Hey all - given the $2K government grant thingy, and it being about $700 out of pocket, is it worth converting an old TS wagon to gas?

Was going to go the donut tank in the spare wheel well option, with what i imagine will be a fairly basic and standard converter on the throttle body.

any hot tips or experience with the ashtron and lpg? a couple of converters told me i will just blow headgaskets (although one told me that lpg would kill the timing chains - i left quickly lest his idiocy start to rub off on me..:nuts: )

The car is for my Mum, and they are not made of money - i will pay for the conversion if it means radically improved fuel bills for them. But is it polishing the brass on the Titanic? The motor is pretty good at 175K km (mild chain rattle - about a year from a chain kit i reckon, and stem seals just starting to make themselves felt) and i think the car has quite a few years left in her.

if its for your olds then it probly is worth it. might be worth gettin the chains and stem seals done 2 to save money and time and trouble down the track.
if it helps them out go for it

The Mags is all gassed up, and running well by all accounts. Parents report it being perkier (a relative term here obviously lol ) on gas than it is on petrol!

Cost $2750 (less $2000 from the government rebate) for a doughnut tank in the spare well and a bracket/cover for the spare to sit upright in the back. Appears to be a decent system with its own ECU spliced into the original ECU. Well see how it all goes int eh long term.

Smart choice to make considering how popular dual fuel cars are these days, if by some chance you need to sell it then it shouldn't be too hard. But if you don't ever sell it then you'll definitely get your money's worth out of it.

Let us know when you get some fuel efficiency figures. :)

I have had mine done for 6 months now. Only issue I see is the donut tamk is small if you are doing a lot of hill or city driving. Economy is 14/100 LPG & 10/100 petrol in that type of drive, yet on raod trip with cruise locked in it drops to 8/100 LPG & petrol at 95-100km/h. Performance on LPG seems equal to the petrol in my case. My big complaint is the wagon floor now, the donut tank sticks up and makes it all uneven :confused:. Working on using polystyrene foam and 3mm ply or mdf to level it out a bit.

I converted my 4G54 around six months ago and i swear it was the best thing i ever did to my magna! I've noticed no loss of power.

The only downside is since i've got a sedan, i went for a relatively large tank (85L) which weighs the back of the car down a fair bit, but that's nothing i can't solve with a bit of suspension work. Oh and that it takes longer to fill at the servo - the time is well worth it though!

I have had mine done for 6 months now. Only issue I see is the donut tamk is small if you are doing a lot of hill or city driving. Economy is 14/100 LPG & 10/100 petrol in that type of drive, yet on raod trip with cruise locked in it drops to 8/100 LPG & petrol at 95-100km/h. Performance on LPG seems equal to the petrol in my case. My big complaint is the wagon floor now, the donut tank sticks up and makes it all uneven :confused:. Working on using polystyrene foam and 3mm ply or mdf to level it out a bit.

To fix this I got myself a jigsaw and just cut a massive hole in the plastic cover. By the time I was done the height of the top of the tank was where the plastic cover would normally sit. Worked great for me, let me know if you want pics or anything.

Laid eyes on the LPG conversion on Mums Magna for the first time today. **** me.....

Looooong list of crappy and sloppy ****e for them to fix.... Gas and coolant hoses sitting against and rubbing against manifolds (a couple of cable ties is not a suitable solution....), strut bolts uses for mounting converter bracket - and left loose, cheap ****e bolts used and spring washers broken as they were over-tightened and then not replaced leaving nuts to come loose, spare tyre mounting bracket in the rear bolted through the floor mat (!!) and hence loose (it also relies on only two bolts next to each to hold it in - no way is that not tearing out of the floor in an accident...), hole in the bottom of the wheel well where the tank now is left open for water and mud fly in, plugs not changed as promised (and charged for), cutoff solenoid for the mixer on the throttle body jammed against the wiring loom on the firewall, spare wheel well cover screwed down with self tappers into the floor (extra holes where they stuffed it up a few times, and they have pulled out anyway - lots of extra holes now), loose and unsecured wiring loom in the engine bay, heater hoses not trimmed to account for the T pieces added, and now rub against the speedo cable, gas line under the car hanging down in one place.

Biggest and most reputable LPG conversion specialist in Bendigo. They will be getting a phone call on Monday!!

Eventually got the Mags back to the LPG fitters, with a long long list of things to tidy up. What ever happened to tradespeople that give a crap...?

They seemed to think i was being pedantic, but i considered gas supply and coolant hoses rubbing on the manifold (and rubbing though to the point they were replaced after a month) as issues that need to be sorted. As was the LPG computer dangling from one cable tie off the speedo cable and rattling around under the dash, a big clump of wires fallign down and getting caught in the pedals, a section of high pressure gas line under the car exposed and dangling, throttle body gas mixer parts banging against the firewall, loose wiring flopping about in the engine bay etc etc etc :rant: :rant: The list went on for a while....

Mostly got tidied up, but still needs work to route hoses and stuff with proper brackets (sorry, but cable ties do not cut it in my book :doubt: ).

But, it runs well. Its a computerised system that starts on petrol and changes over after a few seconds. Mum and Dad just returned from a 3 week road trip and it didnt miss a beat. As for economy - they came home with 200 left over from the fuel budget :) $30 of gas is getting them 500ish km i hear, so they are very happy indeed.

Find a fitter that is of the type that takes pride in their work (good luck there...) and i can highly recommend the process. The Mags loves it!

i know a lady who i work with, with a wagon in gas, same as yours saved her alot of money, $30 dollars gets her to work and back 4 days a week, around 40 or more kms a day(20 minute drive)..(i think not sure)

I would love to convert my carby 2.6ltr TR to LPG aswell, but not dual fuel, I want a straight gas conversion with all the liquid fuel components removed and tuned to LPG.
I'm thinking of a gas research (http://www.gasresearch.com.au/) setup.

I would love to convert my carby 2.6ltr TR to LPG aswell, but not dual fuel, I want a straight gas conversion with all the liquid fuel components removed and tuned to LPG.
I'm thinking of a gas research (http://www.gasresearch.com.au/) setup.

If you do that, use an EFI inlet manifold - better flow and will give more torque as well due to the longer inlet tract

Hey guys,

I'm saving up for the dual fuel conversion on my TS 2.6 EFI. Quoted $2,600 (Hoppers Crossing, VIC) less rebate, and calulated that driving 400+Km/week, it will pay for itself in only 6 months. Not bad for putting a 4 onto gas. The reco engine is 8000Km old.

After researching the forums and quizzing product manufacturers, I will be using Magnatec 10W-40 oil, NGK BP7ES plugs set to 0.7mm gap.

Here are the other unknowns I would love some info on:

What spark plug leads work well (on a budget)?
Is it worthwhile doing anything to the cooling system (eg thermostat)?
Is there a LPG system or kit to ask for / avoid?
Given the slower fouling of oil on LPG, would 15,000Km change intervals be OK? (Currently aim for 10,000Km)
Any installers in Melbourne's west to go to or avoid?


Eagerly awaiting your responses guys!:cool:

Hey guys,

I'm saving up for the dual fuel conversion on my TS 2.6 EFI. Quoted $2,600 (Hoppers Crossing, VIC) less rebate, and calulated that driving 400+Km/week, it will pay for itself in only 6 months. Not bad for putting a 4 onto gas. The reco engine is 8000Km old.

After researching the forums and quizzing product manufacturers, I will be using Magnatec 10W-40 oil, NGK BP7ES plugs set to 0.7mm gap.

Here are the other unknowns I would love some info on:

What spark plug leads work well (on a budget)?
Is it worthwhile doing anything to the cooling system (eg thermostat)?
Is there a LPG system or kit to ask for / avoid?
Given the slower fouling of oil on LPG, would 15,000Km change intervals be OK? (Currently aim for 10,000Km)
Any installers in Melbourne's west to go to or avoid?


Eagerly awaiting your responses guys!:cool:
Another question - is there a metal PCV valve I sould get, in case of backfire?

I dont think a metal PCV valve would do anything, as I dont see how the PVC valve could really be affected from backfire, but im only guessing.

And while it is true, you will notice your oil stays a lot cleaner with gas, it is still important that you change your oil as it can build up with acids etc which you cant see. Just because the oil looks clean, doesnt mean it is or it is still protecting well. So I think you are better off just sticking to your standard oil intervals.

I feel ripped of when I see prices like that, here in WA we can an extra $1000 rebate, but the prices area AT LEAST $500 more.

Ollie

Hey guys,

I'm saving up for the dual fuel conversion on my TS 2.6 EFI. Quoted $2,600 (Hoppers Crossing, VIC) less rebate, and calulated that driving 400+Km/week, it will pay for itself in only 6 months. Not bad for putting a 4 onto gas. The reco engine is 8000Km old.

After researching the forums and quizzing product manufacturers, I will be using Magnatec 10W-40 oil, NGK BP7ES plugs set to 0.7mm gap.

Here are the other unknowns I would love some info on:

What spark plug leads work well (on a budget)?
Is it worthwhile doing anything to the cooling system (eg thermostat)?
Is there a LPG system or kit to ask for / avoid?
Given the slower fouling of oil on LPG, would 15,000Km change intervals be OK? (Currently aim for 10,000Km)
Any installers in Melbourne's west to go to or avoid?


Eagerly awaiting your responses guys!:cool:

Leads dont do anything different with LPG - replace if they need it, but not on the basis of LPG alone. Bosch from Supercheap should be more than adequate.

Cooling system should just be in good nick. I understand it will tend to generate more heat on LPG, so the margin on the system will be less is something is not right, but if the system is in good order it will deal with the heat load. Clean rad, clean fluid and correctly operating thermostat. dont get one that opens cooler - not the point.

My olds Mags has a system that has its own little computer and will start the car on petrol and transfer after a few seconds. Uses a mixer on the throttle body. Brand i cant rememeber, but that the style of system to ask for.

I wouldnt leave oil in there for 15K km anyway!!!! 10max, preferably 7 with a filter every second change. Especially with the Magnas tendancy to gum up, get sticky lifters, and chew out chain guides!!

Dont use fitters in Bendigo. beyond that, not much help there :)