Anybody running propane???

[nc wagoneer]

So, after going through all the possibilities I think I may have FINALLY found a solution to making my j20 daily driveable. Instead of a super labor intensive engine swap that may get +/- 20 mpg why not run propane at +/- $2 a gallon??? So now for my questions. Is it as easy as going to the nearest gas station with propane to fill it up? What is the best cheap/functionality setup to run on a 360 that I can still run on gas too? Will it provide the same mpg? Is there even a system where I can switch between gas and propane easily? Thanks, nc wag

[AwesomeJ10]

I'm not sure propane is the answer. I know there are some setups that run both propane and gas, but I dunno much about them.

Not too many people run propane in cars (that I know of) and I think there are lots of reasons why.

If you want a smooth running, easy starting truck, go with a GM TBI from a junkyard.

[87 Money Pit]

There's a good write up on the ifsja site

[jaber]

The one thing most dont understand (myself included) is that propane takes a different engine build then gas does. If you want power and performance, you have to bump up the compression to reap the benefits. I had a 350 with a propane converter on top of a 4bbl carb and it was crap. No matter what I did, I could not get any power out of it. I pulled the converter off and put a fuel tank in, and it really came to life, and used less fuel.
I guess Im saying that if you want to run on 'pane, then your going to have to rebuild the engine for it, or else you'll be ...

[Stuka]

Also, to be legal you have to pay road tax on the propane. So depending on your state, you can add 40 or so cents to that cost.

And as stated above propane has a lot less energy in it. You really need about 11:1 compression to get any power from it.

Guys with buggies run it as power is not such an issue, and it will never spill if you roll over.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fulsizjeep]

<tap-tap-tap> waiting for Bigun to chime in here...

[nc wagoneer]

<tap-tap-tap> waiting for Bigun to chime in here...

He already did on this thread on ifsja he doeant like being contained and told to be nice

[j33pky]

loads of people run lpg in the uk.. mainly because petrol is $2.9 a litre.( i have converted it to $ its £1.30 a litre here) most kits are single point but you can get multi point kits that are a lot better.

[carnuck]

LPG in my '83 Cherokee got me almost 20 mpg

[Southern Gorilla]

The one thing most dont understand (myself included) is that propane takes a different engine build then gas does. If you want power and performance, you have to bump up the compression to reap the benefits.

Absolutely. Propane has around 105 octane. Running it in an engine designed for 87 octane gasoline is a waste. And this is the Numero Uno reason people bash propane. A properly built propane engine should produce more power than its gasoline counterpart. Just like an engine built for race gas or alcohol will produce more power than one built for pump gas. Actually, the alcohol engine is a good comparison. People bash ethanol-blend gasoline for the lack of power and economy. But straight alcohol engines spank gas engines in performance because they are built for the fuel.

I'm planning to run propane on mine when I get started on the build. Right now I'm researching propane injection. It is fairly common in Europe and Australia but the parts seem impossible to find here. It works just like regular fuel injection. The propane is injected as a liquid and expands to a gas in the intake. This produces a major cooling effect that can allow you to run more boost or compression.

[carnuck]

I got mine about 10 years ago from http://bi-phase.com but you have to be licensed to get the parts now.

[sambo]

i am thinking about running dual fuel! pane for offroad,since it can run upside down and pusholine to get me there!
who am i kidding mine is a trailer queen

[carnuck]

I just picked up a CNG tank that is nearly out of date (good till end of the year) If I don't sell it for $100 I may convert it to LPG since it's bulletproof. (I watched the vid of a police car with one in it shot at with an AK by bad guy in CA and the dents it took but didn't burst)

[BCRAWLER]

I have a 81 Cherokee on propane. It is set up to run on propane only by the previous owner. At the present time I am getting about 13mpg.Have a 360/727/3:31 gears/31 tires .Picked up a couple of mpg by disconnecting the vacuum advance.Still need to check timing as advancing 10 degrees supposedly helps mpg. Tanks are where gas tank used to be.If I run out of propane I need to be towed to the nearest gas station that sells propane.Just need to get my hand on a cheater hose that allows me to hook up a bbq bottle to refill the system. Propane is 83.9 a liter and 87 is 123 a liter today on Vancouver Island. When I start up in the morning it takes a few minutes to stabilize the idle before driving. Once again maybe the timing.Driving in off camber locations is no problem as it acts like is fuel injected.Have about 6000k on the last oil change and when I pull the dipstick to check the level the oil still looks the same as when I did the change.Would I change back to gas,yup if gas was the same price as propane.

[carnuck]

Get a second tank. Not hard to get up there. I bought 6 from Pick-a-part in Chilliwack over the past couple years.

[BCRAWLER]

Do have 2 tanks that are tied together. They are setup to drain as one unit. Intent on getting a forklift tank to carry as a Jerry can for the long trips 4x4ing.Live in Duncan so the bush is a 5 minute drive. My shepherd loves the bush so we go every weekend when life allows.The fuel gauge bailed shortly after purchasing the Jeep a few months ago so need to repair it as a tow out of the bush would be very pricy.

[j2sax]

Just sold my J10 RHD Pickup that ran on propane. It ran fin on Propane, especially at highway speeds.

YES- if you build a higher compression engine for Propane you can DEFINITELY get more benefit from it.

YES- the power is a bit down when running propane rather than gas, however, I would NOT characterize it as a "waste"

YES- you are supposed to pay road taxes and in most states you are supposed to have a "Tag" or sticker that registers you as a Propane user

YES- Propane is AWESOME off road as there are no fluid displacement/pickup issues in the tank, nor float bowl issues.. hence the "running upside down"

YES- Propane runs SO MUCH cleaner than gas... almost no oil contamination from fuel. This increases engine longevity EXPONENTIALLY, however, unless you run it almost exclusively, it won't be very effective in that regard.

While running propane in a car can be unwieldy due to the tank and extra hoses required (tying into the heater hose system for the mixer, inlet hose, etc..), however, running it in a pickup is great as there are tanks that are "low profile". I have a 60 Gal tank that fits under an across-the-bed toolbox.

Some ... I mean... a friend of mine... er, someone I knew... a friend of mine knew, well, I heard of this guy that uses a York Compressor to transfer Propane from a larger tank to a smaller tank... that's all I have to say about that.

I found that advancing the timing on Propane helps with the power issue... just remember to retard on gas... you can mark the distributor base for both to make it quick to cycle from one to the other. I would suggest using a stud for the dizzy hold down if you go this route.

In reality, you CAN build an engine that runs well on both gas and Propane... 11:1 is best for propane only, however, with 9.5 -10 Compression you can run Premium Gas and get pretty decent performance from your propane as well... playing with the cam LDA won't hurt, though I have not done that yet.

I say GO FOR IT! You can find used systems on Craigslist and they can easily be rebuilt.

Have a great weekend,

Jesse

[carnuck]

If you run dual fuel there is a dual curve spark box that can control your timing

[j2sax]

If you run dual fuel there is a dual curve spark box that can control your timing

That totally makes sense! I heard of those from another guy running propane, but at the cost point, I did not go for it. In reality I always ran on propane.

Next time I will probably try to be more versatile!

[bigun]

If you run dual fuel there is a dual curve spark box that can control your timing

That totally makes sense! I heard of those from another guy running propane, but at the cost point, I did not go for it. In reality I always ran on propane.

Next time I will probably try to be more versatile!

If you run dual fuel on a fuel injected motor with computer controlled timing it will take care of the timing automatically.