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LPG or Diesel
- Thread starter paul c
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Steve Wright
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Hi Paul
Can I put my two penny's worth in, I am not against LPG I think it a good idea, but LPG stations are not as easy to find and I suspect you are fairly
restricted to size of tanks so range could be a issue, and its always the case its worse when you are running low and you need gas !
as I say its not the gas but getting it !
Hi Paul,
I was the same as you before I spoke to my brother whom had a Volvo S80 bi-fuel . He suffered problems with the LPG side of things and was constantly being told by various garages to rip the system out and start again with a new LPG system, oh and it would cost thousands. Eventually after pulling out most of his hair and nearly selling the Volvo which in fact prior to the problems was great car and cheap to run. Managed to find a LPG garage in THIRSK West Yorkshire and had a chat with (John) proper Yorkshireman and very honest who told him he was going to be ripped off and sorted the problem out for I think a few hundred pounds. After this my brother was so convinced LPG was the way forward the purchased a lexus Rx300 petrol and took it to back to John. I think he paid just under 2000 pounds having a doughnut tank underneath the car. Then run the car for a year with no problems before I decided to join the LPG gang and purchased a LC100 4.7 v8 1999 and even though Bristol to Thirsk was a journey and leaving it there for a few day was hard work I was really impressed with the workmanship John had done. I had 95 LTR doughnut tank fitted underneath where the spare usually fits . Luckily the car came with a spare wheel carrier and the multi-point system with valve saver cost me just over £2000 (Oct2011) since then I normally get 70 LTR of gas in it as you have to account for expansion. A full tank of this amount therefore cost me about £51.00 and I get a maximum of 280 miles going easy on the pedal. The performance is great and the service I have been told is every three years about I think 20,000 miles. So I would say either go to this chap John at AUTOGAS 2000 ,If nothing else give him a call and ask his advice on the technical aspects. tel 01845-523213 or www.autogas.co.uk ....by the way i'm not on commision I just believe you cannot beat an honest garage that won't rip you off trying to sell you parts you don't need.... oh by the way you should make sure if your travelling more than a few hundred miles to have a good list of all the LPG stations around your destination . Shell are pretty good but few and far between and a bit expensive at about 74p a ltr whereas Morrisons/Asda are around 68-69p but not all have LPG.
Good Luck
I was the same as you before I spoke to my brother whom had a Volvo S80 bi-fuel . He suffered problems with the LPG side of things and was constantly being told by various garages to rip the system out and start again with a new LPG system, oh and it would cost thousands. Eventually after pulling out most of his hair and nearly selling the Volvo which in fact prior to the problems was great car and cheap to run. Managed to find a LPG garage in THIRSK West Yorkshire and had a chat with (John) proper Yorkshireman and very honest who told him he was going to be ripped off and sorted the problem out for I think a few hundred pounds. After this my brother was so convinced LPG was the way forward the purchased a lexus Rx300 petrol and took it to back to John. I think he paid just under 2000 pounds having a doughnut tank underneath the car. Then run the car for a year with no problems before I decided to join the LPG gang and purchased a LC100 4.7 v8 1999 and even though Bristol to Thirsk was a journey and leaving it there for a few day was hard work I was really impressed with the workmanship John had done. I had 95 LTR doughnut tank fitted underneath where the spare usually fits . Luckily the car came with a spare wheel carrier and the multi-point system with valve saver cost me just over £2000 (Oct2011) since then I normally get 70 LTR of gas in it as you have to account for expansion. A full tank of this amount therefore cost me about £51.00 and I get a maximum of 280 miles going easy on the pedal. The performance is great and the service I have been told is every three years about I think 20,000 miles. So I would say either go to this chap John at AUTOGAS 2000 ,If nothing else give him a call and ask his advice on the technical aspects. tel 01845-523213 or www.autogas.co.uk ....by the way i'm not on commision I just believe you cannot beat an honest garage that won't rip you off trying to sell you parts you don't need.... oh by the way you should make sure if your travelling more than a few hundred miles to have a good list of all the LPG stations around your destination . Shell are pretty good but few and far between and a bit expensive at about 74p a ltr whereas Morrisons/Asda are around 68-69p but not all have LPG.
Good Luck
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The V8 petrol 100's are lovely motors if you're a bit of a petrol head and don't mind either paying the extra to run on petrol or the bit of extra trouble chasing down a source of LPG as and when needed. I fitted a tank that would take about 94l of LPG but not with a standard exhaust tail pipe. If you are at all handy with spanners then it's not difficult to do your own LPG install. I'd be wary of buying a 100 series with LPG already installed unless I was very confident of the quality of the installation because if they're not running right on LPG it will destroy the valves and can cause head damage...
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I am a long time fan of LPG, First fitted to a Newish Classic Range Rover back in 1983 when LPG stations were few and far between. The reason why then and hold good now is the cost. LPG is about half the price of Petroleum and if you get a current Autogas book, currently quite cheap it includes downloads for several market leading SATnavs, so finding a station wherever you may be is no longer a problem. My next vehicle was an 850 GLT volvo estate, which ran for many years like a bird with no problems whatsoever. Currently my daily drive is an 80 series 4.5VX. Now here's my observations, for what it's worth. Never have a tank in the rear luggage space, they are always in the way, try to have the largest doughnut tank fitted where the spare wheel should live, (when did you last have a puncture?) be sure to have the LPG bit notified to VOSA, London City exemption. and most important. most systems Iv'e had start on gasolene and switch to LPG at a certain rev range, so little petrol is actually used, so be sure to keep some in the tank strongly laced with upper cylinder lubricant, valve stems don't like LPG much and Upper Cyl Lub helps no end. Also ensure that your plugs are clean and in good shape also HT lead and plug leads should be the best available, I use Magnatex and have no probs. Hope this is of use, regards
nathanrobo
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V8's are awesome! I had one for a few years, I looked into LPG a few times but resisted LPG because of stories about valve seat recession on Japanese engines. That said, I never heard of any problems - maybe I should have jumped.
Anyway, I went over to a diesel a few years back and once you get used to the more agricultural feel of the engine, they're pretty decent - powerful with bags of torque, just not refined. 25mpg on a run too, which is pretty economical for a big motor.
The other thing about LPG is the way the price crept up once there was critical mass. Question is will the price relationship between LPG & petrol remain the same? If the difference erodes, the LPG install starts to look expensive.
Anyway, I went over to a diesel a few years back and once you get used to the more agricultural feel of the engine, they're pretty decent - powerful with bags of torque, just not refined. 25mpg on a run too, which is pretty economical for a big motor.
The other thing about LPG is the way the price crept up once there was critical mass. Question is will the price relationship between LPG & petrol remain the same? If the difference erodes, the LPG install starts to look expensive.
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Thanks Prav thats really helpful and i will give him a call as this LPG is all new to me! £51 for 280 miles sounds good and if I get a 5 speed that will improve things as well. I live in London and believe that LPG cars are excempt from the congestion charge! Another bonus. My diesel has 300000 on the clock, as I have said, can I expect the same from a V8?
Thanks Jon. Yes I am a petrol head and have been resisting the V8 urge for many years! If I go LPG and 5 speed it will be cheaper than my 80 diesel! By the way I will leave the install alone. Should I find a V8 with LPG or buy one without? What about insurance? Is this dearer or will I have to go to a specialist?
Hi Paul, With regards to the longevity of the engine will probably depend on luck .On Auto****** you can see many petrol engine ones with high mileage. Mine has only done 69,000 when I converted it and since done about 11,000 miles so far. As for the insurance you will need to tell them about the conversion and probably show them a copy of the certificate of conversion and reciepts, I pay £292 with Aviva full comp with NCD protection.
Chas
Well-Known Member
When I insured mine Adrian Flux asked if I had a certificate but never asked to actually see it.
They are a good engine so as long as the LPG is running right they should do high miles no problem. My preference would be to buy without LPG and then I know it isn't half dead already from being run on a poor install, but it's more expensive that way ... you can't take a vehicle with LPG through the channel tunnel.
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The HDJ-FTE with the 5-speed box is very smooth and powerful. There's nothing like a well built 6-in-line.
When it comes to durability and reliability, I think the diesel wins.
Also depends on where you plan on going.
Thanks for that Jon. I had not thought about the tunnel being out of bounds. Still there is the ferry! Most of my caravaning has been done in the uk so probably not an issue.
The advantage of the LPG is not having to pay the congestion charge in London.
I plan on keeping the 100 for at least 10 years so finding a V8 and having LPG installed would make sense. Would I need to change rad and hoses as I read on here the engine runs hotter?
Thanks uHu. I agree the 6-in-line is a great engine and have used my 80 diesel to haul my caravan. Not only that but it is also my work truck, I am a builder, and it regularly pulls a 3500kg Ifor williams trailer. Only last week I had 500kg of bagged sand in the boot. Never misses a beat.
Really I fancy some V8 smoothness. Most of my driving will be in UK.
The advantage of the LPG is not having to pay the congestion charge in London.
I plan on keeping the 100 for at least 10 years so finding a V8 and having LPG installed would make sense. Would I need to change rad and hoses as I read on here the engine runs hotter?
Thanks uHu. I agree the 6-in-line is a great engine and have used my 80 diesel to haul my caravan. Not only that but it is also my work truck, I am a builder, and it regularly pulls a 3500kg Ifor williams trailer. Only last week I had 500kg of bagged sand in the boot. Never misses a beat.
Really I fancy some V8 smoothness. Most of my driving will be in UK.
Yes a straight 6 is inherently balanced for primary and secondary harmonics. A V8 is unbalanced due to the firing order which goes (by looking at the cylinder banks) l-r-r-l-r-l-l-r. Its the double pulse on the left bank and right bank that give the V8 its characteristic burble/rumble.
A V6 is worst of the lot.
A V6 is worst of the lot.
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Paddler Ed
Well-Known Member
I know on our van we had in Aus, that was an LPG/Carby set up, that it worked best on LPG or 98 (well actually it worked best on 98, and we used the LPG as a giant jerry can) Fuel cost per km was the same if you were on 91 or 98, so you got a better range on 98, so we tried to run it on that as much as possible. As someone else has mentioned LPG burns dry, so you lose a bit of lubrication; if you run mainly on LPG try doing 2:1 LPG
etrol, so that the engine still gets some lubrication. Also LPG burns hotter (IIRC), so make sure that the cooling system is upto speed.
I'm not sure if that was because of how poor 95 or 91 is out there, but LPG and 98 are closer in their octane rating (I think), so the timing can be set better for the 2 fuels, otherwise there is a big difference - 1 or 2 degrees from memory when we put the timing gun on it.
If I was going to do LPG again I would go with:
-Switchable ECU Maps (LPG/95/91) - ECU's take about 500miles to pick up on a change of fuel grade, they don't just change automatically the timing etc.
-Better system than putting the gas into the intake manifold and hoping!
-2 under vehicle fuel tanks (petrol + LPG), and a rear mounted spare wheel. Have a look at the narrow tanks that can run along the length of the vehicle as well if you don't want to lose clearance
-System that starts on petrol and then automatically switches to LPG
Hope that helps
Please note this all based on my understanding and experience; I'm not sure how right or wrong I am!
etrol, so that the engine still gets some lubrication. Also LPG burns hotter (IIRC), so make sure that the cooling system is upto speed.I'm not sure if that was because of how poor 95 or 91 is out there, but LPG and 98 are closer in their octane rating (I think), so the timing can be set better for the 2 fuels, otherwise there is a big difference - 1 or 2 degrees from memory when we put the timing gun on it.
If I was going to do LPG again I would go with:
-Switchable ECU Maps (LPG/95/91) - ECU's take about 500miles to pick up on a change of fuel grade, they don't just change automatically the timing etc.
-Better system than putting the gas into the intake manifold and hoping!
-2 under vehicle fuel tanks (petrol + LPG), and a rear mounted spare wheel. Have a look at the narrow tanks that can run along the length of the vehicle as well if you don't want to lose clearance
-System that starts on petrol and then automatically switches to LPG
Hope that helps
Please note this all based on my understanding and experience; I'm not sure how right or wrong I am!
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The petrol V8 is much smoother, quieter and nicer to drive than the diesel IMO and the 5 speeds didn't really seem all that different to the 4's to be honest when I test drove a few when I was looking. The only advantage I see in the diesel version is better fuel economy without messing with LPG. I don't like the face lift dash, seems a backwards step in functionality to me, but that's just personal preference 
No need to change the rad or hoses unless there's something wrong with them. If the LPG install is running right it should maintain near enough the same coolant temperature on LPG as on Petrol.
No need to change the rad or hoses unless there's something wrong with them. If the LPG install is running right it should maintain near enough the same coolant temperature on LPG as on Petrol.
