Diesel/Gas Conversion

[Big Col]

Hi all,
I have just spent my first weekend enjoying the benefits of having a gas coversion done on my new NS Pajero. The car has so much more power and the dyno readouts give me at this stage a 19% increase in power and around 13% more torque. The installer says these will improve in time especially the torque as the engine gets more ks under it's belt.
Towing my offroad Windsor van will be far easier now as my previous NM Petrol (3.5 lt) struggled at times so decided to go diesel and now this.
My partner said if i stayed on the bitumen it would haved been ok but i like getting off the beaten track to much.
One very noticable improvement is the engine noise is significantly quieter which is a benefit i hadn't bargained for. At this stage i don't have any figures on fuel economy but as long as i don't get carried away with the extra accelaration etc, again should be significant.
Will keep you posted as i enjoy what is a great car.
Regards from Col.

[matthewfnorbert]

1. can you post any pics of the system and some info.

2.especially the price and where you got it done..

3.do you have the dyno sheet results before and after to post please

awesome

[macguru]

Hey thats wild, i did not know you could even do that to a diesel. You should have just got the petrol in the first place, its quieter & more powerful than the diesel. You would have saved thousands......

[Schniff]

Yeah, but then he would have a significant reduction in range. Looking at Big Col's mods I'd be assuming that he ventures into the great unknown a fair bit and this could be a pain in the ass.

So I'd assume a gas conversion would pretty well stuff your 5 year warranty then?

[Big Col]

Hi Guys,
Sorry i don't have any pictures etc, as i'm a bit of a dinasaur when it comes to computers. The conversion is very compact and requires no engine modificatios. The conversion was done by LPGAS 1 in Lilydale Vic. (an outer suburb of Melb.) $4200 less $2000 Gov rebate. Thier warranty covers you for fully 100% of the manufacturers warranty on new vehicles. I do go bush and off the beaten track and the diesel gives you greater range and now with the gas it is estimated i now get another 200 ks roughly. Not wanting to open the debate of petrol v diesel but the pulling power of my rig, towing my off road van is heaps better than my previous petrol pajero, but hey, each to is own.
Just love the Pajeros.
Regards from Col.

[macguru]

Hey Big Col, you sound like you know what you want. I have only had my petrol 3.8 a couple of months but god its quick I dont tow more than a camper trailer though, and not often.

Tell me, was it worth changing the shocks in such a new car ? I mean yours cant be more than 6 months old, do you notice better performance ?
My first accessory will probably be a long range tank.......

[NS Rob]

Congratulations Big Col. Can't wait to hear what the mileage figures are.

[Big Col]

Hi macguru,
Does your code name mean your pretty handy on the computer? It's interesting seeing everybodys name and trying to work out the significance or meaning. And no i'm not overweight but still in pretty goog nick for a 52 year old. The story of Big Col will have to wait!!
I replaced my suspension only days after picking up my NS. You are right to say that the shockers probably didn't require replacement but as i do a lot of outback travel the standard suspension would NOT cope with the rigours of a serious off road trek, the corrugations alone would destroy them in next to no time. I have in the past had upgraded heavy duty shocks and even they failed in the middle of nowhere which left me in the poop! In time the springs will also become soft and will require replacement so decided to bite the bullet and do the suspension upgrade right away and get the full benefit of it from the start.
Regards from Big Col.

[matthewfnorbert]

i now have nearly 9000kms on the did auto and dashboard showing 10.6l/100km, thats quite good i think as i don't baby it

[Big Col]

Thanks Rob,
I'm looking forward to seeing the mileage as well cause this little baby is costing me a small fortune so far, ha! Trying to convince the better half that there's method in my madness, so if i get just a little bit better economy i can tell it was all worth it. Reckon she'll fall for it? Na, They see through us fellas all the time. Good to hear from you.
Regards from Col.

[macguru]

Yes, I am a Mac (& PC) consultant in Sydney who does set ups, troubleshooting and repairs.
http://www.macguru.com.au/

I am the same age as you by the way.

We just drove to arkaroola in the northern flinders (from sydney) in my SWB petrol. It was great on the dirt (only 3-400kms) but i could see it softening up pretty quick if you did it all the time. The fuel economy is obviously not as good as the diesel, 13.5 L/100 is typical, so 30% more than the diesel, same as in the city, if you cruise at 110km/hr. Also 10km/hr up or down cruising speed makes about a 10% difference either way owing to the brick like aerodynamics. Is that true for the diesel as well ?

Anyway around town its an absolute dream

[Schniff]

Forgive my ignorance, but how exactly does the LPG conversion work on the diesel? Do you have a cylinder installed behind the rear axel? What is the capacity? Does it run on a dual fuel type arrangemetn (you can switch back to diesel when you want??)

[Big Col]

Hi Schniff,
The two fuels are mixed and create a far more efficient fuel mixture that burns upto 98% of the diesel instead of approx 80%. Punch in diesel/gas into your search engine and you will be able to read all about it. Fairly new technology but sensational. I have removed my 3rd row of seats and that is where the gas tank is. 70 lts useable. 90lt of diesel uses approx 20-25 lts of gas. More distance, more power, cleaner more efficient plus fuel costs cheaper. You can switch between straight diesel or dual fuel at any time. If your accelerating and push the gas button it takes about 6 seconds before the extra surge of power comes in.
Regards rom Col.

[MinniTheMoocha]

Hey Big Col,

Didn't you want to test out the MMA warranty? Doesn't it have a 10 yr warranty on the running gear?

[matthewfnorbert]

the mining industry has been running 100% gas, no diesel for as far as i can remember,

I know of one mine that starts the motor on diesel, the diesel then drives a fan sucking gas out of the mine strata that they don't want (dangerous), they then feed some of that to the engine, then turn off the diesel!!!! the motor then runs for months at a time on the gas and not a drop of diesel.. very cool