Running an LS on Propane
04-24-2013, 08:12 PM
#21
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Patooyee. One of the reasons I mentioned 8.1s was so you could see there computer set up. As far as vapor injection, hyster forklifts we have at work run 4 cylinder 2400's that I believe are vapor injection. Check out performance trucks.net thats where I saw the last guy running propane on a LS.
04-24-2013, 08:22 PM
#22
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Thank you. I've learned quite a lot since posting this.
All vapor injectors are low impedance, so I would be looking at needing a resistor box.
I've found injectors that run at 1.5 - 3 ohms which means I need resistors somewhere in the 10 - 12 ohm range, depending on the injector, if my math is correct.
I think I'm going to try this idea on an old Honda Accord I have first to see how it goes. They use low impedance injectors in factory form with a resistor box.
All vapor injectors are low impedance, so I would be looking at needing a resistor box.
I've found injectors that run at 1.5 - 3 ohms which means I need resistors somewhere in the 10 - 12 ohm range, depending on the injector, if my math is correct.
I think I'm going to try this idea on an old Honda Accord I have first to see how it goes. They use low impedance injectors in factory form with a resistor box.
04-30-2013, 02:56 PM
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So this is looking more and more like a possibility. I have found that virtually all vapor injectors are low impedance (1.5 - 2.5 ohms), requiring a driver / resistor box to run them on the stock ECM. They are also not built to supply enough fuel for 400-600 hp. (The largest ones are around 40 hp per injector.) So two injectors per cylinder would be required. But at their low impedance levels this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
So to operate two injectors off the same signal do you literally just wire them up together? Is it that simple?
So to operate two injectors off the same signal do you literally just wire them up together? Is it that simple?
10-11-2013, 12:16 AM
#27
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What happened with this project? Id like to find a cheap way to add propane on top of my existing fuel system. The low impedance injectors are a problem and also the lack of hp per injector. Looks like im leaning toward a system like a NOS kit with a simple solenoid and jet. Vapor or liquid I dont know. Which ever provides 200 hp
02-05-2014, 06:19 PM
#29
you started to get on the right track in your search with technocarb. I have their kit on my 2012 sierra 2500. So my truck is now a "tri-fuel" truck running gasoline/e85/propane. The kit is easy to install and if you wanted to remove all the gasoline system just set it up to be ran monofuel, on propane only...I wanted to keep mine so if I got into a situation where I couldnt get propane or it was more expensive than gasoline I would just throw some 87 in the tank to get back home. My truck now has 16 injectors under the hood. Runs just like stock and I save $.
05-24-2017, 07:05 PM
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http://www.ecofuel.com/default.aspx
http://www.tinleytech.co.uk/lpgprices.html
are just 2 of the many places that allow you to run lpg with the stock ecu
http://www.tinleytech.co.uk/lpgprices.html
are just 2 of the many places that allow you to run lpg with the stock ecu
It's been several years since I looked at these sites. The first one seems to have added a lot of info since then. These pictures are interesting:
It appears that they do not run a fuel pump, that they run the fuel line from the tank to a regulator, then to fairly conventional-looking injectors, through lines into the intake. It all makes sense to me except how they are keeping the regulator an injectors from freezing during expansion?
Last edited by patooyee; 05-24-2017 at 08:25 PM.
05-24-2017, 08:20 PM
#32
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http://www.bosch-automotive-catalog....uct/0280158821
It is high impedance. :-/
05-25-2017, 12:15 AM
#34
TECH Regular
I have installed a propane kit on a Ford 4.6 although not this specific kit here's how it works.
There is no need for a fuel pump because...
Liquid propane at about 130 psi, depending solely on the temp of that liquid, is sent to the reg though a line from the tank. The reg drops it down to 20-50 psi, adjustable by user, which causes it to flash into a gas and get cold. Just like air conditioning does. The reg is plumbed with hot water off the heater hoses which keeps it from freezing. That gas goes to injectors which stand alone on top of the manifold or valve cover area. The injectors meter the gas through short tubes to the intake manifold nearest to the intake valve as possible.
There is no need for a fuel pump because...
Liquid propane at about 130 psi, depending solely on the temp of that liquid, is sent to the reg though a line from the tank. The reg drops it down to 20-50 psi, adjustable by user, which causes it to flash into a gas and get cold. Just like air conditioning does. The reg is plumbed with hot water off the heater hoses which keeps it from freezing. That gas goes to injectors which stand alone on top of the manifold or valve cover area. The injectors meter the gas through short tubes to the intake manifold nearest to the intake valve as possible.
06-08-2023, 12:50 PM
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It will run rich with stock tuning First, sorry I didn't see all these replies before. I subscribed to this topic but am not receiving the emails for some reason. Thank you for the interest.
My goal in POSSIBLY switching is to simplify my fuel system by eliminating systems.
Right now I run gas with an in-tank fuel pump, a supply line, a return line, a fuel cooler with 2 fans, a fuel pump relay and fuse, injectors, and a whole bunch of wiring. So far I have had injector problems, fuel pump failures, suction issues, vaporization issues, and a couple other fuel related things that have put a major dampener on my out of town wheeling trips. I tow this rock boggy hundreds of miles and spend hundreds on diesel doing so every trip and spending that time working in the dirt on the fuel system is not why I go. With propane I could eliminate the pump, all associated wiring, the low pressure return line that is prone to vaporization, the cooler and fans, a bunch of wiring, and the injectors. I have run carbureted propane in the past and loved it, never had any issues. I long for that reliability and simplicity again.
That being said, I do own HPTuners and do love the precision computer control of the fuel system that the stock ECM gives me. I would have to run some sort of computer to deal with timing anyway, so why not just switch to propane and let the stock ECM still control fueling? Not something I'd recommend for the average daily driver. But for me, driving my rig on the streets is illegal and I wouldn't want to anyway. I only drive it offroad on the weekends and when I do it is way back in the woods on some mountain somewhere that I don't have access to a bunch of tools and diagnostic equipment. If my fuel pump dies and I don't carry a spare I have to look for someone to tow my dead buggy back to camp, which is normally just a dirt / mud lot that is pretty far away from a parts store. My steering is hydraulic with 44" tires, so the rig doesn't steer very easily without the engine running, which makes the tow back to camp a major work-out. I'm a big guy, very strong, but a 15-minute dead-tow back to camp normally leaves my arms and back spasming.
There are two ways to run propane with the ECM. One is liquid propane injection. It requires an in-tank pump and all the complexities of a normal gasoline fuel system though.
The other is vapor injection. This does not require a pump and all the related complexities. Its basically the same setup as carbed propane but with an injector for each cylinder instead of a carb on an intake. And the injectors are stupid-simple compared to a gas injector. Also low pressure.
It is vapor injection that I am primarily interested in now. I have tons of experience with propane and I could design my own system esily. The only thing standing in my way is knowledge of the injectors and where to get them, so I am honing in on those at the moment if anyone knows anything ...
My goal in POSSIBLY switching is to simplify my fuel system by eliminating systems.
Right now I run gas with an in-tank fuel pump, a supply line, a return line, a fuel cooler with 2 fans, a fuel pump relay and fuse, injectors, and a whole bunch of wiring. So far I have had injector problems, fuel pump failures, suction issues, vaporization issues, and a couple other fuel related things that have put a major dampener on my out of town wheeling trips. I tow this rock boggy hundreds of miles and spend hundreds on diesel doing so every trip and spending that time working in the dirt on the fuel system is not why I go. With propane I could eliminate the pump, all associated wiring, the low pressure return line that is prone to vaporization, the cooler and fans, a bunch of wiring, and the injectors. I have run carbureted propane in the past and loved it, never had any issues. I long for that reliability and simplicity again.
That being said, I do own HPTuners and do love the precision computer control of the fuel system that the stock ECM gives me. I would have to run some sort of computer to deal with timing anyway, so why not just switch to propane and let the stock ECM still control fueling? Not something I'd recommend for the average daily driver. But for me, driving my rig on the streets is illegal and I wouldn't want to anyway. I only drive it offroad on the weekends and when I do it is way back in the woods on some mountain somewhere that I don't have access to a bunch of tools and diagnostic equipment. If my fuel pump dies and I don't carry a spare I have to look for someone to tow my dead buggy back to camp, which is normally just a dirt / mud lot that is pretty far away from a parts store. My steering is hydraulic with 44" tires, so the rig doesn't steer very easily without the engine running, which makes the tow back to camp a major work-out. I'm a big guy, very strong, but a 15-minute dead-tow back to camp normally leaves my arms and back spasming.
There are two ways to run propane with the ECM. One is liquid propane injection. It requires an in-tank pump and all the complexities of a normal gasoline fuel system though.
The other is vapor injection. This does not require a pump and all the related complexities. Its basically the same setup as carbed propane but with an injector for each cylinder instead of a carb on an intake. And the injectors are stupid-simple compared to a gas injector. Also low pressure.
It is vapor injection that I am primarily interested in now. I have tons of experience with propane and I could design my own system esily. The only thing standing in my way is knowledge of the injectors and where to get them, so I am honing in on those at the moment if anyone knows anything ...
06-08-2023, 04:10 PM
#36
TECH Senior Member
patooyee hasn't been here for 4 years....
