LPG Conversion (another newbie)

[tlongy2001 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close tlongy2001]

I have the 2003 V6 Prado with the plastic intake manifold. I am looking to get it converted to LPG. The mechanic has told me i am looking at about $4800 due to the plastic intake. (as opposed to $3600)


I dont really know much about the conversion and cant seem to find much literature about converting this particular model other than this site.

Not being overly mechanically minded I also dont realy understand whether they replace the plastic manifold or install a completely different type of system.

I am living in Geraldton WA (400ks north of perth WA)

I have read through the other pages and only found one mention of the plastic manifold issue.

can anyone tell me a little about whats required and or recommend a gas fitter either in Gero or down in perth.?

[chesty Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close chesty]

I have the same 2003 V6 Prado and I had it converted to LPG (Tartarini System) 8 months ago. It is not the intake manifold that is plastic, that is the intake surge tank. The intake manifold that mounts onto the heads is alloy. The SGI Injectors are tapped into the alloy manifold near the fuel injectors.
Mine cost $3750 and it is a great system. I live in Melbourne so I don't know of any installers in Perth.

[tlongy2001 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close tlongy2001]

Gas

Yeah, $3750. the local dealer here and in perth are quoting $4900. I would imagine because we get the extra $1000 from the Govt they all put an extra $1000 on the price.

I spoke to a guy this arvo who told me I need the Sequential Gas Injection system, not the Tartarini and he quoted $5100.

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

Tartarini is the sequential one.
http://www.globalautogas.com.au/apache2 ... o-lpg.html

Another one I would recommend is this one:
http://www.parnell.com.au/index.php?opt ... &Itemid=41

[GXL05 Member Find all posts View Profile Close GXL05]

hi,
thinkink of converting to lpg.. my question is should i use any
specila oil.....????
thanks..

[lawrance Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lawrance]

Whilst I've seen engine oil that's been formulated specifically for LPG on the shelves of KMart and Repco, I'm not entirely sure that these oils will be significantly superior to an alternative good quality mineral oil.

LPG tends to burn fairly clean, so even normal engine oil formulations will stay clear for longer compared to running on petrol.

Maybe the benefit of specially formulated oil for LPG is better water dispersant, or to cope with higher cylinder head temperatures, or better compatibility with the use of upper head cylinder lubes like Flashlube. But I'm just speculating here....

[lawrance Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lawrance]

One of my friends decided to book his 4.0 Grande with the 5 speed auto with the local Toyota dealer to get it gassed.

I was very impressed by the installation. The vapour sequential injection system was neatly installed with the ECU near that firewall on the passenger side and a flash lube bottle on the driver's side.

The LPG tank was mounted where the rear fuel tank used to be, and the installers adapted the petrol tank guard over the gas tank. The LPG filler was neatly installed behind the fuel flap.

All up, he was out of pocket $4400.

I thought that it was very reasonable and the fit and finish could not be faulted.

I can see that if the price delta between diesel and petrol continues to grow, there will be a big resurgence in V6 sales, particularly in the used market - and LPG installers will be busy again.

It's the best of both worlds - quiet petrol V6, cheap fuel, and no lost range because there is still a 90 litre tank for petrol when the 60 litres of usable LPG runs out.

[GXL05 Member Find all posts View Profile Close GXL05]

I asked my mechanic and also the guy who will do the install
for me and both said as long as i use 10w-30 semi synthetic
oil and change it every 5000 k's ( even though lpg burns cleaner
hence the oil looks cleaner at the dipstick it is also more acidic than
petrol) there should be no problems....