Handbrake a mystery

[Howard]

I understand what you are saying about LPG. But according to my very rough calculations it will take approx 50,000 miles just to break even with LPG. This is based on a conversion cost of £2,500 and assuming that you maintain average fuel consumption of 4.2 Miles per litre and that LPG is only 40 pence per litre.

To be honest I doublt if I will be keeping this perticular x for that long (10,000 per year). I'm sure that I will change it before then. Not because I don't like it but simply from the age of the vehicle and yes I will be looking for another one, abit a lot younger.

Just as a foot note.
The handbrake is not very effective even when adjusted properly. This is not suprising considering the mass of the vehicle and the size of the braking area. My drive way has quite a slope and it is just as well that I have Park, saves getting the bricks out !!!!

 

[Brit Explorer]

Hi Michael,

I'm very interested in what you have to say about the LPG problems you had and would like to know more - I'm currently in the "4 months of stalling/power loss" phase and it's all getting very frustrating (infact the car is back at the installer as we speak).

Can you provide me with more details? In particular if I could find out your installers name/number I can get my installer talking to yours as mine seems to be clutching at straws a little (I may be doing him a dis-service but that's how it seems). I'd love to know which venturi plate is the right one and where exactly the water supply should be taken from.

I'm a huge fan of the LPG concept but so far I have a car that has odd driveability characteristics (ie doesn't change gear when you'd expect) and that stalls at least 3 times per short journey - At least my multi-point system never backfires though!!

Cheers for your help,

- Andy.

 

[MICHAEL PARKER]

ANDY

I have no idea how the multi point LPG system is connected, but my reducer water pipes are connected to the heater matrix feed & return pipes.
When the first instalation was complete i managed to drive 3 miles before it stalled.
The problem seemed to be when the air-con was switched on /off or selecting cold air on the temp control knob the temp of the hot water in the feed & return pipes changed and this resulted in the reducer not vapourising the LPG correctly.
From the reducer i now have 1 pipe going to the top water pipe going to the heater matrix & the second pipe goes to a water pipe that runs in front of the timing gear.
My ventury is fitted into the aluminium throttle body and acts like a mixer.
The feed LPG pipe is screwed through the throttle body into the ventury and is then mixed with the incomming air ....BUT...at the same time is reducing the air because of the thickness of the vetury wall, so there was a lot of.... thats try this one and see what happens !The company that sorted out are based in harrogate, west yorkshire they are the sole importers for Bedini who are the largest LPG parts co.
Speak to Adam on 01423 781141
Hope this helps but i think there are too many differences between the two systems

 

[Brit Explorer]

Cheers Mick - on the contrary this is useful stuff, the focus so far has been on ecu mappings and sensor failures but the aircon/heater controls affecting stalling due water temperature has not been considered.

I'll feed this back - thanks again for your help.

- Andy.

 

[mick 1836]

Just how good (or poor) is the handbrake on the Explorer?
I have owned mine one year now and when the hand brake is applied and the auto box put in park the car always moves an inch or two forward or backward depending on any incline, but it then holds,it that normal?

Those with LPG converted Explorers I had the AG Autogas SGI system fitted no problems and with LPG at 30ppl

 

[Howard]

Mick I have exactly the same situation. You have to remember that the slight movement is all the slack in the drive train until the park pawl engages in the gearbox. Certainly when I took mine for the MOT they did not comment about the handbrake although they could not test the brakes on their rolling road because of the four wheel drive and limited slip diff so they used the old accelerometer test.

 

[Brit Explorer]

LPG Update

Hi all, log time no speak.

I said I'd update you on the LPG situation on my Ex. Well after 6 months of nightmares I finally got the vehicle 98% sorted and am now pretty happy with her on LPG. She hunts a litttle at idle on a cold day (but settles down after a few minutes) and occassionally stalls just after selecting reverse - however at 38p/litre I can live with that! I reckon on my milage I'll have payback on the £2200 conversion in about another six months.

In the chancellor's pre-budget statement he said he would freeze duty on LPG until 2010 - so if you intend to keep an Ex long term (I do, I love the thing) then the LPG route is definately worth persevering with.

Incidentally my main problem was cured wjen the manufacturer of the LPG system installed an additional stepper motor (1 per cylinder bank) - this meant the gas is delivered to each cylinder with less of a delay, hence better power pick-up etc. I've also had her tuned a little and now returns 15mpg on gas (v circa 18 on petrol).

Another update when I break even!!

- Andy.

 

[briwayjones]

Originally posted by mick 1836
Just how good (or poor) is the handbrake on the Explorer?

If the emergency brakes are adjusted properly then they should hold the Explorer in neutral on just about any incline. Me and my family have had 5 Explorers and when they were adjusted right they worked good. In fact good enough to stop the Explorer while in motion. I wouldn't recommend that though, with the way they're made it probably wouldn't hold much after that.