2000 GU Patrol Dual Fuel HELP/ADVICE on gas system

[leahcj89]

Hello everyone,
I have a 2000 model Patrol that is gas converted with an inco gas system. It is the 4500 ST manual. I have had the car for about six months now and tow a horse float with it. I have been very disappointed in the performance of the car both towing and general driving, and after some research I have decided that it is definitely not running properly. The fuel consumption is awful...i get about 300kms to the 90L gas tank AT BEST and the average fuel is about 270km for the tank. With towing down to 200km per tank. It runs very sluggish and has alot of trouble getting up hills. The car has a 3 inch lift kit in it also which i know can effect its power, and also has 285 33 inch tyres on it (cooper discoverers).

I would like to know if anyone could suggest a good reputable mechanic that specialises in gas systems and has experience in working with the patrols, I am in geelong area so even melbourne would be fine. I want the car tuned to run as best as it can on gas with a bit more grunt and better fuel consumption. Can anyone help??? Thanks! What does everyone else get for fuel consumption?

[NissanGQ4.2]

don't forget 2 post up an intro mate, most members won't reply 2 a question until you have intro'd urself and ur rig

[leahcj89]

how do I do this? Thanks.

[leahcj89]

Sorry figured it out! thanks!

[Bob]

I have a 98 GU 4.5l and on trips sitting on 100/110 K's i use 18.5 Litres per 100 k"s and on a recent trip towing my Jayco Dove i used 23 Litres per 100 K's
My Tank is larger than yours but for 90 Litres I would get 486 K's on a trip and 391 K's towing the Jayco.
There a couple of members from Geelong on this Forum and they might be able to help you with a Mechanic in you area

TRY THIS
http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?1757-Fuel-consumption-economy-report

[Bigrig]

Hello everyone,
I have a 2000 model Patrol that is gas converted with an inco gas system. It is the 4500 ST manual. I have had the car for about six months now and tow a horse float with it. I have been very disappointed in the performance of the car both towing and general driving, and after some research I have decided that it is definitely not running properly. The fuel consumption is awful...i get about 300kms to the 90L gas tank AT BEST and the average fuel is about 270km for the tank. With towing down to 200km per tank. It runs very sluggish and has alot of trouble getting up hills. The car has a 3 inch lift kit in it also which i know can effect its power, and also has 285 33 inch tyres on it (cooper discoverers).

I would like to know if anyone could suggest a good reputable mechanic that specialises in gas systems and has experience in working with the patrols, I am in geelong area so even melbourne would be fine. I want the car tuned to run as best as it can on gas with a bit more grunt and better fuel consumption. Can anyone help??? Thanks! What does everyone else get for fuel consumption?

Hey mate - mines a 4.2 but I get no better than around 300 around town on LPG, so I'm not surprised at your figures on a 4.5 towing. I've had some work done to mine and now get about 440 on the open road unladen out of the 90 litre tank ... Have a look at the thread regarding fuel consption figures (use the search on top right) and you might find that you are in fact lacking power for other reasons, but your consumption figures may sound reasonable comparatively. LPG burns quicker no doubt, but is half the price of petrol, so that is sort of the offset. Others will be along to offer comment soon also I'm sure.

[leahcj89]

Thanks for that, yeah i have been talking to some people and have heard of figures in between 400-450 kms per 90L, whereas the best i have gotten with mine on an open road was 300kms, i recently did a long trip with just one horse (weight would prob be around 1400kgs) and got about 190kms to my 90L tank!

[felix]

gday its felix here ive got 1998 4.5 patrol and i was getting 18 per 100 out of mine but it dropped off to about 20 returned the gas and its back to 18 now it seems to me they dont like staying in turn

[Woof]

gday its felix here ive got 1998 4.5 patrol and i was getting 18 per 100 out of mine but it dropped off to about 20 returned the gas and its back to 18 now it seems to me they dont like staying in turn

Hey Felix why don't you post up an introduction mate, so we know a bit about you and can welcome you to the forum.

[leahcj89]

Yeah mine is definitely not running very well, it would be close to 30 per 100 if u figure it out! thats really bad! I have had one mechanic say that getting a bigger mixer on the gas system could help? any thoughts on this?

[Bigcol]

I know with mine, I have to get it tuned atleast twice a year......before winter & before summer, as they put in their additives before winter, to stop it freezing, and change back before summer
mine is also tuned for performance on gas....... towing my Jayco Flamingo with aircon on I average 200Kms per 80L of gas & 200Kms on 50L of Petrol
when empty I get about 350 - 375 on gas & about 300 on petrol (mind you, I have 93Kw in gas & 96Kw in petrol)
also depends on how it was tuned, some places STILL put it to petrol then tune it, and flick it back to gas for you.......why? because they can just plug the computer in and set it to the factory spec's
disregarding completely the fact you tell them it spends 90-95% of the time in gas

just my experiance at any rate
hope you get it sorted

all you can do is ask around, and take it to several shops and hope you fine someone honest enough to do the right job for you
always take it with an empty petrol tank, but full gas tank
then check the bill for them charging you for petrol
if they did, then they didnt tune it for gas

hope this helps ????

cheers

[leahcj89]

I know with mine, I have to get it tuned atleast twice a year......before winter & before summer, as they put in their additives before winter, to stop it freezing, and change back before summer
mine is also tuned for performance on gas....... towing my Jayco Flamingo with aircon on I average 200Kms per 80L of gas & 200Kms on 50L of Petrol
when empty I get about 350 - 375 on gas & about 300 on petrol (mind you, I have 93Kw in gas & 96Kw in petrol)
also depends on how it was tuned, some places STILL put it to petrol then tune it, and flick it back to gas for you.......why? because they can just plug the computer in and set it to the factory spec's
disregarding completely the fact you tell them it spends 90-95% of the time in gas

just my experiance at any rate
hope you get it sorted

all you can do is ask around, and take it to several shops and hope you fine someone honest enough to do the right job for you
always take it with an empty petrol tank, but full gas tank
then check the bill for them charging you for petrol
if they did, then they didnt tune it for gas

hope this helps ????

cheers

Thanks for that, yes some good info there! yes i just need to find somebody honest enough thats the thing! I have only had it tuned once since i bought it six months ago and im pretty sure they did nothing to it! I couldnt notice a difference anyway

[Bigrig]

Yeah mine is definitely not running very well, it would be close to 30 per 100 if u figure it out! thats really bad! I have had one mechanic say that getting a bigger mixer on the gas system could help? any thoughts on this?

A bigger mixer may help, but I'd be sussing other things first. You need to do some form of measurement with no weight on board and not towing to get a true picture of what you're burning. Mine was definitely doing around 30 litres plus around town when I got it, but now is down in the early 20's through some good work done by a gas specialist - hard job finding a decent mechanic!! O2 sensors, valve clearances, mix, timing etc are all areas to be looked at. Gas burns quicker and harder under load than petrol and even though you may end up with a patrol getting 400 plus from a 90L tank of LPG on the open road, you can throw this all away once you put heavy load on it. Open highway I get under 20L per hundred on gas and about 16-17 on petrol, but laden, the gas number blows out to 23-24 easily (if not more) and petrol around 18-20.

I may have missed it, but where are you located? Someone on here should be able to recommend someone decent to at least give it a proper once over.

Good luck with it - persevere is all I can say - I did, and I'm stoked with the outcome. I added a snorkel and a new exhaust with extractors, but considering I'm getting about 8 litres per hundred better economy now, that adds up pretty quick for a return on investment (20,000 k's per year equates to about $1200 saving on gas prices alone let alone petrol cost).

[Ted]

Hey Bigrig, just out of interest what did the new exhaust system with extractors set you back?
Dont worry about labour costs as I dont mind doing that myself and a 4" lift makes it alot easier too hehe :)

[Bigrig]

Hey Bigrig, just out of interest what did the new exhaust system with extractors set you back?
Dont worry about labour costs as I dont mind doing that myself and a 4" lift makes it alot easier too hehe :)

Not sure mate - will drag out the receipt tomorrow, but it was just on $1300 fitted (not sure what the labour component is).

[Ted]

Cheers mate, after talking to a mechanic mate he claimed it was good for some extra power and a bit better on fuel consumption too. You noticed much of the above? I guess what im asking is, was it worth it?

cheers, Ted

[Bigrig]

Cheers mate, after talking to a mechanic mate he claimed it was good for some extra power and a bit better on fuel consumption too. You noticed much of the above? I guess what im asking is, was it worth it?

cheers, Ted

Worth every penny - definite improvement in consumption, but not so much in power as such. The big area of improvement for me was the torque. Being able to hold tall gears when at a hundred and starting to climb a hill as example - previously it would gradually loose the fight in a high gear and look to drop down - now it holds it and is punchier when I put the boot into it at speed.

Only my opinion, but if you're doing the miles (probably not worth it if you're only doing short distance travel every week) then money well spent. With the exhaust replaced and the other tweaks (O2 sensor, valve clearances for gas, timing, etc) I'd be getting at least 6-7 lph better than when I got it, and at an average petrol price of say $1.60 at best when I go on the trip next year (just on 6000 klms) that equates to at least $576 fuel saving on that trip alone (let alone the 25,000 klms average I do a year) - the work is paying for itself for mine!

That all said - the 4.2 petrol will be getting replaced in a few months with an LS1 ... more power, and less fuel again!!! Yip yah!!!! LOL

[Ruby]

I had LPGAS1 install my system at Lilydale in VIC and Newgas in Tarren Point in Sydney have done my installation. LPGAS1 have cars from as far a Newcastle sent down to them. They are supposedly leaders in both traditional and new gas technologies. Brian Newgas is a small operation and is very honest and willing to help out.

I found that the filter in the gas system to produce the most trouble. I have received dirty gas from particular stations time and time again. Also you will find that out side the metro area ( I think that in NSW that is Bateman Bay, the LPG has a far high level of propane ( you will see the price jump up significantly - but also the performance). Fuel standards are quiet open as you can see from the link (http://www.environment.gov.au/atmosphere/fuelquality/publications/pubs/lpg-fuel-quality-standard-discussion-paper.pdf). Setting the gas system to too rich, provides even less power and less economy. I would give the most tiniest tweak to my fuel mixture nut to get just enough power for max economy, found that it was very, very temperamental, a tweek of what seem like a thou would make a significant difference ( and I'm sure that most mechanics don't have the time to much around to that level (back and forth0. I also tried a Finer Filter (oil impregnated one that you are supposed to clean out yourself) and found that did the most damage to my economy. Also found the tappers not be done for LPG also affected my gas. I put Genie Headers on my old GQ and saw a significant power increase, therefore my foot wasn't so heavy and made a real difference as well.

Had knew two old mechanics (twins) who both had GQ SWB patrols both on GAS. Their different driving style would see on getting over 500km and the other getting under 400km, so it is always very subjective on how many KM you should get, but it is always frustrating. Might start a new thread for LPG milage just for the fun of it.

[Bigcol]

Hey Bigrig, just out of interest what did the new exhaust system with extractors set you back?
Dont worry about labour costs as I dont mind doing that myself and a 4" lift makes it alot easier too hehe :)

I know I brought my Extractors from ebay - not sure of the link, but I think they were about $400
then got them and a new 2 3/4 exhaust fitted by local exhaust place - approx - $500 all up
and the power gain - whoa there nelly
as Bigrig said, it could hold the tall gears a lot longer than before, rev'd smoother and easier
but again, I always forget to do the fuel consumption figures - but it is a lot better

cheers

[falcon]

Good LPG info thank guys