Lpg Identification And Tips?

[Corey]

I bought a used vehicle that had an LPG system installed. I want to be sure I'm taking proper care of the car and LPG system. I have several questions I hope someone can help with.

Details of the system:

• I was told it is an Italian brand.
  
• I can see the "greaser-kit" installed in the engine compartment.
  
• I have a simple 3-position switch to let me switch from petrol->off->LPG. It doesn't have LEDs to display the tank level. When I flip the switch to LPG the built-in gauge switches from the petrol level to show the LPG level.
  

My questions:

1. How can I know which type of LPG system was installed?
   
2. Do I need to start the car with petrol? It will start with the switch in the LPG position.
   
3. How can I tell if it automatically starts on petrol and switches to LPG?
   
4. How can I be sure the "greaser-kit" contains the proper lubricant? I have no idea what kind of fluid might be in the reservoir now.
   
5. Are there any additional maintenance/safety procedures I need to be aware of related to the LPG system?
   

Thanks for any help/advice!

Corey

[hansnl]

I bought a used vehicle that had an LPG system installed. I want to be sure I'm taking proper care of the car and LPG system. I have several questions I hope someone can help with.

Details of the system:

• I was told it is an Italian brand.
  
• I can see the "greaser-kit" installed in the engine compartment.
  
• I have a simple 3-position switch to let me switch from petrol->off->LPG. It doesn't have LEDs to display the tank level. When I flip the switch to LPG the built-in gauge switches from the petrol level to show the LPG level.
  

My questions:

1. How can I know which type of LPG system was installed?
   
2. Do I need to start the car with petrol? It will start with the switch in the LPG position.
   
3. How can I tell if it automatically starts on petrol and switches to LPG?
   
4. How can I be sure the "greaser-kit" contains the proper lubricant? I have no idea what kind of fluid might be in the reservoir now.
   
5. Are there any additional maintenance/safety procedures I need to be aware of related to the LPG system?
   

Thanks for any help/advice!

Corey

The LPG-installation will probably Italian.

Most systems in Thailand are either Italian, Korean, or if you are very lucky, Dutch.

If it is an automatic system I can't say, but the switch you describe indicates a non-automatic system.

Try to get the engine started with the switch in the off position.

No start, not auto, probably.

If you switch to LPG and you hear a click in the LPG-tank, not automatic.

Do this with a cold engine.

If you are driving on petrol, put the switch in the off position, if the engine stops running, not automatic.

The marque can probably found somewhere on the installation, but forget the tank, which will most of the time be Thai.

Always start the car on petrol, and more, before switching off the engine let it run on petrol for a little while.

Don't believe anybody that tells you that is not necessary, believe me it is!

If your car has fuel injection, not using petrol anytime will gum up the injectors, which will stop the car driving totally, or if you are lucky on petrol only.

If the fuel injectors are gummed up, drive around for 100-150 km on petrol to try to get the gumming away.

If that does not work, so sorry, you need a new injection unit, or pay for the repair.

I don't know about the greaser kit, probably there to safeguard the fuel injectors or the seatings of the in- and outletvalves.

If so, running on petrol for short periods will help mightily.

Ask around with LPG-installers what should be put into the greaser tank.

Good luck

[monty]

Almost certainly the older vacuum controlled LPG system, deduct this from the 3 way switch.

All the newer injected systems have a little electronic switch controlling the auto petrol start and subsequent switch over to LPG when engine temperature is up.

If you want to be sure, look for the evaporator.

looks like this:

The black tube will run to the venturi ring, which is a metal ring installed somewhere in the tube between the airfilter and your inlet manifold. Ther the gas gets mixed with the air and then subsequently ingested by the engine.

With injection units, the evaporator is smaller, and the gas will run to an injector mounted on the inlet manifold of each separate cylinder.

With the manual system it is indeed good to start the engine on petrol, and only switch over to LPG when the engine temperature meter starts to move up.

Not so much for your engine and it's lubrication, the greaser kit should take care of that, but much more to keep the petrol part of your engine working properly.

Don't do this and you may find one day that your engine won't run on petrol anymore. Which will invariably be somewhere out in the boonies and just ran out of LPG!!!

As for the oil in the greaser tank, I use regular 2 stroke oil. This oil is designed to lubricate entire engines, and also to be burnt in the process. The amount used is much lower then in 2 stroke engines of course, since your engine has engine oil to take care of lubrication. The small amount injected however helps tremendously in the first moments of a cold start, when engine oil is cool and not yet circulated around the engine, and it helps to lubricate/cool the valves and valve seatings.

With the older vacuum controlled system, you'll have to tune the evaporator every few months, as the setting moves away from the optimum. Just go to your local LPG shop, they'll do it for you, only takes a minute.

[Corey]

Almost certainly the older vacuum controlled LPG system.

Thanks for the pic and explanation. Clearly I have the vacuum controlled system.

With the older vacuum controlled system, you'll have to tune the evaporator every few months, as the setting moves away from the optimum. Just go to your local LPG shop, they'll do it for you, only takes a minute.

Can you recommend a good shop in Pattaya?

Thanks again!

Corey

[sysmaster]

I bought a used vehicle that had an LPG system installed. I want to be sure I'm taking proper care of the car and LPG system. I have several questions I hope someone can help with.

Details of the system:

• I was told it is an Italian brand.
  
• I can see the "greaser-kit" installed in the engine compartment.
  
• I have a simple 3-position switch to let me switch from petrol->off->LPG. It doesn't have LEDs to display the tank level. When I flip the switch to LPG the built-in gauge switches from the petrol level to show the LPG level.
  

My questions:

1. How can I know which type of LPG system was installed?
   
2. Do I need to start the car with petrol? It will start with the switch in the LPG position.
   
3. How can I tell if it automatically starts on petrol and switches to LPG?
   
4. How can I be sure the "greaser-kit" contains the proper lubricant? I have no idea what kind of fluid might be in the reservoir now.
   
5. Are there any additional maintenance/safety procedures I need to be aware of related to the LPG system?
   

Thanks for any help/advice!

Corey

Hi Corey,

I got your PM, but I see that you have your questions fairly answered already.

As to the brand of the system, since not being an injector type, you will find it on the evaporator (somewhere) if existing.

It is a fully "manual" system, you decide what you are running Petrol/LPG (or mixed if you do it wrong).

your questions:

1. old fashioned venturi type, nothing wrong with that, probably your car is not having an injection type engine, should it have

an injection system anyway, consider an upgrade, your wallet will thank you for it (later, after ROI).

2. Certainly, start on Petrol, be it only to grease up things with normal Petrol, running LPG makes the engine very dry (that's where the Greaser-kit comes in, to add that bit of lubricants that are naturally contained in Petrol, but missing in LPG)

3. due to the "manual switch", there is no automatic, so you decide when it runs what...

Proper switching procedure is [start on petrol --- run until the engine has reached a temp. of at least 40 deg. C. --- switch to OFF, until the engine stutters due to the lack of Petrol --- switch to LPG, and continue driving] you can leave it on LPG for daytime consecutive trips, the engine/environment is hot enough to keep everything running smooth.

Reason for the [OFF] phase between Petrol and LPG is that your carburetor(s) are still releasing fuel until the the float-chamber is empty (depending on the speed/consumption, a few seconds to 30 sec.), if you would immediately activate the LPG also, you will experience some engine hick-ups.

Switching back to Petrol should be in the same fashion, but the switch-over is almost immediate, the evaporator does not store gas in the same amount that the carburetor does.

4. been answered by the others, originally it should contain "flash-lube" obtainable at LPG installers, but the two stroke does the job as well, however by my experience a tad greasier then flash-lube, but a lot cheaper....

5. being an older installation, you should have the system properly inspected, by one ore more "installers" (they are always eager to make a quick buck...), and if they all tell the same story, you will know what should be repaired/replaced.

Depending on the location of the tank, it should show little or no wear, any rust on the surface could be ignored, but fixing it will always give a safer feeling and better looks...

Very important to have checked are all the tubing and connections, throughout time they might have a tendency to leak a bit, due to vibrations.

Check the copper tubing, older installations still used the blank copper tubes (very gray/green almost black by now), newer installations use a plastic shielded copper tubing, next to protecting your tubes from being damaged/scratched by debris typical on TH roads... the shield also works as a thermal protection.

Try to find out when they last checked/cleaned the evaporator, this component is crucial to the system and through time has its wear and tear, it contains moving parts like the rubber membrane and some valves, the membrane being in direct contact with the cooling water of your engine, will over time deteriorate, even worse, stiffen up and become brittle. Depending on the quality of your cooling water (containing a rust inhibitor or not) rust will deposit on the rubber and build up, reducing the flexibility of the membrane.

One last component, if installed, is the (gas)filter, if it looks old and dirty, have it replaced, it will probably be as dirty on the inside...

reducing proper gas flow. Maybe the gas quality in TH is good enough that it does not contain any particles, but that does not cover the quality of the pump where you bought your LPG. (since they are such maintenance freaks in this country, I'm always weary of getting LPG at old pumps...). As for the dirt in the gas... we are talking rust particles... as in iron-oxide... used on sanding paper and for sand-blasting, they will leave their traces in the engine (over years..your engine will probably have died from another cause by then, but anyway...)

SM...