How Hard is it [Archive] - Diesel Place : Chevrolet and GMC Diesel Truck Forums

: How Hard is it


ScGreg
05-24-2005, 07:59 PM
How hard would it be to convert a truck from Gas to Propane

Which would have the better Mileage and how often would i have to fill up a tank of propane

And one more thing can anyone estimate the money i would have to spend to make this conversion

Thanks a lot

dkubek
05-26-2005, 01:15 AM
Sorry I don't have any links for you, but it is very easy to do to a carburated engine and not too expensive. There is a conversion kit you will have to buy though. It burns much cleaner, will increase hp a little and you can use a huge tank. A lot of serious off roaders use it to obtain extreme angles. Down sides are you have to find places to fill it and when traveling, it gets hard. If I wasn't so tired, I'd ramble more.

dkubek
05-26-2005, 01:17 AM
all things considered, mileage should be a little better. Cost: ~$1000 give or take.

ScGreg
05-26-2005, 07:38 PM
Thanks for all the help dkubek. Ill take all the information into consideration

marcdeluca
05-30-2005, 01:30 PM
Mileage is not better. You lose 20% mileage on lp because the btus are lower per gallon. This will happen on anything modern that doesn't waste gasoline. If you have a truck that gets 12.5 on gasoline, it will get 10 on lp. If you build the engine for lp, meaning higher compression, you can get a bit of that loss back, but then you have to use premium gas if you need it to be dual fuel. Advantages are 3 to 4 times the engine life because of the clean burn, and much lower emissions. If you get the conversion parts used, you can save a bundle. Many conversion shops are getting out of the business because of the increasing cost of lp and government regulations regarding licensing. I have used it for 16 years and have had good success with it, but it has gotten quite expensive out on the road. I buy in bulk and it saves me money vs gasoline, but there is alot of initial investment to pay for before you start saving money. The fuel injected engines work really good when converted. The drivability is better than carbureted. For example, when switching from gas to lp, you have to turn off the gas and drive until the carb is empty before turning on the lp, otherwise you flood it out. With FI, you just switch off the electric fuel pump and turn on the lp.