF, I should start the car on gas and run for a few minutes then use lpg. Switch back to gas for a few minutes before shutting off the engine. This is how I've been doing it since my kit was installed mid 2008. Now I am contemplating on changing how I run my car. Probably full tank lpg and finish it then use about 2-3 liters of gas continuously then use lpg again till it's finished. What do you guys think? I'm now confused. Repairs were quite costly and I wouldn't want that same thing to happen again. My car is a 1998 Corolla using a venturi kit.

We have pretty much the same setup. (99 Corolla with NAIADSS Venturi kit)

My solution: I just run on gasoline once a week. And I don't just putter around, I floor the accelerator pedal when the traffic is light.

My main problem is gasoline getting stale in the tank. I had nearly half a tank of Shell E10 unleaded that went stale. I had to dispose of it and replaced with Petron XCS.

[eikichi]

We have pretty much the same setup. (99 Corolla with NAIADSS Venturi kit)

My solution: I just run on gasoline once a week. And I don't just putter around, I floor the accelerator pedal when the traffic is light.

My main problem is gasoline getting stale in the tank. I had nearly half a tank of Shell E10 unleaded that went stale. I had to dispose of it and replaced with Petron XCS.

I see that it will be better if I use pure gas occasionally. Do you also switch to and from gas before and after starting the engine or do you use lpg only for regular use?

I also encountered getting stale gas in the tank. Most of the time, I would fill up P500 non-E10 fuel and this would normally last me around 1-1.5 months.

[Mile2]

Mine was also mid 2008 installed and use gasoline mode once a week.

Sometimes when the traffic is light I switch to gasoline on high speed driving.

Been filling my LPG on XOOM Autogas Timog and Total North Fairview.

[ghosthunter]

I see that it will be better if I use pure gas occasionally. Do you also switch to and from gas before and after starting the engine or do you use lpg only for regular use?

I just start up on LPG when I don't plan to use gasoline that day.

[jut703]

I know that converting your car to run on LPG shouldn't affect the performance of your car, but it really bugs me, how come the taxis I've ridden that run on LPG have a very, very, very hard time even on a simply flyover. And one time there was this XL Corolla that had to redline just to maintain speed.

What's wrong with them?

[ghosthunter]

I know that converting your car to run on LPG shouldn't affect the performance of your car, but it really bugs me, how come the taxis I've ridden that run on LPG have a very, very, very hard time even on a simply flyover. And one time there was this XL Corolla that had to redline just to maintain speed.

What's wrong with them?

To get more fuel mileage for every liter of fuel, taxi cab drivers sometimes adjust the flow rate of fuel to the engine. The consequence is a lean air-fuel ratio and less horsepower.

The result is a taxi cab with a 1.3L engine that gets slightly better fuel mileage and has just barely enough power to go up the typical flyover, in first gear. It also means potential overheating and accelerated wear & tear on the sparkplugs, motor oil and engine itself.

This is done by the taxi cab drivers to increase their take-home pay by saving some money on fuel.

There are cabs which are driven and owned by the same person. Typically these cabs are in a good state of tune and the owner/driver is well aware of the pros/cons of adjusting the fuel rate of the LPG system.

I have ridden in a number of LPG fuel taxi cabs and most are pretty well maintained and LPG system tuned well. Only once or twice in the past couple of years that I have had that feeling of being underpowered.

[ssalonga]

I see that it will be better if I use pure gas occasionally. Do you also switch to and from gas before and after starting the engine or do you use lpg only for regular use?

I also encountered getting stale gas in the tank. Most of the time, I would fill up P500 non-E10 fuel and this would normally last me around 1-1.5 months.

Just wanted to share my own experience, since stale gas was my biggest problem 3 years ago. Not only that, my fuel pump eventually gave up with a perforated membrane and for lack of use. 6 months down the road I just gave up completely and disconnected the petrol supply to the carb and used LPG exclusively.

The switch allowed me to optimize ignition advance (increased advance early in the curve) yielding better performance. I have been using LPG exclusively since then and have had trouble free performance for a good 2.5 years with little more than regular maintenance.

I plan to remove the gasoline tank altogether and move the LPG tank into the void to regain more trunk space. Just haven't had time to do this due to constant daily use. I travel to Batangas City regularly to visit relatives in Calapan Mindoro and travel around Manila daily. I haven't missed going to a gas station at all.

If you don't really need the bi-fuel installation, why bother?

cheers,

steve