LPG.
Turbo Mini Forums

Out of interest.

Anyone ever run LPG on a mini ? Would injecting it be easier than petrol ?

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

Robert has run his bastardised Fiat/ A series with propane, on the back patio

Does that count?

I seem to remeber Joe C looking at LPG and fiat head, not sure how far he got with it though

I know of an MPI over here running on LPG. Apparently without troubles... Don't know any details though...

[X] nail here for new monitor

Back in 92 there was an article in MiniWorld about a Mini running LPG but I don't think I've got it any more.

Surely it would be slow as shit!

1/4 Mile 14.3secs 96Mph Terminal 10psi of boost.


Fibreglass Parts? - http://www.tdkracing.co.uk/
Split Rims? - http://www.force-racing.co.uk/

should be easy enough to do to a carbed mini.

I've driven modern cars with it and they didn't seem any slower running on gas. Just a PITA to fill up as you are reliant on the pressure in the suppliers tank

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

I once converted a w124 230e merc to lpg, it was great. On a nice note, when I changed the oil I noticed it didnt get the black death...was more or less same colour as when it went in as the fuel burns a lot cleaner and doesnt deposit leftovers in the sump.... It did eat plugs though.

Oh and I did 2 trips to Heathrow from Lancaster before and after fitting the lpg kit to drop family off at airport.

The first trip cost £90 (petrol) return in fuel. The second (on lpg) cost £38 return in fuel.

Edited by manifold on 20th Jan, 2011.

isnt the size of the tank an issue with a mini, you'd lose the boot surely?

a metro on the other hand.......

DIY kit anyone?

do you start them on petrol and then when they warm up you switch to 100% LPG?
high octane ideal for turbo then...

This is how my friends worked. I think it worked on some kind temperature switch. Basically there was a manual switch inside the car to select between, but he never touched it. (sort of an emergency thing) When he started it up from cold it ran on petrol and shortly into the journal you could hear a tick sound (a bit like a flasher relay) then it would pop over to gas.

Im not sure if anyone local to me will remember the car that exploded recently near me that was running on auto gas???

1/4 Mile 14.3secs 96Mph Terminal 10psi of boost.


Fibreglass Parts? - http://www.tdkracing.co.uk/
Split Rims? - http://www.force-racing.co.uk/

the best with LPG and todays tech is that you can inject it in liquid condition, and start the cold engine with gas without problems.
and liquid LPG is quite cold, boiling at -42°C.

http://www.jbperf.com/

Google it, parts are readily available, although strictly speaking the install does need certified for insurance purposes.

Liquid LPG injection systems are not commercially available yet. All the systems currently in use are vapour injection.

They only start on petrol so as to warm the engine enough that the regulator is heated. This is only to prevent it freezing ( Liquid-gas = cooold )
No other reason really.

Existing injection systems just piggyback off the factory ecu to control the gas injectors. These injectors can either mount in the intake ports ( rare ) or on their own little manifold with just a small pipe linked to each intake port.

So if the injectors are just a typical 12v job, then there is little reason why any ecu cant control them.

And LPG at the pump is basically just Propane.
Worth baring in mind. As propane in big red cylinders, or if you have gas heating or cooking etc and a big LPG Propane tank at home, as some do.....is nowhere near the same cost as road LPG. "hint"


And for those that think it is useless.

I was at Bedford autodrome in October last year, home of Palmersport.

ALL their cars run on LPG. From the jeeps, the M3's to their single seater Jag race cars.

Edited by stevieturbo on 20th Jan, 2011.

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

the pump for the liquid gas (mostly a mix from propane and butane, the colder the climate, the more propane) as there are some systems readily available that inject liquid LPG, like the ICOM JTG.

all the better LPG systems use the factory ecu to controll the injectors, much easier to handle as you don't have to write maps but only adjust the injector timing. they are more expensive than the older ones using a own fully mapable ecu but they are needed to match the emision standarts.
not needed with a Mini, as no Mini ever exceeded euro2, and euro2 standard can easily handled with a cheap venturi system with lambda control.

with the gasenous systems there will allways be a small loss of power, the gas will use more space then the regular fuel replacing some air. but i have never found it to be a problem.

i still have one venturi system to try on my mini. but i will use a liquid LPG system as soon as prices comes down

http://www.jbperf.com/

all or nothing, multi point

Not got round to it but I have a converter plate which fits directly on the back of a 1.75 SU and you can get small sausage tanks or toroidal (round) tanks to go in the boot where the spare wheel well is. Basically set them up so they either switch on at a certain temperature (or the gas will ice the carb up), or like I had on the merc, set it upon a relay so it kicked in at 2000rpm automatically (would probably suit using a trigger switch on ms2). No pump used on a vapouriser system as it pumps itself into the engine under its own pressure. Worked fine for me but as KLAS says, the injector systems are the in thing, albeit more costly.

all the bits on my kit cost about £350 or so...so not that expensive.

Not sure about certification either. It is my understanding that that is a big scam being put about by the LPGA who are lobbying the insurance companies to not accept a car converted without an LPGA certificate. There are plenty of landrover type insurers though that dont require it.

Anyway, as per all gas stuff, fit it then get a lpg guy to sign it off before putting gas in then your covered either way.

Edited by manifold on 20th Jan, 2011.

I had a LBG range rover with no certificate. Insurance said no, I said I would get them a certificate, they said OK. never did get round to getting it certified...

Certificating it is like asking anyone with a propane/butane stove in a tent, boat, motorhome or caravan and asking them to get it certified. Impossible really.

roberts astra ran purely on lpg, and it was jsut an lpg carb setup as i recall, didnt beleive him till he opened the bonet , wasnt even any wiring to the fuel injectors!

turbo 16v k-series 11.9@118.9 :)

Denis O'Brien.

9.85 @ 145mph
202mph standing mile
speed didn't kill me, but taxation probably will

http://www.jbperf.com/