Anyone know how to convert a late modle vehicle to propane or compressed natural gas?

I would really like to do this to my wifes 2000 couger that I drive to work 5 days a week.

I heard about people putting a tank in the trunk and being able to run on propane then if they run out switching over to gasoline for backup. That would be ideal.

I saw a kit online that I could buy but I'm a little weary.

Info anyone???

 

Looks like there is a kit for the newer 3v trucks and a universal kit. I wonder what the difference is...

3v kit
http://www.technocarb.com/index.php?...Itemid=4&id=38

universal
http://www.technocarb.com/index.php?...Itemid=4&id=50

 

i wouldnt mind knowing what kind of mileage one can expect from propane and can i just run up to lowe's and swap out grill tanks everytime?

 

from what i have read/heard you would want a bigger tank than that. i read about one guy that filled the bed of his truck with tanks and could drive 600 miles on it.

 

lol...... and build a BBQ into the bed. I believe propane is going for about .52 cents alitre, as opposed to $1.24 a litre for gasoline.

 

A 20lb (4.7 gallon) propane bottle swap costs about $17.50 here ($3.72/gallon). A gallon of gas is about $3.68/gallon. I don't think using grill bottles is a good plan!

In any case, the price of gasoline and the price of propane are greatly influenced by the price of crude oil. Switching to propane doesn't free the consumer from high oil prices.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/p...e/propbro.html

Grim

 

but with clean burning propane and propane accessories i dont have to think about adding that charcoal flavor to the environment.

 

Thanks Hank...

 

So is this mod purely for the enjoyment of truely roasting a steak on your engine block and letting it be classified as a grille?

 

I seriously wouldn't mind doing it..

There's a u-haul locally that has propane fairly cheap from what I remember. Something like half as much as unleaded gasoline.

Although I've heard that propane trucks can expect no more than 10mpg and a substantial drop in HP/TQ. Sure does burn clean though and remind ya of the days when you drove a fork lift for 5 bucks an hour...

 

and then he got side swiped and his truck went to the moon!...propane in the bed of ur truck+Car accident=big boom


PS i want to convert my truck to nuclear power... it kinda never runs out anyone know were i can get the covertion 4 this?....Just dont hit my truck

 

ya nuclear would be the way to go. when the car craps out you could just take out the reactor and stick it in your next car. It would last your whole lifetime!!!!!

 

My dad did the conversion on a '79 F150 in the '80s. I don't know about the gas mileage, but there was a obvious drop in torque and HP. It also ruined the valve seals. It probably ruined the valve seats also, but we never checked them when we did the engine swap.

Grim

 

i actually did a small amount of research on this.

everyone claimed that there was no mpg loss but a miniscule, just noticeable loss in the power department. im guessing most that claimed that were only seat of the pants as i saw no dyno numbers.

i thought about the conversion and it would be nice to have but the risks just arent worth it. is it really a proven thing? no. is it truly safe to be driving around with propane? no. just getting the grill tank filled makes me nervous and its strapped all the way in the back of the bed as far from me as it will get.

to me the conversion would just not be worth it.

 

Ok. now you've read all the myths and rumours.

Propane conversions in the 80's and 90's were very inefficient and cost you about 20% power and fuel mileage. Nowadays, the conversion runs the propane thru the injectors and you have at least the same power as gasoline and around the same mileage or slightly less. The vehicle starts on gas for a couple of minutes while the propane computer analyzes the mixture and then automatically, seamlessly switches over to propane. If you run out of fuel, it will switch automatically over to the other fuel.

Vehicles these days already have hardened valves and valve seats so that problem is no longer an issue.

Running on propane will extend the life of your engine by 2-3 times over gas as there are no contaminents or additives in the fuel. All the parts that normally get all carboned up over time (IAC, etc), will be as clean as when they were new and last a whole lot longer.

You can go at least twice as long on an oil change for the same reason. I just changed my oil after 10,000+ KM's and it was still a nice golden color.

You can run your vehicle in an enclosed space and not have a Carbon Monoxide problem as the only things coming out of your tailpipe are water and air.

Propane tanks are much safer than gas tanks as they will not explode when ruptured. It will simply vent. In order for a propane tank to explode it would have to remain sealed and heated to the point that it would explode from the pressure as proven on Mythbusters

When I bought my 99 F150 in 03 it was already converted to propane and I couldn't be happier. The naysayers are simply uninformed.

BTW, auto-propane is much more readily available here in the Great White North than in the US. Europe also has a signifigant auto-propane market.

regards