Converting my LT to run on LPG |
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Dreamcatcher
Yardie Joined: 22 Jan 10 Location: Cam Glos Status: Offline Points: 403 |
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Hi
I am running an AC Stag set up on my LT31, they have been manufacturing for a long time.
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Dave 1991 LT31 Camper
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G vwlt31
Groupie Joined: 07 Mar 12 Location: edinburgh Status: Offline Points: 61 |
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g vwlt31
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Dreamcatcher
Yardie Joined: 22 Jan 10 Location: Cam Glos Status: Offline Points: 403 |
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Hi Graeme
As andy says the gas defuser is fitted in the intake to the carb.
You can only fit the direct injection systems to vehicles that have an ECU to control the fuel injection.
I paid £800 for the system. Edited by Dreamcatcher - 07 Mar 12 at 20:49 |
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Dave 1991 LT31 Camper
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G vwlt31
Groupie Joined: 07 Mar 12 Location: edinburgh Status: Offline Points: 61 |
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had a quote from an lpg fittment garage in edinburgh,oooft, ffs,looked at a place in south wales reckon ile head down there,even with the cost of edinburgh to wales will still save money and some,just a case of persuading the other half to holiday in wales only been on the site couple of weeks and had great help in getting parts and info thanks all for your knowledge and input.g |
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g vwlt31
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jodielee
Groupie Joined: 28 Dec 08 Location: Bristol Status: Offline Points: 57 |
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can you post the details of the place in wales please mate?
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1996 Preg LT35 Diesel PAS LWB Luton :-)
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mat_the_cat
Vanorak Joined: 06 May 09 Location: North Wales Status: Offline Points: 1862 |
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Is it Profess by any chance? If so I've not heard great things about them IF there should be a problem with the install.
Edited by mat_the_cat - 15 Mar 12 at 09:55 |
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Mid engined, 6 cylinder, turbocharged 2 seater - it can only be a VW LT!
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volition82
Yardie Joined: 06 Jan 10 Location: somerset Status: Offline Points: 972 |
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I've just had mine done (2.4 petrol) in south wales. I'm guessing it's the same place http://www.professautogas.co.uk/ . My system cost was £750 including vat but a quick look at their site suggests their prices have gone up a little bit, mine was done in january with a discount apparently.
A couple of things to bare in mind, the major thing is they are not registered with the LPG trade body. A lot of companies won't insure you unless this is done and I think it also stops you registering it on-line. The good news is that they will register it for you but it involves them having it for an extra half a day (most systems are fitted in a day 8am-6-8pm) and at the time cost me an extra £86. I had this done and personally i'd recommend doing it otherwise it could make insurance etc very difficult.
I had a 78 litre tank (spare wheel type) fitted underneath on the passenger side in the middle (just before where the exhaust points out of the body). That gives me 62 usable litres (you can only 80% fill them). I've only just started using my van so my mpg figures are a bit vague but before on petrol with a couple of tank checks I was getting around 14/15 mpg local short distance driving. I've done one mileage check so far on lpg which was 13.42 mpg, so not bad.
The system was an AC Stag 300 ISA. The AC Stag systems are made in Poland and the owner of the company is also polish which is why he can do them cheaper than other companies. He goes over to Poland and buys them direct from the factory. I can't seem to find an english manual for the system so if anybody can point me in the right direction i'd be greatful because they have filters which need replacing every 10,000 miles and i'd rather do that myself if I can.
The system was fitted well but mine wasn't running quite right when I picked it up. It was holding it's revs slightly when de-accelerating. I was disappointed in how they delt with this to be honest, the owner wasn't there at the time just an older welsh guy who kept on trying to blame it on a sticky throttle. The carbs new, i've never had the slightest problem with a sticky throttle before, when I switch it over to petrol it runs fine so it's not that it's the mixture on the new system When the owner came in he got it running a lot better eventually inbetween constant phone calls, all very hurried. From my limited understanding lpg sytems do need to bed in which takes around a 1000 miles, with older non ecu vehicales and single point systems this takes a little bit more tinkering. I don't know if AndyT agrees with that, he knows a lot more than I do? The owner showed me how to adjust the system which I have since done and it is now running fine, no difference between that and petrol, other than the smell which I quite like!
Overall would I have another system fitted there yes I would because the cheapest local quote was £1200 but it is more costly than you first think. The sytem cost was £750, plus the £86 for the registration, hire car fuel (which I didn't budget for as I thought it would be a day but car was free and lpg) and going over the bridge twice. All in with fuel both ways (I live 80 miles away) it cost £950, give or take. G vwlt31 with the distance you live i'd say your probably better off getting it done somewhere nearer to home to be honest. Oh, and one last thing they take a £100 non-refundable booking deposit, unless you cancel within a good time period. Edited by volition82 - 15 Mar 12 at 10:48 |
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1989 LT35 - 2.4 Lpg/Petrol - Converted To Camper
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volition82
Yardie Joined: 06 Jan 10 Location: somerset Status: Offline Points: 972 |
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Mat_the_cat posted while I was typing so I should point out that the phone calls while I was there were about systems not running right. |
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1989 LT35 - 2.4 Lpg/Petrol - Converted To Camper
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jodielee
Groupie Joined: 28 Dec 08 Location: Bristol Status: Offline Points: 57 |
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Great info, thanks guys!
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1996 Preg LT35 Diesel PAS LWB Luton :-)
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mat_the_cat
Vanorak Joined: 06 May 09 Location: North Wales Status: Offline Points: 1862 |
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That's the sort of thing I've heard as well - I'm a member of an LPG forum and the consensus seems to be that Profess can be good value if it all works well first time, but difficult to resolve if problems occur. Kind of understandable, as rectification eats into their (small) profit margins!
The other thing that would worry me is the time pressure to get it all done in a day. Even with a number of people working on it the implication is that the job may be rushed. And once they've taken the system out on the road and set it up, how do they then check the changeover to gas with a cooler engine? The first vehicle I converted did need a formal checkover for the insurance - the one we have now (converted it last Feb) the insurance company didn't ask for anything. But it will limit your choice if not registered with UKLPG. Edited by mat_the_cat - 15 Mar 12 at 10:54 |
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Mid engined, 6 cylinder, turbocharged 2 seater - it can only be a VW LT!
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AndyT
Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 08 Location: Ammanford Status: Offline Points: 2274 |
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Ok a few posts here so will try to answer the issues raised in one post.
Only worked on one vehicle converted by Proffgas and it wasn't running very happy, but the installation was neat enough. Problem was simple though, timing was set on the wrong side of TDC. Generally speaking lpg systems on LT's are simple and reliable but I would never collect a vehicle at the end of the working day, wait until the morning and collect it cold and if there are problems you've got a whole day to get it sorted. Particularly important if you are not local. Don't know why it cost £86 to get the vehicle registered on the database, costs me £15 with Autogas. Either way it needs to be done, because you are legally required to inform DVLA and your insurance of the conversion. Even if your insurance don't need the cert DVLA will. If you convert the vehicle yourself expect to pay £150ish for the cert. Inside the vapouriser is a rubber diaphram and after a few miles it stretches and needs adjustment. There are usually 2 screws that adjust the mixture, 1 on the vapouriser and 1 in the pipe (power valve) which feeds the gas to the carb. Try the power valve first by screwing it in until the engine note changes, then back off half a turn at a time. If that doesn't work make very small changes to the vapouriser and repeat. Shouldn't take long to do and worth repeating whenever the engine cover is off. I always take the vehicle for a spin (up and down hills) with the engine cover off and adjust as necessary, tweaking the timing at the same time. Its noisy as hell but I've never had anyone come back with a problem. |
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LT28 1979 2.0 Pampas Nevada Camper LPG 93K, 1980 T3 A/C Camper 98K,1994 RRC 3.9 LPG 120k , 1998 Audi A6 Est 2.5 V6 diesel 127k
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mat_the_cat
Vanorak Joined: 06 May 09 Location: North Wales Status: Offline Points: 1862 |
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Profess aren't UKLPG registered therefore I assume they need to get their work inspected before it can be added to the database, hence the charge. Going from the Directgov site it doesn't mention anything about a certificate - simply written evidence from the garage which installed it. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/ChangesToYourRegistrationCertificate/DG_4022054 Therefore to satisfy the legal requirements, going on the register isn't required (paper certificates are no longer issued - see http://www.drivelpg.co.uk/index.php). But as already mentioned, probably advisable as UKLPG continually lobby insurance companies to only insure vehicles that are on their register. Sorry to sound pedantic, but a lot of what I do at work involves interpreting standards so viewing everything in black and white becomes second nature! |
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Mid engined, 6 cylinder, turbocharged 2 seater - it can only be a VW LT!
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volition82
Yardie Joined: 06 Jan 10 Location: somerset Status: Offline Points: 972 |
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Yeah the £86 is for someone to check it over. They drive the vehicle to a place in cardiff and they do it. As AndyT mentioned it's normally £150 but profess have worked out a deal with them because they do so many. I was unsure about doing it and when I set off to have the system fitted I wasn't going too but changed my mind while I was there. I'm glad I did in the end.
For future reference what do they/you change the timing too?
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1989 LT35 - 2.4 Lpg/Petrol - Converted To Camper
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Dreamcatcher
Yardie Joined: 22 Jan 10 Location: Cam Glos Status: Offline Points: 403 |
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Just to add my two pence worth.
professautogas. were the company that installed my system in 2010 for a cost of £700 all in.
The installation was very neat I removed the main petrol tank so that I could have a 110Ltr LPG tank fitted and installed a 7Gal aux petrol tank. After the inital bedding in period the van has run well without any problems and I have now covered aprox 6000 miles. I sent the certificate they provided together with the V5 document to DVLC who provided me with a new V5 showing petrol/gas as the fuel type. I informed my Insurance company sending them a copy of the installation certificate and recd confirmation all was ok. I cant believe how easy it was.
I was so pleased with the work and cost, that I also got my daily car converted. This is fuel injected so the cost was a couple of hundred quid more.
all the way to the bank!! Edited by Dreamcatcher - 15 Mar 12 at 16:22 |
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Dave 1991 LT31 Camper
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Dreamcatcher
Yardie Joined: 22 Jan 10 Location: Cam Glos Status: Offline Points: 403 |
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Dave 1991 LT31 Camper
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volition82
Yardie Joined: 06 Jan 10 Location: somerset Status: Offline Points: 972 |
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I've looked through the site and can only find one for the newer 300 isa2 manual, unless i'm missing something or half blind? I've e-mailled them so hopefully they will point me in the right direction. |
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1989 LT35 - 2.4 Lpg/Petrol - Converted To Camper
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Hils007
Not Quite Newbie Joined: 23 Aug 11 Location: SE London Status: Offline Points: 22 |
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Hi - I don't know anything about hard or soft valves but had my LT28 converted to LPG about 4 years ago. The cost was about £1600, included the first service and has been great. I drove 3500 to Montenegro - LPG is considerably cheaper over there (apart from Switzerland) - long way to go for a tankfull though. I got 2 tanks underneath which gives me about 120l (plus expansion) and I average about 400 miles to a tank.
Downsides are: slightly less power (noticeable going up the Alps); sometimes work done on the engine means that the gas needs re-calibrating; when parked up for a length of time the valves can stick on/off/halfway between - and also the initial cost. I very seldom run on petrol now but keep abouT3 litres if petrol in the tank. Generally it's been great and more than paid for itself over the past few years as I get about 6 miles to a litre.
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Beauty and the Beast
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familywagen
Groupie Joined: 10 Sep 08 Location: Glos Status: Offline Points: 44 |
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Hi Andy,
It is possible to run your appliances and engine off the same tank, though the tanks are hard to come by. I have a tank with a liquid feed for the engine and a vapour feed for the appliances fitted with a drive safe regulator on the vapour feed. Been using it for a few years now and it works great, I did it because I didn't want to be in the situation of having gas on board but not being able to use it. in reality it can be a bit of a pain as you have to watch you consumption on trips to make sure you have enough fuel for cooking/heating, though this is slightly mitigated by the fact that an 'empty' tank as far as the engine is concerned still has enough fuel for an overnight stop.
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AndyT
Moderator Group Joined: 16 May 08 Location: Ammanford Status: Offline Points: 2274 |
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I agree it's technically possible, I think calor were the first to do this decades ago.
Problem is that it's more expensive, and in a few years time when it needs replacing (10 max) where do you get another from. Tanks slung underneath can fail the MOT if in the examiners view they are excessively corroded. I'd rather go with 2 standard tanks and fittings. Bought a Disco a couple of months ago with underfloor tanks which were removed to weld new sills on. Garage MOT'd the vehicle minus tanks cos they weren't happy, and they were only made in 2006. I've cleaned them up and painted with chassis enamel, but I'll change them before the next MOT for piece of mind. Because they are standard tanks cost is around £100 for the pair. |
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LT28 1979 2.0 Pampas Nevada Camper LPG 93K, 1980 T3 A/C Camper 98K,1994 RRC 3.9 LPG 120k , 1998 Audi A6 Est 2.5 V6 diesel 127k
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frenchy82
Groupie Joined: 25 Feb 13 Location: Penzance Status: Offline Points: 57 |
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I've seen this advertised locally, has anyone got an opinion on whether it's worth getting and would fit an lt28 2.4?
L.p.g kit . £85
(bargain) I had it fitted to a 3lt v6
nissan |
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1995 LT 28 2.4L petrol mini bus
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