lpg and valve problems

[sparky2008]

hi everyone, im buying a 03-05 plate zed in the not so distant future and ive seen one or two with lpg conversions, my question is the one i saw with the prins conversion and valve care system on it would the valves actually be ok or are they just total cr*p and do more harm than good? also would it not be just as easy to replace/upgrade the valves? i know some of you are gonna say why are you buying a zed and looking at lpg and my answer is because i wana zed and wana run it abit cheaper with the amount of miles i do each week, were talking 330 miles a week so the saving would be worth it.

[Mark@Abbey m/s]

The trouble with LPG is has no lubrication within the gas where as Petrol does , so running LPG can/will cause issues with valve guides etc etc , I know that LPG fitting agents say they dont have any issues but this is what I have picked up from other people that have run the Gas.

 

I presume the valve care system will just inject oil just like a 2 stroke does for lubrication.

 

It also seems to make the valve seats work hard so therefore wear out and any work on a Zed motor requires a motor out job evnt o remove the cylinder heads, you can strip the front covers off int he car but it is PITA.

 

LPG does have a higher octane rating the super unleaded thou, so it could make more power if tuned correctly.

[sparky2008]

yeah the valve care system injects some sort of oil to lubricate them, just wondering if anyone has any experience with the prins setup. dont wana spend all that money on a zed just to mess it up

[Shinjuku]

Mate one of the leading garages specialising with the car has just said, politely, that he does not think is a good idea and has explained the difficulties in addressing the wear issues in the context of the zed. He's not said that its doomed to immediate failure though.

 

What more do you want?

 

I suspect you want someone to tell you that particular system is fine has none of the issues normally associated with lpg and will run great on your car over the long term saving you a fortune in fuel costs. You might have someone do that, but I suspect they will not have the knowledge of Mark.

 

Its a risk sum for you now. Do you want to play conservative on the basis of the view of an expert or take a chance and see if it works out.

 

For my amateur two p - I've seen a few people fit lpg to performance cars during my years on car forums. They seem to have engine problems eventually. Maybe its a coincidence.

 

Shinjuku

 

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Edited January 9, 2013 by Shinjuku

[sparky2008]

one of the most recommended lpg kits out there that people on this forum recommend for lpg conversions is the prins kit and there offering the valve care setup which lubricates the valves and eliminates the problem so all i was asking is if anyone on this forum has experience with the valve care kit and if it actually works or if it just slows the ware down as every post ive read on here about lpg is saying about the valve ware but not one thing about the care kit prins install.

 

 

ValveCare

 

Developed to provide solution for increasing numbers of engines which are affected by valves and valves seats when using LPG.

Petrol, as a fuel, includes additives which protect & coat valves and valve seats however this addititive is not found in LPG fuel. Therefore some engines are not suitable for LPG conversion unless a solution is available, for this Prins have the Valvecare system and the benefits include:

• Applicable on all engines equipped with a Prins system
  
• Always the correct dosage of ValveCare additive based on the actual LPG/CNG consumption
  
• Economical consumption of additive due to its correct dosage
  
• Decreases valves and valve seats’ wear
  
• Fully automatic operation
  
• Also applicable for turbocharged engines
  
• Optimal performance, even on heavy loads
  
• Equal dosage of ValveCare additive over all cylinders through the unique dosing unit
  
• Buzzer of Prins system will sound when running out of ValveCare additive
  

[M13KYF]

as said, if abbey say its not a good idea, I would take there advice.

 

Read of past issues with LPG on the zed so I wouldnt use it

[ChrisS]

one of the most recommended lpg kits out there that people on this forum recommend for lpg conversions is the prins kit and there offering the valve care setup which lubricates the valves and eliminates the problem so all i was asking is if anyone on this forum has experience with the valve care kit and if it actually works or if it just slows the ware down as every post ive read on here about lpg is saying about the valve ware but not one thing about the care kit prins install.

 

 

ValveCare

 

Developed to provide solution for increasing numbers of engines which are affected by valves and valves seats when using LPG.

Petrol, as a fuel, includes additives which protect & coat valves and valve seats however this addititive is not found in LPG fuel. Therefore some engines are not suitable for LPG conversion unless a solution is available, for this Prins have the Valvecare system and the benefits include:

• Applicable on all engines equipped with a Prins system
  
• Always the correct dosage of ValveCare additive based on the actual LPG/CNG consumption
  
• Economical consumption of additive due to its correct dosage
  
• Decreases valves and valve seats’ wear
  
• Fully automatic operation
  
• Also applicable for turbocharged engines
  
• Optimal performance, even on heavy loads
  
• Equal dosage of ValveCare additive over all cylinders through the unique dosing unit
  
• Buzzer of Prins system will sound when running out of ValveCare additive
  

 

And when your engine is fubared in XXX months time.................Are they going to pay for the re-build ? :shrug:

[sparky2008]

very true, with what its gonna cost in the long run to replace the valves etc i think i will just stick to a non converted one, thanks for the advice guys, hopefully soon i will be uploading pics of it

[Dblock]

I spoke to prune a while back. They said they have done a few 350zs and they have as they explained why they where hard. Give them a phone and see.

[sparky2008]

i emailed horsepowerfreaks.com about the problem yesterday and today got this reply

 

Hey Mark,

 

Im not particularly sure on the issues that are commonly found in propane converted engines. I would say if its an issue of heat I would use a stainless intake valve and an Inconel exhaust valve.

[rtbiscuit]

I think There were 2 on here over the last few years and from memory both blew up. I believe the zed engine doesn't like lpg as much as some v8s do.

[Aliensurfer]

I had an LPG Vectra Estate, factory fitted (Well, technically after market as Vauxhall didn't fit them themselves but outsourced it) but anyway. While the cost was obviously very good (LPG was 35p a per at the time) I had all sorts of problems with it. From trying to find someone local to service it, to engine problems, LPG cutting over to petrol at random times, blocked valves, all sorts. In the end I just gave up and traded it in for the Saab 93 chug chug.

 

I'm sure the technology has improved since then, but I'd be really reluctant to convert anything after my experiences. You've also got to do a lot of miles to make the cost of conversion pay off.

[Aliensurfer]

oops, double post

Edited January 9, 2013 by Aliensurfer

[Dblock]

I think There were 2 on here over the last few years and from memory both blew up. I believe the zed engine doesn't like lpg as much as some v8s do.

 

Japanese cars in general don't like log because of the hard valves, or is it soft valves.

[Shinjuku]

No car likes it if you drop a big hard log in the tank...

 

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Edited January 9, 2013 by Shinjuku