2006 ML350 with LPG Conversion

[tflda38]

Hello,

I have just bought a 2006 ML350 with LPG conversion and was looking for some advice.

I was told that I needed to keep the heating temp around 17deg to ensure circulation of the coolant through the LPG vaporizer would turn the liquid to gas. This was fine when I picked the car up 10 days ago as the weather was around 12degs and dull.

However for the last few days when the temp has been up at 16 the car is stuttering and the MIL comes on and stalls on gas. The LPG vapouriser is covered in frost and so no circulation has been taking place of the heating fluid. I had to have the heaters on 20degs before the car would run on LPG.

Does this sound right to anyone. The garage say that it is ok and that is the only way they could do the installation!!


I am concerned that during our holidays to france we will need to have the heaters on at 30degs or that LPG will be no use.

I am really concerned about this and thinking of rejecting the car....any thoughts on this?

thanks
Trevor

 

[chinamanuk]

I used to drive a range rover with LPG installation. It will not run LPG until the engine is warmed up every run.

In winter when temp drop below 10 it does take long time for LPG to kick in but I don't remember cabin need to be very hot for it to run. Range is know to have over heating engine problem so I always have heater on full blast anyway.

 

[Vlad]

Having run a number of Discoverys on gas, I would always start on petrol and once upto temp, I would then flick over to gas. Never had a problem.

One thing you can do to check the quality of the installation is to check that the vapouriser is not located higher than the top of the top radiator hose...it should always be located at a lower height.

 

[Borys]

On modern systems you don't have to do anything My audi runs on lpg. Automatically starts on petrol when cold and as soon as temp reaches 30 switches to lpg (switch over temp can be adjusted)
Surely your install is not correct
You more then welcome to come around and see how audi operates

 

[Uberwagon]

Are you saying the cars cabin heater is what is keeping the LPG system at a useable temp?

Dave!

 

[MBDevotee]

That is a crap install...

Modern installs (and if it's on a 2006 it's "modern") Automatically start on petrol. They don't switch over until the water is at approx 30-60 degrees (30 is very very low tbh) and then the vapouriser won't freeze. If the vapouriser is freezing, the water flow through it is either not sufficient or not hot enough. On a cold winters morning LPG switch over should be within 3-4 miles - on a warm summers day, less than a mile.

Sounds like you've been told a pile of carp to me? Does the car start on Petrol or Gas? Is it a multipoint or single point conversion? (Simple way to tell - multipoint will have an injector for each cylinder plumbed into the manifold whereas a single point will have one injector plumbed into the manifold much farther up the line before the manifold splits off.

 

[renault12ts]

OP asks question on 21st April...and never comes back to read the answers!

 

[MBDevotee]

Rejected the car perhaps?