Clarkson Autogas - The Pollution Solution

Which vehicle are suitable for LPG conversions?

In general all petrol fuelled vehicles can be adapted to run on LPG. There are a few exceptions which are mainly some very modern vehicles which have direct petrol injection ie DGI engines. All vehicles retain their petrol system so that there is a choice of which fuel to use.

What is involved in having a vehicle converted to LPG?

The first consideration is fuel storage. A special LPG storage vessel must be fitted to the vehicle. These tanks are extremely strong and safe and can be fitted in place of the spare wheel or as a cylindrical tank in the boot. Loosing a bit of space is the only disadvantage of have an LPG vehicle - ie you'll have to loose a little to gain a lot !! An additional LPG filler is also fitted usually in the rear wing or on the tow bar bracket.

Under the bonnet the fuel control system and associated electronics are fitted. On a modern car this is usually a Sequential Vapour Injection System. On older vehicles there the traditional venturi system is still fitted. Apart from physically fitting the components , various connection have to be made: these are into the water pipes and petrol injector wiring.

Inside the car a switch is fitted, usually on the dashboard. This switch enables the driver to change between LPG and Petrol manually, although the change over procedure is automatic. Incorporated into the switch is a LPG level indicator.

The final part of the conversion is a thorough test drive. Then a check using an LPGA check list and then final certification in accordance insurance companies requirements.

Overview
Most unleaded petrol engined vehicles can be converted to run on Autogas and the cost can usually be recouped with the first year.

It is imperative that the conversion is undertaken by an LPGA Approved Conversion Specialist – which we are – this is the equivalent of the ‘Corgi’ registration for central heating engineers .

Key safety features of a conversion include systems that automatically shut off the LPG tank which the ignition is turned off, the engine stalls, or fuel pipes are damaged.

The on-board tank is also key to safety. Accordingly, all Autogas tanks are rigorously tested and designed to withstand high impact and extreme temperatures. In fact, LPG tanks can survive far greater impact than diesel or petrol tanks.

The main components and process of a conversion consist of the following:

This image shows the vehicle gas tanks which come in a variety of shapes and sizes. These are known as “Torpedo” and “Donut” tanks.	The main engine components - clockwise from left: Gas Injectors, Vapouriser Unit, Engine Control Unit.
Here we see the gas tank installed into the boot of the vehicle – in this case in the spare wheel well.	The dash board switch to alternate between gas and petrol. On this model there’s also an indicator to show how full the tank is.
The refuelling point at the rear of the vehicle which is usually situated near the existing petrol point.	After all the components have been fitted, the LPG system is calibrated and tuned to fully integrate with the standard engine control unit.

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