subaru lpg conversions

[MUDRAT]

since when has the government ever given 2 grand away without getting it back...

What's the Baby Bonus up to now?

It's all quite simple really - Australia is not a global competitor when it comes to fuel gas supplies - we are the global entity in fuel gasses. This is a fuel that can not only run Australia's industry and vehicles but more than double our GDP. It's the next Merino Wool, Weipa Bauxite or BHP Steel.

Why not run our cars on it? So what if they tax it a few cents? By the next financial year we'll be paying $2.00 per litre for Premium Unleaded. Even if I'm paying $0.80 a litre for gas I'm going to be a happy chappy.

[subanator]

it is more than a thought...there is a fella out there that has done lpg vapour injection on a Falcon 4.0?, the vapour injectors are on the underside of the manifold (maybe it's a V8 ?) and it switches seemlessly between the two fuels depending on the demands !!

As I understand, the standard Gas manufacured Falcon "egas" is not as clever as some of the other factory setups, like the latest gas Magna is using the latest "multipoint" gas setup, and reportedly has little power loss.

I dont think I would consider converting my old Subies to LPG, cos they are that old anyway, the wont hold any resale and being a small 4 cyl, its liveable economy, even my EA82T is more economical than the Ea81 I have.
I would consider it on a newer car like the wifes car, a 3.5L Magna, and yes it also stuffs up the wagon space, and the donut tank option doesnt offer much range.........going to chew on that one.

[BaronVonChickenPants]

What's the Baby Bonus up to now?

How much income tax are they going to potentially reap in 20 years time with all these people having babies just for the money, then again I wouldn't be surprised if more than half of them just sat on the dole in 20 years and screwed up the whole master plan.....end rant, back on topic.

I have heard from a few sources that they intend to increase the tax/excise on gas until the price matches that of standard fuel, I agree that done correctly a pure gas conversion will mean minimal performance difference but the time and cost IMO is barely with it, unless of course your running a v8 or something exceptionally thirsty.

My personal preference and goal is going to be an electric conversion, larger upfront cost but much lower ongoing costs.

My biggest question in this whole "were running out of fossil fuels" situation is: ok we have some alternatives like biodeisel for trucks, buses, trains, cars even ships, the odd electric vehicle, even a hybrid electric biodiesel vehicle has potential BUT what the hell are they doing about the aircraft?!?!?!

Sorry if this is a little bit of a tangent, feel free to smite this post if neccesary.

Jordan.

[El_Freddo]

I found this while cruising the databases in the library, sorry its so long, and if it deems to be moved, pls do so and let me know. Cheers, Bennie:

Copyright Australian Associated Press Pty Limited Aug 8, 2006
By Doug Conway, Senior Correspondent

SYDNEY, Aug 8 AAP - Government MPs seem hell-bent on finding a viable alternative to petrol before the world supply runs out, or before the next federal election, whichever comes first.

Ethanol, bio-diesel, LPG, hydrogen - all have been bandied around Canberra this week as the bowser price of petrol threatens $1.50 a litre, with dire warnings of much worse to come.

The urgency and scope of the MPs' search has been directly proportionate to voter anger at pump prices, even though the government can do precious little about the ever-spiralling cost of imported oil.

On top of seven successive interest rate rises in four years, however, the government is well aware that voters may still vent their rage at the ballot box.

Petrol has replaced the work-versus-family struggle as the nation's "number one barbecue stopper", MPs acknowledged as they returned from their winter break.

Family First senator Steve Fielding accused the government of being "drunk on petrol", an observation given credence as MPs advanced all manner of alternatives to a finite resource which experts say will be depleted inside 50 years.

Pigs might fly, some pollies seemed to suggest, so long as they do so on something other than petrol.

So what are the alternatives?

* Among the most successful so far is a clear, sweet liquid called CH3CH2OH, which you can also splash on your body in aftershave or perfume.

ETHANOL, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol, is already used in many service stations in blends of up to 10 per cent with petrol.

Some government MPs want it made more widely available to keep a lid on escalating fuel costs.

Its makers say ethanol is cheaper and cleaner than petrol.

Because it is produced from plants - mainly wheat though also sugar cane, corn and other vegetable matter - it is considered a renewable fuel.

But it requires a huge acreage to produce crops for fuel, leading some experts to suggest it could only ever account for up to one-third of Australia's needs.

The mixture of ethanol and gasoline is known as "gasohol" in the US, where one billion gallons are blended every year.

* BIODIESEL is another biofuel, utilising animal fat or vegetable oil with diesel to expand the fuel supply.

It produces less carbon monoxide than regular diesel, experts say, but more nitrogen oxide, which helps create smog.

* BIOMASS-TO-LIQUID fuels use whole plants, including waste or garbage, meaning they requires less land, but are more expensive to produce.

* LPG or liquid petroleum gas can save the average motorist around $30 a week or $1,500 a year. The down side is that it costs around $3,500 to convert your car. That up-front cost can be recouped in a couple of years, and some MPs also want to offer motorists $1,000 to switch over. But another spanner in the works is that LPG currently attracts an excise tax exemption which is due to run out in six years.

* HYDROGEN can be obtained from natural gas, coal, nuclear and even solar power. A CSIRO device can extract enough hydrogen from water to run a car for up to 150 kms a day. Three Perth buses are currently trialling hydrogen power, according to WA Liberal backbencher Wilson Tuckey, but detractors say the process is very expensive and could be 20 years away from full development.

* ELECTRIC cars were once touted as the planet's saviour, but consumers have been slow to embrace the idea, and establishing networks of battery charging centres has proven a big obstacle.

* COAL-TO-LIQUID fuel is the result of converting coal into a gas which is purified and then made into liquid, but the process carries environmental concerns about waste treatment and disposal.

*OIL SANDS are in plentiful supply in the western hemisphere but the oil is expensive to produce and the two methods of getting it both have environmental costs.

Strip mining lays bare massive tracts of land, and on-site mining requires vast amounts of water and a fuel supply such as natural gas to produce steam.

* Many Australians, meanwhile, continue to call for improvements to one form of mass transport which requires no petrol at all - trains.

And some suggest the time is ripe to popularise two other means of petrol-free transit - foot and bicycle - and in the process help solve the nation's looming obesity crisis.

AAP dc/sp

08-08 1605

[MUDRAT]

That's a good post, thanks for putting it up.

The only thing in there that leads me to question it's validity are the words "Wilson Tuckey". [j/k]

[Gannon]

Did anybody see the segment on "Beyond Tomorrow" (channel 7/Prime wed nights 7:30pm) a few weeks ago where Brazil runs something like over 80% of their cars on Ethanol. They have been using it for 20 odd years.
It shouldnt be that hard to convert to ethanol, just have a self lubricating fuel pump and neoprene fuel lines. And ethanol air/fuel ratio runs a lot richer than petrol, closer to 9:1 i think.


Also,... my uncle said that somebody told him that a LPG car can run on natural gas. It just runs at a different mixture, much like how you have two sets of jets that come with your oven when you buy it. Rejet your LPG carb an pay about 8c/lt.

There are plenty of options out there for alternative fuels, which one are we gonna choose?

[fredsub]

Also,... my uncle said that somebody told him that a LPG car can run on natural gas. It just runs at a different mixture, much like how you have two sets of jets that come with your oven when you buy it. Rejet your LPG carb an pay about 8c/lt.

There are plenty of options out there for alternative fuels, which one are we gonna choose?

theres not much said about compressed natural gas......for obvious reasons...like it doesn't have the same taxes on it.
But damn, you'd be silly putting it in a LPG tank...you really need gas bottles to store a useful amount.

As for plenty of options of alternatives ? I don't think there really is..theres mostly LPG and then Hydrogen.
The Bio alternatives don't stack up with the required mass quantities needed - and theres a huge downside - overuse of land, pressure for overuse of fertilizers, pollution etc,etc....water use....is there any WATER?.....and theres always less aridable land available...
yes yes, Brazil...but look how much land they keep clearing, and any controls on overuse of land? none i bet.

hehe, 60min has now aired this "doom"....in 15years? hmm, actually my speculation is +35yrs......but then govts may step in much earlier and "in the national interest" keep it to themselves - eg to run the military takes a huge amount of oil resources.

[steptoe]

CNG is just that - compressed natural gas. It ain't compressed far enough to be a liquid to allow economical storage, it is semi gas semi liquid state (if you can get that chemically).For automotive use it is already under higher pressure than lpg in cars and uses smaller diameter bottles for that reason. You'd need to swap bottles at least !

Valve seats
have read engineer stating that all alloy/aluminium heads use hardened valve seats (stellite) which is what cast iron heads get eventually when the heads go in for service when running on lpg or now super is gone , ulp.

do hear of some commercial vehicles carrying big loads all the time , burning out valves and stuffing valve guides