LPG Discussion Forum

Hi guys, had a search but can't seem to find any info on it, only a partial match which is applied to Aircooled stuff.

What I'm trying to see is available is some kind of low power pre heater or combined heater for the reducer, we all have to run on petrol till the reducer is at a minimum of 30degrees, my issue is that my old bus takes 10 mins to get to that temp, infact just the right amount of time it takes to drive to work, so I'm just turning in to the ind estate as it switches over.

My bus is terrible on petrol about 12-15 to the gallon on a good warm day , when cold between 8 and 12, however on gas I get double that mileage about 25, don't know why, but that's the way these old t4 2.5 engines seem to work.

So what I am after or wondering if it is available, and if not , why not. Is a reducer with built in heater that warms up to 30degrees until the water temp reaches 30 then it turns off the heater,

I know you can get engine pre heaters that warm the whole system but I couldn't use this as I don't have a drive. This would work off the cars 12v system

Is anything available ??

Problem is the temp needs to be set to get past cold start enrichment on petrol (the gas doesn't need this and the ecu can't tell if its being added or not, the temp is there as a way of monitoring that as it wouldn't run nicely until the cold start enrichment (electronic choke) has finished.

Are you sure your thermostat is working properly? it may be that the amount of coolant in the system on your "bus" just is a lot higher and not much you can do about it. Or maybe poor coolant flow which could be improved to help?

Thats assuming your on a sequential system at least. You haven't said either way so someone else may be able to advise differently? (i'd assume its sequential due to the temp you mention)

Hi
Thanks, it has a separate cold enrichment valve on the top of the inlet manifold that feeds all 5 cylinders at the same time this can be unplugged to stop this running, it's a KiNG sequential LPG system, but it's being run as full group.

It has a massive water system, it's a LWB VW t4 caravelle which has the normal front waterworks plus a heater matrix it the rear floor and associated pipes that run halfway up the van that bits probably 3 gallons by itself.

Thermostat and thermistors are all good and brand new, it's just such a massive water system that it just takes too long to warm up, hence my plan to not have to rely on the hot water system to heat the gas, there must be an electrically heated option to these reducers.

Also although I can force it to start on gas when cold, it's un drivable, no power and noisy.

Automods wrote:there must be an electrically heated option to these reducers.

Why? As soon as you start the engine, the warmed coolant would all be flushed away and replaced by cold from the block.

Disconnecting the cold-start injector won't stop the system trying to run rich until warmed.

Have you considered a way to encourage faster warm-up, say adding an inline thermostat to that cabin heater gubbins? There'll be a price of course, no demister probably.

Full system preheaters are available fired on fuel rather than mains electric. Eberspacher (sp?) Brilliant, set the clock and its all defrosted while you're having breakfast.

I'm with the previous poster. Turn off the interior heater and buy an electrical one that runs off the cigarette lighter, so that you're not removing any heat from the circuit during warm up. Have you tried blocking off the art flow to radiator? - that would make it heat up quicker, but be careful to leave some flow. Not ideal, but heating up the whole system electrically would probably cost a fair bit itself.

The radiator blind would help warm up time.

Does the change over need to be at 30 or will it run fine with a lower change over temp.