Secret Agent Man

Is it worth it to convert a 94 F150 300i6 to propane? New I'm looking at about $3000. Used conversions are illegal in BC, and to have used serviced and re-certified is more than buying a new system.

I have 320,000 kilometers on the engine (I am 3rd owner)

dewman

I suppose you have to figure if the savings will be worth the $3,000 investment. I do not know how much propane is going for in Canada, but is it really that much cheaper than gasoline?

Secret Agent Man

Gasoline is going to top $2 p/liter by Summer. Propane might hit .80c p/liter by Aug. Currently Gas is around $1.2 to $1.3 p/liter (x3.78 for the US conversion)
propane is currently .65c p/liter...

Talking with my Mom, I think she might be right, sell the F150 and buy something smaller or something that is already converted...

onall4x4

propane is not cheap and how many places in youre area sell it for cars.from what i have heard,you dont have the same power anymore.a couple of guys in my area that did it back in the early 90's said they wouldnt do it again.

Secret Agent Man

Here in Vancouver BC, almost every gas station has Auto propane. Also go read my last post, Propane is a hell of alot cheaper than Gasoline

Second, it comes down to compression, a high compression engine, like most V8's will show a lack of horsepower, but if you already have a low compression engine like a Straight 6, then you wont notice any loss of horsepower.

the guys you know, probably figured that propane was a liquid gas, and it is only liquid when compressed, once it goes out of the tank, it becomes a flammable vapor, in which the engine it is powering, must have a lower compression rating to make it worthwhile.

L.Jimmy

Propane will destroy a vehicle! I just got back from 2 years in a 3rd world country. Most run their vehicles on propane because they cant afford gas. It DESTROYS vehicles.

Now, on the other hand , if you were just to use the truck for maybe a ranch or farm and not drive or tow that much, then you might be able to do it. Good Luck

Secret Agent Man

What destroys the vehicles in 3rd world countries, is that because propane runs so clean, no one EVER changes the oil, because they check the stick, and it is clean. When I was in Portugal, the truck we rented was propane, and it was in horrible condition. I asked the service manager when the oil was last changed.(Quando se realizava a ultima mudanca de oleo?) His reply, Oh we never have to change the oil, it never gets dirty and there for it doesnt need to be changed....

yup you dont change the oil, and it`ll destroy the engine for sure.

Secret Agent Man

Does any one actually own a Propane powered vehicle.... I know enough from my web searches. But I want to talk to people who know first hand...

ejiii

I just bought a bi-fuel 1996 F150 4.9L today. It runs on CNG. Since the engine is not designed for CNG the performance is weak. I got this truck from the USN auction. They had it converted when it was new based on all the stickers on the truck. They converted it so they could comply with a federal mandate to have a certain amount of alternate fuel vehicles in fleets of a certain size or larger. It's a hassle where I live to get CNG so I am going to remove all the CNG stuff. The tanks are heavy and one of the two tans is mounted in the bed so I will gain 2 feet of the bed back by getting rid of it!

Secret Agent Man

Compressed Natural Gas is a hell of alot different that Propane. CNG burns much like diesel, which is why CNG/Diesel conversions are much easier. My pop use to work for a company that owns a fleet of transport trucks, 95% of the trucks are running CNG, because they can get 2 to 3x the mileage from CNG as they could on Diesel.

CNG isn't really designed to be burnt like gas or propane, which is why it was weak in your truck. Even with the low compression of a 4.9L i6, it isn't low enough for CNG.