High mileages

[Gilbertd]

There's been a bit of discussion in one of the threads on here about the sort of mileages that some cars have done on gas and i think I've got one to add to the list. My LSE currently has 186,000 miles on the clock and has just been sold. I've told the new owner that I will supply him with the cable and software for the LPG system and have just been having a play around with it and getting it ready for him to collect tomorrow. The LPG system is a Lovato LovEco system which is yet another lambda controlled single point controller, although not a re-badged Leo this time! When I first got the car it had what I assume to be the original Lovato vaporiser on it which was not up to the job. Anything over a third throttle and the actuator climbed to it's maximum opening and the lambda sensor still said it was running lean. The previous owner had been switching to petrol to overtake and thought that everyone with an LPG converted car had to do that, it's just one of the minor downsides to cheap motoring was how he looked at it. I knew better and replaced the vap for a secondhand R90E I had laying around and all has been perfect since. As I've not looked at it for a while (it hasn't been used in over a year) I've just checked the settings to see what they are like and noticed that the Lovato software shows engine run hours. 2086 hours!!! If that is at an average of 50mph, that's over 100,000 miles! Now I've no idea when it was first converted but I reckon that's pretty good going by anyone's standards.

[antimony]

An average of 50mph might be a bit high. In my previous job with a 35 mile commute each way (33 miles on m-way) my average was just over 40mph according to the OBC. I was expecting it to be closer to 70mph!

[Gilbertd]

It probably is but the previous owner was a professional musician who used it to transport a keyboard around the country from gig to gig and I used it mostly to tow a car transporter trailer around Europe. So a lot of the more recent mileage has been long distance, high speed journeys, it would cruise at 75-80mph (on the French Autoroutes where you can legally do it) with a couple of tonnes or more attached to the back. It would still do 200 miles on 60 litres of gas too! Not bad for a 4.2 litre V8 pulling a total weight of nearly 6 tonnes.

[Brian_H]

I've got 220k on a factory fit necam Mondeo which is still working engine wise (just needing a replacement clutch and few other bits doing). Again not on the original vaporizer though.

[DodgeRover]

182k on a 55 plate combo van, LPG hasn't been touched in last 55k don't know about before that but knowing the previous owner i doubt it.

[mat_fenwick]

156k miles on a 1996 Discovery V8. Unknown single point system fitted at 12k miles in 1997, replaced by a BRC Just Heavy system at ~70k miles in 2003. That was in turn replaced (by me!) with an OMVL Dream XXI system at 142k miles in 2011. No engine work has been required yet although given the life expectancy of RV8 camshafts I expect it's probably needing one soon...

This confirms that engines stay cleaner internally with LPG!



And interestingly it's still on the same Magnecor HT leads fitted with the LPG kit in 2003.

[Gilbertd]

I'll agree with that. This is the inside of my P38 engine.



The more astute of you may be wondering why there is a piece of head gasket material laying in there, well, here's where it came from.....



However, since rebuilding it and using a stud kit rather than the stretch bolts, it's been fine. In fact, it's done 450 miles since yesterday morning and clocked over 270,000 yesterday afternoon!

[gasbo]

370,000 miles all on gas except for occasional petrol start...maestro van no flashlube because it dont need it...expensive aussie scam

[Gilbertd]

no flashlube because it dont need it...expensive aussie scam

It would be an expensive scam if someone had told you that you do need it when you don't but if you had an engine with soft valve seats, which yours doesn't have, then it would never have got to even a third of the mileage you've done. None of mine have had it because they don't need it but if I bought something with an engine that did need it, Flashlube is a lot cheaper than a head rebuild every 20 or 30,000 miles.

[Tubbs]

It always surprises me when you see the inside of engines after prolonged periods of LPG running. You can see why folks try and say that oil services can be extended. Personally I don't believe it.

[john_d]

370,000 miles all on gas except for occasional petrol start...maestro van no flashlube because it dont need it...expensive aussie scam

[classicswede]

Funny that because the A series is know as probably the worst engine for suffering guide wear and VSR when running unleaded to such a point it was chosen as the test engine by the federation of historic car clubs to test the LRP additives etc.

Perhaps his speedo was reading VERY fast and adjusting the valves every couple of weeks kept it going! The A series needs a full rebuild every 100,000 miles anyway regardless of fuel type.

[mat_fenwick]

You can see why folks try and say that oil services can be extended. Personally I don't believe it.

They way I look at it is that the oil will still degrade, just less visibly. So I keep the intervals the same, in fact a little closer when it comes to spark plugs.

[camaro]

190,000 miles on my Grand Cherokee, converted in 2002. Still runs perfectly on petrol, starts on the button, the performance on gas is a little underwhelming but I'm hoping to find someone nearish to Belfast to remedy that soon!

[Tubbs]

370,000 miles all on gas except for occasional petrol start...maestro van no flashlube because it dont need it...expensive aussie scam

[classicswede]

If you still start on petrol keep the oil change interval the same. If you run LPG only then the oil is not getting diluted so the life will be longer.

[gasbo]

370,000 miles all on gas except for occasional petrol start...maestro van no flashlube because it dont need it...expensive aussie scam

actually its how you drive that prolongs the engine...i never accelerate fast or speed much over 60mph..just nice and smooth gently does it..trouble is i seem to annoy other drivers for some reason

[gasbo]

If you still start on petrol keep the oil change interval the same. If you run LPG only then the oil is not getting diluted so the life will be longer.

about the most sensible correct thing youve said..in agreement