I have recently purchased this truck. 1995 F-150 4.9 L6. This truck was originally bought new for the Navy ship yard in Fortnolk. I have not tried to use the propane setup yet but curious if anyone hear would know the in's and out's with this device/setup. As you can see in pictures, i removed where the natural gas would be injected into the carburetor because it restricted airflow. I will be honest, I don't really see the need for this in todays day and age but I could be wrong. Let me know what you guys think or would do, remove or keep?

 

I cant read the dash mounted control/display, but can you confirm/clarify whether this system:

? Is it setup to run on propane too, or just natural gas ?

? Was it designed to be able to automatically switch back and forth between gas and the alternate fuel(s), or are you “converting” it back to gas?

those systems are pretty expensive, if it is fully functionAl, I’d try to leave it in place. Especially if will work on propane.

 

I believe it is natural gas, not sure about propane now that you mention it. The module on the dash reads "FMS", you can switch fuel systems by the push of a button, FYI I have not tried this system yet.

It looks that this system was designed to switch back and forth. Again I DO NOT know much about this setup / system.

I have tried to lookup even the price of this system but no luck. Am i sitting on a gold mine??

 

these are just my opinions, based solely on some minimal research a few years ago, so take it with grain of salt:

- it is likely CNG, compressed natural gas, which makes filling much more complicated (or at least equip intensive) that simply plumbing in an extra line at home.

- google for CNG filling stations, if you have any hear you it might be worth it to use it or at least try it.

- for most people I don’t think it’ll have a lot of value

- the systems were quite costly, and if you can use it without disabling/ruining the capability to use someday I would certainly leave it.

? Didn’t think 95 was carb’d, and thought these systems (typically ?) used injectors? Regardless, I wouldn’t make any mods to system unless you are super confident in the changes you make.

Please update with how it goes and what you do.

 

OK, upon more research, my truck is natural gas. I have a couple CNG filling stations in south Florida. I am currently working on the body work and paint so I will not be able to drive to a CNG station to fill up just yet. I will absolutely try this system and I will make a video on it as well. I have looked online for the exact system but I found no luck. I don't think there would be any value in trying to resell this unit but I would like to put a turbo in the 4.9 motor and this natural gas system would have to be removed to do so. You are correct, what i was referring to as the carburetor is the throttle body. My motor is fuel injected. Thank you!!

 

Just me being me (and that means super cautious when I'm not informed on things), but, unless you are extremely confident with the natural gas system, I think I'd shy away from it. Filling a 26 year old natural gas system without really checking it out for leaks, etc, could be a recipe for disaster. Hmmm .... brings back memories of the 1999 Thanksgiving deep fried turkey fiasco.

 

Completely agree with being cautius about filling a system with natural gas that has not been used for 20 + years. I just thought of an idea, i can fill tank and system with compressed air to see if there are any leaks. Also, while typing this, I had the thought of filling the tank with NOS ahaha.

 

I wouldn’t even bother with compressed air. That’s a great way to blow yourself sky high with the right flammables around. Find something inert like nitrogen if you have to. Even then, that poses dangers in itself. I had a housemate years back (no, I didn’t choose him) use my dad’s air compressor to blow out the fuel tank in his ‘99 F150. I was asleep at the time and rather pissed, though glad to have my half of the house next to the driveway still standing when I realized that.

Go find someone who pressure tests propane cylinders (for forklifts, for example) and see if the tank you have is even usable. Odds are that it’s well passed its last inspection and might not be certifiable by now.

 

DO NOT put anything into the CNG system other than CNG. If you're worried about its integrity, have it inspected by someone qualified. But the CNG system was designed to be maintenance-free and safe for use on public roads, so either use it or don't.

Putting a turbo on a 4.9L is a waste of a good engine. It will NEVER be a V8. If you want a turbo truck, buy one. But that engine will run best if you just maintain it the way Ford recommends. I have 2: one with ~150Kmi & a replacement head; the other with only maintenance & replacement crankcase gaskets in its 3rd chassis and about a million actual miles. Both run perfectly, including above 100mph.

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Thank you Steve!! I will try to find a local rep. I am a heavy deisel mechanic, none of this work will be tough to do. Adding a turbo to this motor just looks fun to do while not spending much either. I guess I could buy a 5.0 and turbo that but what would the fun in that be, it would be fun to have a turbo inline 6. Ive seen some videos on youtube and they sound wicked! like a mini cummins. Also, ive seen dyno charts of the difference in HP between natural and turbo. Assuming you dont exceed 10psi of boost and keep the peak in a low rpm range, i dont see the down side.