2004 Transit Connect LPG not working!!!

[Pali]

Hi All,

Can anyone help

I have a transit connect van with the factory fitted Lpg system

When I switch it to lpg, I hear the click in the back and can feel it go into lpg but then after a few seconds the engine management light flashes a few times, then stops and the lpg light starts flashing and it goes back to petrol.

Thanks in advance for any advice

[rossko]

It's probably a BRC make system.
Be sure there is gas in the tank, don't believe the lights (I expect thats the first thing you tried though)

Apart from that, it'll need engineering investigation looking for sticky front solenoid, failed regulator or sensor, or suchlike. Are you looking for help to do that, or for someone to take it to?

[Pali]

Thanks for replying
I've taken it to a garage and they said 2 injectors are spitting out gas, so would need to get them replaced but Ford only sell them as a pack of 4 for £1000!!!!!

Not sure what to do now!?!?!?!

[rossko]

Not sure exactly what the garage means, could be that two gas injectors are stuck open.

Replacement as a set is sound advice, but if you identify the make there will surely be cheaper sources. BRC I expect (it won't really be Ford).
BRC injectors are known to leak at the mountings, maybe they mean that. The O-rings can be changed.

Has it ever worked for you? Asking as injectors left unused for a long time (say because of some other LPG fault) can become stuck. They may respond to cleaning in that case. But you might then find out there's something else up too.

Maybe look around for an LPG specialist to see what's what.

[Pali]

To be honest I bought it like this.
When I test drove it, it seemed fine.
It was he next day I realised the gas wasn't working!
I think it may have been sitting there for about 10 months.

I have spoken to CRD performance in bolton who do an injector pack, so may just get that fitted as an alternative. It's just that I'm in walsall, so it's a bit of a trek.

[Gilbertd]

Speak to Edward at http://www.mobileautomotivesandlpg.co.u ... rvice.html, he's mobile and has plenty of experience with the Ford factory fit systems.

[Pali]

Got the van sorted today

Had the injectors changed from lpg cars in coventry.
Van is driving good now.
The only thing is the petrol needle when in gas has stayed on full even after I have driven 50 miles? !?!
Does it come down slowly or is it that good on lpg???!!
This is the first time owning a lpg connect van so not sure.
I'm just glad I got it sorted

[Brian_H]

The petrol would usually only be used when either first starting, or when you have run out of gas. Easiest way to tell is fill the tank, use it for a couple of days then try to fill it again and see how much it takes!

Generally (for the most part, and certainly on any "factory fitted" system) it will only use one of the fuels not both simultaneously.

[Gilbertd]

I have a feeling that the standard fuel gauge reads the gas level when running on gas and the petrol level when on petrol on those systems. If it is using a standard tank and level sender, they are never particularly accurate and are often only a 4 or 5 contact strip rather than a continuously variable resistor. So you may find it will sit at full for a while, then suddenly drop to 3/4 and so on.

Or it might just not work.....

[Pali]

Right....

The needle seems to be working fine now, which I'm happy about.
The only thing is I don't seem to be getting much miles from a full tank?!?!
I only got 240 miles and made sure it was empty!
This was with some town driving but mainly motorway driving at 70mph.
It took 43 litres of lpg when I filled up

Anyone know what the average would be?
I was expecting at least 300 miles to the tank.

Thanks for all your help so far.

[Gilbertd]

43 litres is just under 10 gallons (1 gallon = 4.54 Litres) so you are getting around 25 mpg. That sounds pretty good to me for something the size of a Transit, but with the price differential between petrol and LPG you have the cost equivalent of roughly 45 mpg. A lot of people see LPG vehicles advertised where someone will say, does 50 mpg when they actually mean that it costs the same as if it was doing 50 mpg on petrol. You'll use slightly more LPG that you do petrol but the saving is in the price difference.

[lpg-cars]

The Transit Connect was factory fitted with a Necam Koltec system using the same injectors as fitted to Vauxhalls etc although the mounts are different.

We have a specially developed kit to allow the injectors to be replaced without having to recalibrate the ECU which is impossible without the correct equipment.

I'm glad to hear Pali is another happy customer who didn't have to buy a new front end just because his injectors failed.

The injector kit is £295 + vat and fitting costs vary between £60 and £120 depending on the engine etc.

[LPGC]

The Transit Connect was factory fitted with a Necam Koltec system using the same injectors as fitted to Vauxhalls etc although the mounts are different.

Some have the Necam Koltec system but some have the liquid injection system...

Simon
www.Lpgc.co.uk