Foo - Propane powered car

Has anybody converted a diesel powered car to propane power? I hear it can be done, been doing research about it for a friend. I just want more information

i ain't got no info, i tell you what.

why don't you convert to bio-diesel instead?

I don't know about it, but if it can't be done, why not go for a hybrid car instead?

Koffee

well, i know it can be done. Ive heard about it, ive been reading online about it. I just need to find a real person to talk to about it

That sounds dangerous. Ford had converted several fleet cars to propane, but were gasoline engines. The propane engines didn't have better range, but the tailpipe emissions were less. The downside is propane has to be compressed, and can be very explosive in an accident.

You can't convert a diesel engine. The piston compression is way too high to use with gasoline or propane. The engine would explode like a huge grenade.

What DieselDan said.

That said, a propane & gas car is great. Two of my uncles have Tahoes that run on either gas or propane. For a long time (maybe still), propane was a lot less expensive than gas.

BR

A guy in Crested Butte (I think) made his car run on fryer grease.

I'm amazed! I agreed with DieselDan that it couldn't be done. Then I did a web search for "convert diesel to propane". It is possible and there are kits sold to do it. I've learned something new.

SS

I'm amazed! I agreed with DieselDan that it couldn't be done. Then I did a web search for "convert diesel to propane". It is possible and there are kits sold to do it. I've learned something new.

SS

Sweet...I wonder how many pounds of gas you can carry? A months worth?
There's probably special tanks with protective cages you can buy...The tanks and cages
on the Compressed natural gas busses are HUGE

I have done some gas-propane conversions on forklifts. The only benefit is reduced emmisions (We did it so you could run them in a warehouse) Did some big floor buffers as well for grocery stores. The motors run hotter, there were headgasket problems, burned valves and stuff like that. There was a guy running a propane powered daully when I was in high school, the tank was in the center of the truck between the rails.

A few years ago my local county public works dept. converted a handful of their fleet cars from gasoline to propane. From what I remember hearing, it was a simple conversion, but I recall complaints about cold weather performance.

They've been doing it for years. We lived in Kansas in the late 50's a lot of the farmers had duel propane/gas cars.

A few years ago my local county public works dept. converted a handful of their fleet cars from gasoline to propane. From what I remember hearing, it was a simple conversion, but I recall complaints about cold weather performance.

usually they START on gas, then switch over propane when they are warm.
The compressed natural gas would be awesome...fill up at home.

Infastrutcture was a big problem with propane fueled cars. I still think it's a bad idea to convert a diesel to propane. I don't want to be near an engine with a 22:1 piston compression when the propane hits that compression. :eek:

The engine would explode like a huge grenade.

Car bomb, surely.

you can't convert diesel to gas or propane. The compression ratio of a diesel engine is to high for fuels like propane or gasoline. Those fuels will detonate too early and bust your engine..:)

i am curious why propane over bio-diesel...as the other californians' have mentioned....

i am curious why propane over bio-diesel...as the other californians' have mentioned....
Convert your gasoline engine to propane.
Convert your diesel engine to bio-diesel, but bio-diesel's exhaust emissions aren't much better then the oil based fuel.

...... but bio-diesel's exhaust emissions aren't much better then the oil based fuel.

It just smells better :D

Infastrutcture was a big problem with propane fueled cars. I still think it's a bad idea to convert a diesel to propane. I don't want to be near an engine with a 22:1 piston compression when the propane hits that compression. :eek:


Why do you assume the compression doesn't get changed for the propane?

My dad worked on a project in which he converted a Chevy 454 Bigblock to run on natural gas.

Why do you assume the compression doesn't get changed for the propane?

The conversion web sites don't say anything about internal engine modifications. Changing compression would require either new pistons, new heads or extensive headwork.

SS

The conversion web sites don't say anything about internal engine modifications. Changing compression would require either new pistons, new heads or extensive headwork.

SS


Or a thicker head gasket. How do you know there isn't a lot more air in the mixture compared to the diesel?

Or a thicker head gasket. How do you know there isn't a lot more air in the mixture compared to the diesel?

There probably is a pretty lean propane gas to air ratio. I haven't researched enough to know what comp. ratio range or air\fuel mixture range will work for propane. In fact I had no idea that I'd be spending any time researching propane conversions. I really need to get a life.

Back to the subject.

Since gas engines are often converted I would have assumed that between 7 to 1 and 10 to 1 works. I didn't mention head gaskets because you arent going to change a 22 to 1 diesel to 10 to 1 or less without major work. Head gaskets will change comp. ratio a little but not that much.

SS

Has anybody converted a diesel powered car to propane power? I hear it can be done, been doing research about it for a friend. I just want more information

At one time, possibly still, the vehicles driven by the Providence Gas Company (Providence, Rhode Island) were all propane powered. I saw cars and trucks. Maybe they have a web site, I have no idea. I don't know if the trucks were converted gas or diesel. They must have some info.

"How do you know there isn't a lot more air in the mixture compared to the diesel?"
this does not matter any way compression ratio is constant for a given engine even if you put a supercharger on it. You cram a lot more air in there but the compression ratio remains the same. The ratio of air to fuel would have to be whatever stoich is for propane, probably on the low side to keep emmisions down.
Another problem with propane in a diesel is injecting it. Diesel is injected at a pretty high pressure to create a fine mist and propagate a good burn. Also to overcome the high compression. I would think you would need to pump the propane up to a high pressure in its liquid state and inject it as a liquid. Then there is the issue of burn rate. Maybe if the propane were injected over a longer period it would reduce the "explosion" factor and give a longer burn like diesel. Gas is way easier, proportional valve hooked to the throttle an expansion chamber and maybe a prewarmer and cold start "flooder"

Diesel engines can be converted to bio-diesel.
Gas engines can be converted to propane. You used to be able to buy kits for this, and you still can.
I don't think you can do a diesel to propane conversion.

Some links:
http://www.propanecouncil.org/trade/fleet/vehicle_conversions.htm
http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/transportation/afv/propane.html
http://www.pugetsoundcleancities.org/Conversions.htm

My dad is a car buff and Iremember a conversastion I had with him about different fuels. I don't remember much of it so Iwill talk to him tonight and get back to tou guys about it later. But he was sayin that in Brazil, there are some cars which can run off a multi fuel system. Depending on avaliability you could run, regular unleaded, propane, ethane or ethanol (or was it methanol) as the fuel. Apparently on the dash board there is a switch where you change the settings, and it in effect changes the electronics of the engine and adapts to what ever fuel you were using.

VW is the leading manufacturer of those Brazilian multi-fuel cars. You can buy them in some places in the midwestern US corn belt, too. They run on ethanol made from corn, potatoes, or maybe sugar beets too.

OK, here I am still researching something that I really don't even care about. At 5:30 in the morning!

Here is a pretty good article on propane or LNG \ diesel engines:

http://www.lngplants.com/CarsTrucksBussesLNGcatHarrisRanch.html

SS

propane ignites at to low of temp. to use in diesel. but in rite amounts with a kit propane is like n.o.s. to a diesel.

Has anybody converted a diesel powered car to propane power? I hear it can be done, been doing research about it for a friend. I just want more information

There is no such thing as running a diesel engine in pure liquid propane, at least not without significant modification to the engine. You can get a propane injection kit for a diesel which acts sort of the same way nitrous does on a gasoline engine, if you want alternatives to diesel fuel in a diesel engine look at biodiesel or straight vegetable oil (SVO) kits.

Biodiesel is the best bang for the buck performance wise for a diesel, you get more performance then pump diesel, for a cost of 70 cents a gallon if you make it yourself. With SVO you lose some power but it's easier to do once you install an SVO kit.

The best part about 100% biodiesel is it smells like you are towing a McDonalds behind you while you drive.. Mmmm french fry flavor!

Or a thicker head gasket. How do you know there isn't a lot more air in the mixture compared to the diesel?


The high compression in a diesel motor is what creates the heat and in turn combustion. There are no spark plugs in a diesel motor to initate combustion required for natural gas. Doing the mods to a diesel motor inorder to run natural gas/propane would be cost prohibitive. Easier and and less expensive to start w/ a gasoline motor and just modify the intake track.