LPG & other fuel conversions

[Toby]

I have a 1988 Transporter Coverted into a camper.It is 1900cc,78HP, with a pieberg carb and an 8000 mile new vw engine installed. I want to convert solely to LPG but don't know a lot about it or anyone who has done it.Any help or advice on the effects, ease, most compatable system etc etc that anyone can give me would be much appreciated. The best advice would be from someone who has made this conversion and been using it for a while. Thanks!! tobyc73@hotmail.com

[mlf]

lpg conversion is starting to getting big in europe.i saw artical in the type 2 mag from england.the mag was commercal / camper.there are also suppliers in advertising in there also.

[Capt. Mike]

Transferred to consolidate similar topics.

amishman Member Posted July 24, 2006 07:14 PM

I own a diesel VW so am right into using alternative fuels like Biodiesel, etc...

Problem is I also owner a gas 1989 Syncro Westy and although it would be neat to convert to diesel with a TD engine, cost and time prevent me from doing so. So . . . sticking to using Alternative Fuels, has anyone created a kit or have the know-how on running Ethanol in greater % volume on the newer 87 to 91 Vanagons with 2.1WBX engine. Something like 50/50% or more? I know here in California, we have some Ethanol in our gas but I would like to one day create my own Ethanol setup to make my own fuels and use in my VW. Like at least 50/50 or E85. I have seen a kit from Brazil to convert most gas cars to run more Ethanol but the 87 to 91 with Digifant Fuel Injection is much different compared to the cars they make this kit for so I doubt it would work. Any help would be great.

Thomas

[Capt. Mike]

Conversion to primary ethanol fuels may be cost prohibitive (especially since enthanol is more expensive than gasoline). The conversion requires massive changes in engine & fuel systems.

Magnesium, aluminum and rubber must be removed or isolated from the system. Since the VW uses great amounts of both metals in the fuel system, including injection onto aluminum engine components within the intake, it may not be practical. The VW also uses a number of rubber seals and rubber-content hoses in the fuel system, breather, expansion tanks and fillers.

The general rule of thumb is that vehicles AFTER 1988 MAY be able to go as high as E15's 15%, but bear in mind that the foreign market and suppliers for VW may not have converted that quickly. Also, the replacements market does not yet 'designate' products as being safe for ethanol use in that concentration so any repair becomes a risk.

At a recent seminar at my AACA meeting, the presenters' research points out ethanol has only 65% the energy of gas resulting in an eqivelent drop in mileage. It is higher in octane, which could recover some performance losses with major engine redesign but the "Gas Octane . . ." topic in TIPS points out those obstacles in our Westies. The current data says it takes the energy of 2 gallons of E85 to manufacture 3 -- not counting facility costs. It significantly reduces NOX emmissions but adds acetaldehyde, a carcinogen. You might read Consumer Reports' "The Methanol Myth" in their October 2006 issue.

Biodiesel is gaining some momentum, though there is no confirmation yet that it can be made commercially available in quantity, quality & price to become a primary fuel. Right now, much of the production-to-enduser cost is underwritten by endusers themselves, subsidies, non-competative resources (waste cooking oil, etc.) and does not take into account the energy equivilant in the farming to replentish when demand gets deeper into the law of diminishing returns.

LPG conversions can be done -- they are rather routine in many applications. The practicality of converting to high-pressure fuel storage, weight and refill capability (Out in the boonies where you're camping!) are not yet easily solved aftermarket but are common in many foreign countries. LPG use in everything from small generators to big busses is common so the technology is there. Energy 'per gallon' is 70-75% of gasoline and octane is higher, which requires changes in engine management & ignition. [Again, see "Octane . . ." topic in TIPS forum.] It is an odorless, colorless gas that is heavier than air and displaces oxygen so leakers can be hazardous. It can form an explosive mixture that that 'floods' outward (ignition flashback at greater distances). Gasoline can do this too, but the pressurized nature of LPG means any fire become more intense and like a blow-torch -- more difficult to extinguish.

It would seem to me that Methane, a flammable gas quite similar to natural gas but in almost unlimited supply, should be looked at more closely. LP technology is highly developed and I would think adaptable to Methane.

However, this site is not the forum to debate alternative fuels beyond the technology of converting a VW bus. Sorry advocates .... We'd enjoy hearing of your conversions but NOT the political, environmental or & economic debates of alternative fuels, please.

[war_resister]

check out this web site
http://www.journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_vehicle.html