P38 4.6 LPG advice ????

Hi all,

i have never owned a range rover but have had freelanders and have a TD4 at the minute, but i really want a range rover.

I have been told forget the 2.5d as its too slow ? and i am on the verge of looking at some 4.6's with LGP conversions but i have never had LPG, all i do know is been told to stick with multipoint systems and auto switch if possible.

There are a couple i have seen advertised 4.6 around 120k ish full service histroy, full spec , LGP certs for conversion and saying getting around 260 miles for £50 of gas.

can any of you offer any advice on purchasing a 4.6 with conversion ?

I know about coolant checks,front footwell dampness,heads,air ride,abs pump three times and you should hear a wirring noise,etc.. so i have tried to clue myself up as much as possible on the 4.6 but any extra advice on this on the LGP conversion would be great !

If its got all the paperwork for the conversion, it would be worth trying to find out a bit about the people who fitted it.

The system need servicing, annually for mine, so check that its been maintained along with the rest of the car. make sure you can still get parts/ spares for whichever system is on, as I've heard stories about manufacturerers going tits up and no support available.

Where is the tank located, will it affect what you want to do with the car. my tank is located in the spare wheel well, so I keep the boot but have no spare. I prefer this option to losing half the boot space to an LPG tank.

Give the car a good run on gas, I can't detect any change in performance when it switches and the temp gauge doesn't move either on gas. Some seem to run hotter, but I don't think they should as the cooling system is big enough to cope.

If its a fully sequential system check it comes in when it should, engine warm and usually 2000 rpm is the trigger points. The control switch should let you change between gas and petrol whenever you want, make sure it does.

It seems you've done your homework on the car so you should easily spot if the gas system doesn't seem right.

hey thanks dorset ! good advice, just thought you could get spares no probs ? so it all depends on the brand of system ?

yeah i would need the tank in the wheel well as got a big dog ! bullmastiff, its just that most have warned me off the range rover as having too many problems ? but i'm trying to keep an open mind ! just trying to stick to FSH, lowish miles (as lots have done 160k plus !) and overall condition.

my mother in law had a 2001 2.5dhse and loved it but my brother and my dad drove it and siad it would get on my nerves as it was so slow ? hence why i have switched to the 4.6 , is the 4.0 any good ? like the idea of driving it local on petrol and then gas for the work etc..

Hi

I've just pruchase a 99 4.6 hse and had it converted. I payd to have it done for me by the garage i bought the car from. I went for the 99 spec Thor engine model with the revised spec, updated interoir etc.. Highly recomend the 4.6. Very impressed with the gas. Mine changes at 1500 rpm when the engine has reached 28C. Cannot feel the change, the engine will rev to the red line in Sport mode without any hickup. 85 ltr tank in the boot/ spare wheel.
It costs me £36 to fill up but at the moment with the weather i am using more petrol, under £6 a week

I paid a litte more for this but i think it was well worth it.

Just a quick note, i have a 2000dhse and agree it WAS slow but last week fitted a powerbox i purchased of egay for £125 took 20mins to fit it and what a difference !! 160bhp and its a totally different beast.
Cheers

"onyx" well you have really thrown a spoke in my thought process !!!

160bhp is plently and what it should have been anyway for a range rover diesel ! (whats the little black box called ?)

is it sucking more diesel thou ? as its around 30mpg normally ? so if its using more ? its only a bit better than a standard petrol meaning the conversion may be still the better option.

anyone done this upgrade ? can the engine take this upgrade ?

diesel ? petrol with conversion ? what should i do ?

"jay" how much was the conversion as i have thought of getting a standard petrol and having it done as its new and up to date and well should work with no issues (i.e you will have a warranty if it goes wrong)

Hi,

I have just bought a 96 4.6 HSE with multi point lpg and it is brilliant getting around the 260 miles per tank and it switches over no problems i also have the tank in the boot.

Its my first range rover and i am loving it and would reccomend the conversion to lpg only it being lpg i have had a bit of fun at garages when filling up i havent been to a garage where the pump was the same but it is all fun and i would get a thick pair of gloves to stop an potential cold burns on your hands

The Dude

Hi, bhp is normally 136 and nm270. After fitting the powerbox it changes to 160bhp and 330nm.PLENTY.
Visit STEINBAUER Tuning Technologies
or try typing powerbox on internet/ebay search as there are a few firms with web sites / dealers in this country and they guarantee the boxes have NO detrimental effect and because you dont have to floor the juice pedal all the time they reckon an increase of 3/4 mpg.

I paid £1500 fot the kit & fitting. It's one of the neatest conversions i've seen. Comes with a warranty, Cert for the insurance. It took the mechanic 3 day to fit, the labour involved was impressive.

Hi
I have a 4.6 with sequential lpg system fitted 95ltr tank in the spare and its great, my dad has an 02 2500dse with a power box fitted and it does improve it quite a bit but i wouldnt swap my 96hse for it its still too slow.
Just a question though why use petrol around town??, You only need petrol to start it up then let it switch to gas, mine is on gas all the time.
Mark

hi i am runnin a 4.6 on lpg only things to look for is fittment looks neat
and multi point is better than single (as i have on mine)you lose about
10% power on gas but not noticeable on 4.6 as is on 4.0

just had my 4.6 hse done on lpg no problems, the system on there is prins multipoint injection very neat and tidy switches over in about 2-3 mins runs a little rich at the moment (they set it up like that) will be tuned and reprogrammed in 1000 mile free by the fitter
cheers darren

Thanks folks ! you lot have given me some great feedback !

Jay- £1500 that cheap ? where and who ?

i thought that the engine had to be warm for the gas to work so assummed it would be 10mins

my problem is if i buy one done then i have to find out about the system fitted each and every time a look at one along with the rest of the car and if the system is old then i'm told it needs a yearly service and the tank has to be checked/changed after ten years.

thats why i'm thinking about buying a standard one and having it fitted ? and at £1500 maybe worth doin this as at least the system is new and under warranty, but i would have to reduce my purchase price to pay for the car.

then i'm thinking that as my wife would be driving it most of the time the diesel with the extra BHP may be enough ?

its still bothering me about the amount of ads for them that say new recon box or engine ? the last thing i need is to buy one and then need a new feckin engine or auto box !

would you buy a straight fsh 100ish mile one or one that has had a new box or engine rebuild etc.. as in the past found that if a car has these problems the problems keep coming as if its a Friday afternoon car !

I'v only got around £4500-5000 to spend which is a big ask i know but there out there just don't want to buy a pig ?

squizzel said:

Just a question though why use petrol around town??, You only need petrol to start it up then let it switch to gas, mine is on gas all the time.
Mark

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i cant think why you would want or need to run an lpg equipped vehicle on petrol around town!
i also cant see that anyone has suggested you should !!!!

I think you need to work out your milage per year, how long you intend to keep the car and what it's going to be used for?

With the milage I do, it's going to take me a year to break even on the cost. The more miles you do, the quicker it pays for itself.

If you intend it for city use, perhaps buy one petrol or desiel, then have it converted later!

so no1:- who do you guys recommend for doing the conversion and no2:- how much do they charge for doing the conversion?

I have the 4.0 SE on a multipoint conversion which is obviously a little less powerfull than the 4.6 but it's still quicker than a tuned diesel.
I can only agree with all the above about smooth change overs and great pence per mile MPG's.
Get a petrol model on gas, quieter, smoother, faster and cheaper to run.
The only advantage that I can think of that is in favour of the diesel engine is that as it's a BMW unit, there is no timing belt to worry about as it's chain driven.

I have the 4.0 SE on a multipoint conversion which is obviously a little less powerfull than the 4.6 but it's still quicker than a tuned diesel.
I can only agree with all the above about smooth change overs and great pence per mile MPG's.
Get a petrol model on gas, quieter, smoother, faster and cheaper to run.
The only advantage that I can think of that is in favour of the diesel engine is that as it's a BMW unit, there is no timing belt to worry about as it's chain driven.

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the 4.0 and 4.6 v8s are also chain driven so there is no advantage really

Dorset VogueSE said:

If its got all the paperwork for the conversion, it would be worth trying to find out a bit about the people who fitted it.

The system need servicing, annually for mine, so check that its been maintained along with the rest of the car. make sure you can still get parts/ spares for whichever system is on, as I've heard stories about manufacturerers going tits up and no support available.

Where is the tank located, will it affect what you want to do with the car. my tank is located in the spare wheel well, so I keep the boot but have no spare. I prefer this option to losing half the boot space to an LPG tank.

Give the car a good run on gas, I can't detect any change in performance when it switches and the temp gauge doesn't move either on gas. Some seem to run hotter, but I don't think they should as the cooling system is big enough to cope.

If its a fully sequential system check it comes in when it should, engine warm and usually 2000 rpm is the trigger points. The control switch should let you change between gas and petrol whenever you want, make sure it does.

It seems you've done your homework on the car so you should easily spot if the gas system doesn't seem right.

Click to expand...

the paperwork is no guarantee that the jobs done well , my car had a single point system when i bought it fitted by a very well know v8 tuning company , complete with paperwork !!!!!! and if thats a typical example of their workmanship i would`nt let them loose on a wheelbarrow .
anyway the single point was crap so, i bought an under bonnet sequential system and fitted it myself ( a couple of days work at home ) and since then its been spot on no bother whatsoever and the fitting is 100 times neater than the system i removed ( even though i say so myself ) .
if it was me buying one now i would look at the following .
1 is it a sequential system.

2 is the installation neat and tidy pipe work and wiring clipped up properly.

3 does it perform as it should , nice change over , smooth running and acceleration.

other than that it just a case of carrying out the same checks as you would on any prospective vehicle purchase .
rick.

Spot on Rick. I might be wong on this, some of the early sigle point systems had the 'Sport mode' disabled, so when i bought mine, after a speaking to a few garages I had the sequential system fitted. As i said earlier, putting it into sport the car takes of very well, even beating cars away from the traffic lights.

But also to note, TAX. If you get a pre March 2001 With LPG, car tax is cheaper. If you live near and around London, you dont pay Congestion Charge. And you not allowed on the Channel Tunnel saving you money by going the old fashioned way