Umm, hi guys...
I'm new here, but I was wondering if any of you could give me some pointers on converting a Dodge Ramcharger 360 to propane. I'm getting 8-10 mpg on the old Carter Thermoquad, and I'm thinking propane might be the way to go. Do you have any suggestions or tips?
Help a newbie?
Hi Chestnut and welcome to the forum!
The first thing you need to do is to find out what propane is selling for along your normal driving routes. If you live near a large city, ask the taxi drivers, couriers, or anyone else you see with a propane-fuelled vehicle where they buy their fuel and how much it costs. In Canada, motor fuel (or bulk) propane is usually much cheaper than gasoline but I have noticed that in the US, this isn't always the case. I have seen propane selling in Buffalo, NY selling for much more than even premium gasoline so you really need to know your way around. If you live in the US, the US Department of Energy has a web site that shows locations of alternative fuel refueling stations. I find that propane is cheapest near Pearson Airport in Toronto because of the large amount of fleet vehicles converging there.
Your vehicle will use more fuel after you convert it to gasoline and you will probably get around 75% of your gasoline mileage. The bright side to this is that, if propane is much cheaper than gasoline in your area, you will get a faster payback.
You should also make sure that your engine is in good condition before you consider a conversion. If it isn't, you should plan on propane-specific rebuild sometime in the future since propane can magnify the problems of a worn engine. For example, propane will cause worn valve seats to wear faster due the dry nature of the fuel.
The cheapest way to do a conversion is to do it with used parts. You will need to scour the local junkyards and look for a vehicle similar to yours or at least look for a vehicle with an engine similar to yours. If there aren't any and you close close to the Canadian border, you might want to try checking a Canadian junkyard.
Let us know how you make out.
Frank
The first thing you need to do is to find out what propane is selling for along your normal driving routes. If you live near a large city, ask the taxi drivers, couriers, or anyone else you see with a propane-fuelled vehicle where they buy their fuel and how much it costs. In Canada, motor fuel (or bulk) propane is usually much cheaper than gasoline but I have noticed that in the US, this isn't always the case. I have seen propane selling in Buffalo, NY selling for much more than even premium gasoline so you really need to know your way around. If you live in the US, the US Department of Energy has a web site that shows locations of alternative fuel refueling stations. I find that propane is cheapest near Pearson Airport in Toronto because of the large amount of fleet vehicles converging there.
Your vehicle will use more fuel after you convert it to gasoline and you will probably get around 75% of your gasoline mileage. The bright side to this is that, if propane is much cheaper than gasoline in your area, you will get a faster payback.
You should also make sure that your engine is in good condition before you consider a conversion. If it isn't, you should plan on propane-specific rebuild sometime in the future since propane can magnify the problems of a worn engine. For example, propane will cause worn valve seats to wear faster due the dry nature of the fuel.
The cheapest way to do a conversion is to do it with used parts. You will need to scour the local junkyards and look for a vehicle similar to yours or at least look for a vehicle with an engine similar to yours. If there aren't any and you close close to the Canadian border, you might want to try checking a Canadian junkyard.
Let us know how you make out.
Frank