BMW 318i LPG Candidate?

[shinjukumaster]

I have an old ('95) 318i with the 8 valve engine (E36, M43B18), as a runabout. Generally, its economical, but I have some 'as new' LPG kit to hand and was wondering...

It only has 79K on the clock, and runs very well.

Any potential problems with running it on LPG?

[shinjukumaster]

I've decided to press on with converting this old tub to LPG. I'm having difficulty locating/obtaining Magnecor ignitiion leads for it. Any suggestions where to look?

And who has a who range of toroidal tanks (single/4-hole)?

[lpgelite]

Try FES Autogas for tanks. They are importers so there's no middle man's mark up.

Have a look at their tank website which has the widest range of tanks I've seen.

http://www.autogastanks.co.uk

It appears that their site is being updated at the moment, so you'd probably be best to ring them.

If you buy a tank from one of the smaller suppliers there's a good chance it will come from FES anyway.

[shinjukumaster]

Thanks Rossko, and lpgelite...

I found those sites earlier with Google , but the Magnecor suppliers did not have the product I need. I've been in touch with Autogastanks, and they seem to have what I'm looking for.

Ran into a slight problem trying to hook up my laptop to the BMW's onboard system. I got hold of a 20-pin to OBDII type connector, which I conneceted to an ELM323 (ISO9141/IWP2000). I can get a connection with Proscan software, but then it almost immediately drops out, before I can get any sensor readings. Seems to be a protocol problem of some description...

Any suggestions?

[junkcatcher]

It varies with the the right budget interface for BMW made 98 onwards it is fairly easy to get almost full dealer level access to every system on the car , 87 on you can get some access -- with access to more systems after 91 and 94 not sure how much on your car suggest you check with the guys on the BMW forums

http://www.arcadiaincar.com/ and the Alpha-bid shop on ebay might be good places to start looking.

[shinjukumaster]

Slightly off topic, but I've been preparing to do the LPG conversion, and found a crankcase breather hose that turned to putty. They are located right back against the firewall, and get heat soak. I've put in a temporary hose, and intend to replace it with silicon.

The things is, after replacing the vacuum hose, it won't idle! Engine stalls.

Any suggestions?

[shinjukumaster]

Thanks Rossko, the old hose is literally a pile of black gunge - if there was any restrictor in it (I doubt it) it must have fallen out long ago. Guess I'll take it for a long run and see if it re-learns... Would disconnecting the battery 'reset' it?

[shinjukumaster]

Spot on Rossko! It has re-learnt, and is running perfectly.

Pass the gas...