Conversion to LPG?

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charliecam
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Hi guys- just bought an old 1988 280GE (well someone had to) and I have been thinking of having it converted to LPG. Anyone out there with any experience in having their Wagen converted?

I would be grateful for any advice/suggestions/cautionary tales and ideally recommendations to anyone firm that I could get in touch for the conversion? Thanks. Henry

prwales
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

My experience of converting a ge280 wasn't very good, the car was an auto and would only rev on lpg at about 1200rpm it olso suffered from blow back into the air intake and this would knock off the rubber hoses that connected everything up. It may have just been a poor fitment coupled with being an auto but for most of the time I ran the car on petrol, the one plus was that I had 2 40 litre tanks underslung and lost no bootspace. If someone has had a sucessful fitment go with that as the fuel cost on a 280 is horrific.

tony.bruegger
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

Not a good idea unless you have yr own balloon gas tank + limited range if you can get it to run right...

peter perfect
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

 i had my 230 and 280 converted back in 99 for the 230 and took it off that and put it on my 280 is 2003....it was a single point system..and in those days everyone was getting on the band wagen and making botched jobs of it....i had very little issues except blow back twice on my 230, which was easy enough to repair. but all in all saved me a fortune. much the same with my 280. lpg conversions have come on in leaps and bounds now and cheaper than they were 10 years ago

IanA2
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

 I have large twin tanks in my 300GES, the tanks were put in along with a dodgy system some years ago, on purchase I had a new system put in which works well. I also have a full size petrol tank, so have a fairly good range!
From asking around it seems clear to me that you really do need a proper experienced and skilled fitter to get a trouble free system.

hus55
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

shakir ran both his 280 and 300gel on lpg. bit of a pig to get the balance right but he succeded..! best lpg station was the one in london. google them up, BATTERSEA AUTOGAS . they did wonders for him.

byw how is lpg and petrol prices in the uk these days? i have lost touch. [my 280 gel alsod had an lpg system and lpg was about 30p a litre back in 2007.]

rgds hus

peter perfect
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

£1:34 for unleaded..£0.74 for lpg

jamie waterfiel...
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

turbo diesel manual conversion for the 89 280ge , turbo diesel converison for the 91 300ge ;) its the only way for me

hus55
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

me too !

hus55
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

well its gone up over 100% in less than 5 years...

but when you compare the prices between them both lpg sounds the right move.

i would rather convert a 300ge to lpg than the 280...

intermax
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

I converted my 1989 280GE automatic to LPG a number of years go and I have to say that the conversion was troublesome.

The main problem was explosions in the inlet manifold. These had the potential for upsetting the setting of the air metering plate, making it impossible to idle on LPG or petrol. To minimise the risk I didn't do up too tightly the jubilee clips holding the assembly with the air metering plate so that, if an explosion occurred, it would just push the assembly off. I also held the air filter on with thick rubber bands so that it would yield to an explosion.

The explosions would not occur on a run but usually when first starting or pulling away from traffic lights.

Despite these precautions, the air metering plate would have to be reset with monotonous regularity and I had to develop a technique of driving back to the garage in a way that kept the revs high - going into neutral when I had to slow down or stop and keeping the revs up.

The correspondent who was wondering about putting the LPG tank in the position of the petrol tank needs to be aware that you can't rely on being able to refuel. Naturally, long journeys have to be planned with the LPG atlas but with distressing frequency one would arrive at the planned refuelling point to discover that the LPG had run out or the pump was out of action. I would ask when they had last run out of diesel or petrol but was usually met with a shrug of the shoulders.

I'm now on the look out for a diesel G. Much as I loved the 280GE I simply couldn't afford to drive anywhere in it!

 

Spider1V
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

Eeek! Sounds painful.

Can a 280GE accept a diesel engine conversion? I only ask, as if your bodywork and G is in good shape and you are happy with it, could it be used as a donner vehicle?

Just a though, as good G's are becoming harder to find.

Spider1V

G-Restorations
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

Spider1V wrote:

Eeek! Sounds painful.

"If you are happy with it, could it be used as a donner vehicle"

Spider1V

Haha  I'll have a large chicken kebab please with chilli and mayo, no shredded cabbage thanks.

Gordon O

intermax
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

That's not what I meant. I meant I would like to acquire a diesel G. Presumably, however, a 280GE could be converted to diesel with some trouble. There was a version with the 2.4 litre diesel.

johnhogg441@gma...
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Re: Conversion to LPG?

Hi - I had the same experience when I converted my old BMW 5 series - it went fine but backfired every now and then - but that bent the spindle on the MAS sensor which cost £75.00 each time.  But the conversion there was a single input type which injected the gas at the air intake end which took the gas air mixture across the engine to the carb on the other side.

I have a much better experience when I converted my petrol Vito to gas on the occasion it was a multi jet installation and all worked much better.

Would think about doing it to my G Wagen - if I coulf find someone with some experience of doing it and get some advice as you can't believe the adds.