Gas Injection Conversion Territory Ghia Turbo

[ETM]

I was 100% set on running my car on lpg injection untill I was told that it would use fuel when on boost.

I am very skeptical of any system that has a change of fuel when the power comes on like that, its asking for trouble imo

[Darf]

I find that with my Terra Turbo the throttle spends most of its time at a position that would probably have it running on LPG. I don't think that even for normal overtaking that it would flick over to Petrol. The TT has a lot of grunt even at low throttle levels. I have heard that Petrol would only kick in when you are giving it a shot of boy racer. The TT now costs me around $120 in premium unleaded to travel around 400 Ks local driving compared to my AU falcon Wagons $40 for 400 ks under the same conditions. I would imagine that my TT would cost around $50 for 400 ks on LPG if I decide to convert it to LPG. The hardest decision is still the do I convert and loose my spare wheel dilemma. Still have not come up with a satisfactory solution to this problem with my 7 seater.

[cobramad]

Well, back to the task at hand at last, work demands have put the conversion on temporary hold but these fuel prices have given me a hurry-up. It looked like the tank would have touched the rear exhaust pipe but after measuring things up, this doesnt seem like the case so time to fit it and then see if there is enough clearance. Non-Turbo exhaust is a fair bit smaller so the clearance isnt an issue. I think that a new rear section of pipe will still be necessary to keep everyone happy but initally it wont stop the rest of the job being done and the car can be driven. I have laid out the rest of the kit and will post a new set of pics tomorrow. Sorry for the delay, things are a bit flat out with our senior mechanic pulling the pin ( 40 years of working on cars tends to do that to you!!) to travel around the world. Its time to get busy even though the last car you want to work on at the end of the day is your own....

MJK

I was 100% set on running my car on lpg injection untill I was told that it would use fuel when on boost.

I am very skeptical of any system that has a change of fuel when the power comes on like that, its asking for trouble imo

I can see where you are coming from mate.. The non-turbo Terrys I have driven have a seamless sequential transition from gas to petrol and vice versa, from behind the wheel you are not able to tell when it transitions. The factory gas software simply uses a percentage of the petrol injector duty cycle and applies it to the gas that is injected, for example 100-115% and then the factory ecu takes care of the rest. Using Sniper, there is nothing stopping me from also altering spark tables to take advantage of the gas having a higher octane rating. All that will come out in the final tuning..

MJK

[TTonka]

Would the detents on the accelerator make reasonable default setting for switching? First detent through to last would seem to offer good useable performance with the second giving it the balls and all.

Either way good on ya for giving it a go and will watch with interest.

As for the spare wheel question, just an excuse to book into a room for the night if you are caught out, spend some of the savings. Am thinking of like wheeling the trailer for long trips with a couple of spares mounted on it. Have a roof top box so opens the back floor up a bit too, tie it down to the floor wrapped in a tarp.

[RHR]

Very very interesting....

[cobramad]

Latest news...

At long last Ive finally begun to fit this system. Time is always at a premium so it was well overdue and once you begin, there is no other choice but to keep on at the task at hand. I started yesterday arvo at 5pm, after scruitinising the instructions a few times, took the plunge.. The fun started early..

Diving in at the deep end, I started at the engine bay, removing the intercooler and associated piping, along with the upper plenum. I had intended removing the lower half and drilling and tapping the manifold on the bench, but time was against me! There is always a number of ways to skin a cat and as I was changing the factory spark plugs for ones with a smaller gap, specifically NGK PFR6Bs, I blew the inlet ports out by filling the appropriate cylinder with compressed air. I was impressed with the swarf that blew out despite all the care taken drilling and tapping. Despite the TGT having covered a mere 9700kms, there was a significant amount of oil in the inlet, pushed in there from the turbo. Nothing that couldnt be cleaned out easily though...

Once the injector nozzles were screwed into place, the injector blocks were prepared and short lengts of gas hose were attached and securely clamped to each outlet and nozzle. Easier said than done as the hose is tough to slip on and the hoses need to fit neatly, not being kinked or stretched. The gas harness then fits alongside the existing harness, plugs into the original petrol injector harness and piggy backs onto the gas injector blocks.. So far so good... everything going along swimmingly and not a *beep* up in sight so far.. I run the rest of the gas ECU harness into the correct spots and get the essential bits back into place, preparing the beast for the trip home and rest up for phase 2 of the installation ( Its now 1.30am and Im stuffed..)

Murphy strikes at the worst time... Without the gas ECU connected and configured, I have no petrol injector drive!!!! Dammit... Now I really have to pull finger and finish this beast off. I have purchased new King Springs all round,with the rears raised slightly to compensate for the gas tank which weighs approx 50kg empty. When I fit the tank I will slam them home and see how the ride heights compare to standard.. Well, time to rest and recuperate, tomorrow is another day fitting gas systems..

MJK

[CountryPhoon]

MJK - Your story here is getting real interesting; at 60c a litre for gas, even with using 30% more than unleaded - it becomes a very viable alternative for those of us doing a lot of ks.. The dyno part of your story, when you get there, will be especially revealing!

Cheers,

Chris

[paulie0735]

Well done, great write up. With PULP set to break through $2 by xmas LPG is becoming a real option.

Cheers

[cobramad]

MJK - Your story here is getting real interesting; at 60c a litre for gas, even with using 30% more than unleaded - it becomes a very viable alternative for those of us doing a lot of ks.. The dyno part of your story, when you get there, will be especially revealing!

Chris,

The beauty of gas injection is that there isnt a 30% penalty for using gas as opposed to petrol, in real day to day useage, it works out to perhaps 10-15%. So, the additional gas useage isnt as harsh a penalty as with older style vapour ring systems. Driveability is heaps better as well..

I had my first look at the Tartarini Gas Tuning software today.. just to get my head around the way they configure and set up their systems... So far it appears reasonably straightforward but the way they compensate for engine load is particularly interesting. If the gas injection is unable to provide a safe level of gas fuelling, the system defaults back to petrol useage, primarily to protect the vehicle, so a manual change-over back to gas fuelling is required... HOWEVER, you can also give the motor a shot of petrol to supplement the gas delivery, useful under load or perhaps as boost levels rise to the point that the gas injection alone is unable to cope... All this adjustability alone demands a session on the chassis dyno, especially if I wish to keep the motor in one piece... More info as I dig deeper into the program.

Mal K

PS. If I had connected the Gas ECU, the TGT would have started... DOH!!

[CountryPhoon]

So Mal - Any update on progress???

Cheers

Chris