"Josh" <shannon_joshua@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1184165992.933229.36750@x35g2000prf.googlegro ups.com...
> I've recently had my '89 240 converted to LPG, and thought i'd help
> out anyone else considering it with some pros and cons
>
> I got my conversion at AG autogas, in lilydale, Australia. Both the
> converter and my mechanic (who is really more of an adviser, as i do
> my own work most of the time) recommended i skip duel fuel and go
> straight LPG, apparently it is not practical to run a B23E engine on
> duel. So i had to trust them on that one. Its probably the most
> simple conversion on the market, just feeding gas slightly downstream
> of the AMM
>
> Range; Big con
> The tank fits between the rear wheels in the boot, and fills it up
> quite well, although the majority of the space is still available.
> The tank is 50 usable liters, whereas the old petrol one was 60, which
> is a bit of an inconvenience.
> I was getting about 6.5km/l economy on petrol, giving me a 390km
> range, with an extra 10L in the jerry can i would bring with me for
> emergencies. Now, fuel use has risen quite a bit, which is to be
> expected when running on gas. At the moment, in the same conditions
> as before i'm getting 5km/L, which brings the range of the vehicle
> down to about 250km. Because of the nature of LPG i have no way of
> adding more fuel on the go, and running out would mean i have to tow
> the car, so in practice this shortens the range to about 225km to
> ensure i never run out of fuel. This short range makes the car very
> impractical for driving interstate, and means i fill up twice a week
> instead of once :-(
>
> Performance; con
> Once he is warm, the 240 goes just the same as when it was fueled by
> petrol, i can't tell the difference. The only time it actually makes
> a difference is when the engine is quite cold i.e winter morning. It
> always starts first time, which is actually an improvement over the
> old system, but it lacks power for about two or three blocks while it
> gets warm (ie where i used to push the pedal about 1/4 to take off,
> now i push to about 1/2). Not a huge drawback, but still something to
> consider. I'd imagine if i had a heavy trailer the car would barely
> move
>
> Cost: Big pro
> Now this is probably the biggest factor for most people, being the
> underlying reason conversions are done in the first place :-). Before:
> 6.5km/l @ $1.20 average per liter = about 18c per km.
> After: 5km/l @ $0.45 average cost of LPG = about 9c per km
> The conversion is halving the cost of fuel each week for me, saving me
> about $30 per week
> I was charged $2500 for the actual conversion, of which the government
> offers a $2000 rebate down under. Total cost out of my pocked is
> $500, which at this rate should be paid off in about 5 months
>
> Thats about all that i can say at this stage, i havn't had the system
> long enough to comment on any difference in maintenance. To put it
> simply, it seems the savings in fuel make it well worth the while, but
> that is only true if you can live with some of the disadvantages.
> Say, for example, you had to hire a car twice a year because of the
> short range, you would probably end up losing any money you saved from
> the conversion
>
> However, nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than completely
> filling the tank for $20
>
> Hopefully someone will find this post useful :P
>
>
I'm not planning to convert, but it's good to know a lot of that. I'm not
surprised dual-fuel was going to be a lot tougher but it's good to get that
confirmed.

It sounds like a real winner for a car that is kept in town most of the
time.

Mike

>>
>>
> I'm not planning to convert, but it's good to know a lot of that. I'm not
> surprised dual-fuel was going to be a lot tougher but it's good to get
> that confirmed.
>
> It sounds like a real winner for a car that is kept in town most of the
> time.
>


While propane would not save much, if anything at all on fuel in the states,
many of the propane conversions I've read about were dual-fuel, including
several Volvos. I'm curious why this wasn't feasible with yours? From what I
gather, when the propane is enabled, it simply cuts power to the gasoline
fuel injectors.

Josh wrote:
> On Jul 12, 11:52 am, "James Sweet" <jamessw...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> I'm not planning to convert, but it's good to know a lot of that. I'm not
>>> surprised dual-fuel was going to be a lot tougher but it's good to get
>>> that confirmed.
>>> It sounds like a real winner for a car that is kept in town most of the
>>> time.
>> While propane would not save much, if anything at all on fuel in the states,
>> many of the propane conversions I've read about were dual-fuel, including
>> several Volvos. I'm curious why this wasn't feasible with yours? From what I
>> gather, when the propane is enabled, it simply cuts power to the gasoline
>> fuel injectors.
>
> It was more the tuning that was the problem, propane burns a lot
> slower than petrol, and according to the mechanic it would have been
> better to tune the car well for LPG than try to tune it "half way"
> between the fuels
>
>> Josh wrote:
>>> Because of the nature of LPG i have no way of
>>> adding more fuel on the go,
>
>> Please explain this part to me.
>
> When on petrol i carried a 10L can of petrol, on LPG there is no
> simple way of doing this, therefore if i have 50L of Gas, thats it.
> Whereas on petrol i had 60L + 10L can of petrol = longer trip!
>
> Good to know some of the info helps!
>
> Josh
>

ok. I thought you were saying that the main tank could not be refilled
except by some difficult process. You just have to be at a station with
a pressurized source, correct?

>
> ok. I thought you were saying that the main tank could not be refilled
> except by some difficult process. You just have to be at a station with
> a pressurized source, correct?

LPG fills easily at any petrol station, the pump just screws onto a
valve in the volvo, pull the trigger and it flows about the same rate
as petrol. Here in melbourne 9/10 service stations have LPG available
at a good price, it never varies more than a couple cents.
The first few times i filled the tank it would only put about 30
liters in until shutting off, but now i can put the whole 50l into the
tank. I think it was maybe a sticking valve which has worked its way
free due to normal use.

Josh

"Josh" <shannon_joshua@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1184371539.312399.92820@i13g2000prf.googlegro ups.com...
>
>>
>> ok. I thought you were saying that the main tank could not be refilled
>> except by some difficult process. You just have to be at a station with
>> a pressurized source, correct?
>
> LPG fills easily at any petrol station, the pump just screws onto a
> valve in the volvo, pull the trigger and it flows about the same rate
> as petrol. Here in melbourne 9/10 service stations have LPG available
> at a good price, it never varies more than a couple cents.
> The first few times i filled the tank it would only put about 30
> liters in until shutting off, but now i can put the whole 50l into the
> tank. I think it was maybe a sticking valve which has worked its way
> free due to normal use.
>
> Josh
>

There's certainly some appeal, apparently LPG is much easier on the engine
and oil than gasoline. Only perhaps 5% of filling stations in the US carry
LPG though.

>
> There's certainly some appeal, apparently LPG is much easier on the engine
> and oil than gasoline. Only perhaps 5% of filling stations in the US carry
> LPG though.

Wow...what a bummer! Here in Australia it is as easy to get as
petrol, maybe even easier, as there are never any lines for LPG pumps.
The only stations that don't carry LPG are the small independent ones,
i'd say no more than 1 in 10. I think LPG is actually produced in
Australia as well, making it (for us) a steady priced commodity
(servo's always blame international prices for drastically varying
petrol prices, they have no excuse for LPG). There are 4 outlets
within about 2km of my house, and about 5 or 6 just on the way to
university (a 12km trip). ....thats kinda disturbing!

Josh

Josh wrote:
>>There's certainly some appeal, apparently LPG is much easier on the engine
>>and oil than gasoline. Only perhaps 5% of filling stations in the US carry
>>LPG though.
>
>
> Wow...what a bummer! Here in Australia it is as easy to get as
> petrol, maybe even easier, as there are never any lines for LPG pumps.
> The only stations that don't carry LPG are the small independent ones,
> i'd say no more than 1 in 10. I think LPG is actually produced in
> Australia as well, making it (for us) a steady priced commodity
> (servo's always blame international prices for drastically varying
> petrol prices, they have no excuse for LPG). There are 4 outlets
> within about 2km of my house, and about 5 or 6 just on the way to
> university (a 12km trip). ....thats kinda disturbing!
>
> Josh
>

There's several LPG vendors here in the San Francisco Bay Area, but not
a gad of them. Some of the vendors listed on Mapquest are UHaul rental
places.

By the way, Mapquest has a search function right now for cheapest
gasoline/diesel near you, and alternative fuel outlets (though no prices
for the alt stuff).