I was pondering the idea of running the 3fe in my 92fj80 on propane and I was wondering if the carb intake manifold & distributor from a 2f would fit on the 3fe so I could run it on propane? I could use the fuel injection manifold, but I don't know if the 3fe distributor would work or not since the fuel injection would'nt be working? Any info will be appreciated, I am looking to run my fj80 on some sort of alternative fuel so its either take the 3fe out and stick in a diesel which could get exspensive and complicated or convert the 3fe to run on propane?
Propane Powered 3fe?
- Thread starter Grizzard
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This is a question for the Aussies on the forum. Years ago on the 80sCool email list there was a lot of discussion on dual fuel 1FZ-FEs. Apparently it was a pretty common modification down there.
Note: the folks in OZ call propane "gas" and gasoline "petrol". This was a point of much confusion.
Note: the folks in OZ call propane "gas" and gasoline "petrol". This was a point of much confusion.
My FZFE runs fine on propane. Not sure why you need to swap so many bits around on the 3fe, just stick in a mixer system and off you go (singlepoint) surely ?
I'm from Poland, we use term LPG (Liquid Propane Gas) and it's very popular here. Thanks to large market prices of LPG conversions are low and we also have access to quite modern technology. I've been driving '91 FJ80 for 35,000 km on LPG and didn't notice any bad influence on the engine. There's small power loss, ~10% on butt-dyno and my mileage was between (pardon me pls for using metric) 20 to 35 liters/100 km on 33" MT's.
Conversion was done in ~12 hrs using one of those products (english version available trough small flag) and 80 liter tank occupying some cargo area. It can be done yourself too, but our law requires authorised installer to do it. I myself did 2 conversions on marine 4-cyl. FI engines.
For the price of 2F manifold and another stuff you mentioned you could import from her the complete kit except the tank and pipes - this "mini kit" can be sourced here for ~$400. Another advantage is keeping factory EFI in place and working, if you turn off the system then the engine works on gas (yeah, gasoline) like a factory one.
Happy New Year
Mike
Conversion was done in ~12 hrs using one of those products (english version available trough small flag) and 80 liter tank occupying some cargo area. It can be done yourself too, but our law requires authorised installer to do it. I myself did 2 conversions on marine 4-cyl. FI engines.
For the price of 2F manifold and another stuff you mentioned you could import from her the complete kit except the tank and pipes - this "mini kit" can be sourced here for ~$400. Another advantage is keeping factory EFI in place and working, if you turn off the system then the engine works on gas (yeah, gasoline) like a factory one.
Happy New Year
Mike
Hi Mike (z power), just as a complete aside I'm running a polish "BLOS" mixer carb in mine - really good, especially smooth at lower power. Thoroughly recomended to anyone doing a cheap (mixer) conversion.
TrickyT
Hate that mud...
z_power, can you post up some pictures of your conversion? Sounds real nice.
hmm....
I wonder if you could stick a propane cyl underneath where the spare tire is supposed to go.
This sounds a lot simpler and more doable than a diesel conversion. I especially like the fact that you might be able to set this up to use gasoline OR propane and switch back and forth as you please.
I wonder if you could stick a propane cyl underneath where the spare tire is supposed to go.
This sounds a lot simpler and more doable than a diesel conversion. I especially like the fact that you might be able to set this up to use gasoline OR propane and switch back and forth as you please.
The 2f in my fj45 is on a dedicated propane system. The real benefits, aside from the lower fuel price, is extremely clean engine oil and lower emissions.
I'll do in ~2 days, right now i'm quite far from my FJ...
mate i have it on my 3fe and its fine dont have to lose any of your efi stuff just solinoids switch between fuel or lpg trying to up load some pics but am having probs with this com, my tank is under the back were the spare went and with the mixers now you dont lose any power i just make sure i use 1/4 tank of fuel for every tank of lpg so as to keep all the seals nice and moist and the injectors working
hmm....
I wonder if you could stick a propane cyl underneath where the spare tire is supposed to go.
That's where mine is, and why the JDMs (or just the JDM rear wheel carriers) are so popular for LPG conversions
Very cool... I wish some "yanks" would chime in with some encouraging info. For some reason I have a bad feeling - this makes sense, therefore there must be some goofy law in the U.S. making it illegal.
jlbuk and roadrat - Do y'all have any leads on who makes these propane "kits", or is it all custom work from the ground up?
I never really thought about propane as an alternative until I read this thread. I considered a diesel conversion, but decided it was way too much trouble. This sounds like it would be a great alternative to adding an extra "petrol" tank for extra range, while at the same time giving the ability to save a bunch of money in fuel costs.
I assume you could fill up the "petrol" tank AND the propane tank, then run the truck until the propane was gone, switch over to petrol, and cruise for another couple of hundred miles?
jlbuk and roadrat - Do y'all have any leads on who makes these propane "kits", or is it all custom work from the ground up?
I never really thought about propane as an alternative until I read this thread. I considered a diesel conversion, but decided it was way too much trouble. This sounds like it would be a great alternative to adding an extra "petrol" tank for extra range, while at the same time giving the ability to save a bunch of money in fuel costs.
I assume you could fill up the "petrol" tank AND the propane tank, then run the truck until the propane was gone, switch over to petrol, and cruise for another couple of hundred miles?
well i got the pics working i think,as for USA and gas(propane) i think coz its a oil rich country they want to keep the need for oil so they seem to steer away from new tech , but saying that gas is no new teck system we have been using here in OZ for a long time and it has come a long way and very safe my system is made here in AUSTRALIA but other countrys do make the kits as well
ok here is some pics
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that is a 100ltr tank under there
TrickyT
Hate that mud...
Thanks!
What kind of range can you get with 100L or propane?
And just to be clear, the propane tank fits where the OE spare tire went, right? So you still have the OE petrol tank too.
yes still have my fuel tank, the gas (propane tank just mounts in were the spare was and i get about 400km of the tank everyone that has a 80 3fe or the 4.5 gets the same, you can only use 85ltrs of a 100ltr tank as the remander pressurisses the tank
Thanks for the pics road rat!
When I get a little more "disposable" cash on hand, I'm going to look into this and see what can be done. Only thing I see that I don't like is that the propane tank seems to hang pretty low. If that's a 100L tank, maybe a 50L(+/-) tank would be a bit more flush with the back bumper. Even that would probably give an extra 100 miles or so of range, not to mention the benefits of probable engine longevity and savings in fuel costs.
When I get a little more "disposable" cash on hand, I'm going to look into this and see what can be done. Only thing I see that I don't like is that the propane tank seems to hang pretty low. If that's a 100L tank, maybe a 50L(+/-) tank would be a bit more flush with the back bumper. Even that would probably give an extra 100 miles or so of range, not to mention the benefits of probable engine longevity and savings in fuel costs.
Mine is pretty much the same components/ locations, except I use the BLOS mixer. Essentialy they come in complete kit form, no custom work really, but in the UK they have to be fitted by a certified installer, and it's generally a day or so for a simple mixer one.
The more sophisticated versions use propane injectors, one per cylinder, and are more efficient, but more expensive. Drilling and tapping the inlet manifold is a fair additional cost. The cheaper variant mix the gas into the airstream between the MAF/VAF and the throttle body.
And yes, you switch between propane and petrol at will (generally starting on petrol).
The more sophisticated versions use propane injectors, one per cylinder, and are more efficient, but more expensive. Drilling and tapping the inlet manifold is a fair additional cost. The cheaper variant mix the gas into the airstream between the MAF/VAF and the throttle body.
And yes, you switch between propane and petrol at will (generally starting on petrol).
Are there any versions that don't completely cut out the petrol?
I've read accounts of people running on propane for an extended period of time and toasting their injectors. From what I've read some versions run a little bit of petrol to keep the injectors cool.
