Ford and gm factory sanctioned propane engines

[Cameron1]

We just had a propane tank put in at our warehouse so we can fill our own tanks. The cost savings is over half of what we have been paying retail.

Just curious what the pros and cons are with engines powered by propane. Ford and Gm offer propane fueled vans straight from the factory.

 

[handdi]

Different type of propane then what your heater uses LPG I believe is what ya use in thecar
Ask the Canadians they know

 

[ascrubabove]

same propane, just uses liquid line instead of vapor line. I have worked on the schwan's trucks many times when I was still turning a wrench for a living, over half of thier fleet was propane, always sent me over there to change the fuel pumps when they would go bad, I would have to "burn off" the propane in the tank (about 3-4 hours) so I could open the tank to get to the pump

 

[kendallsdad]

$15,885 option to upgrade to CNG in a new Chevy Express.

 

[The Great Oz]

$15,885 option to upgrade to CNG in a new Chevy Express.

Is that in Yen? You'd have to do some math to figure if there would ever be a payback from that kind of investment.

We used to run propane in some of our trucks in the eighties. It was about a $1,500 conversion including the belly tank, but we only had to replace the carburetor and run lines to the tank. If the tank was overfull the lines would ice and the truck wouldn't start. The only reason we went away from propane was that the price of gas dropped and we stopped using slide-ins and propane heaters.

Propane doesn't have the bang that gas does so your mileage will be less, but it burns very cleanly so there are no carbon gunk issues. Your plugs will look like new when it's time to replace them.

PS: We ran the Onan slide-in engine on propane too, which was a significant benefit since they were prone to having carbon build-up issues.

 

[SMRBAP]

If I am not mistaken - that's not even 100% CNG ready either is it. Just prep.

Ford CNG prep is 400 bones.

 

[kendallsdad]

For GM, there is a $1295 gaseous engine "prep". Then it's $14,590 to install the CNG system.

 

[Mardie]

$15,885 option to upgrade to CNG in a new Chevy Express.

Is that in Yen? You'd have to do some math to figure if there would ever be a payback from that kind of investment.

We used to run propane in some of our trucks in the eighties. It was about a $1,500 conversion including the belly tank, but we only had to replace the carburetor and run lines to the tank. If the tank was overfull the lines would ice and the truck wouldn't start. The only reason we went away from propane was that the price of gas dropped and we stopped using slide-ins and propane heaters.

Propane doesn't have the bang that gas does so your mileage will be less, but it burns very cleanly so there are no carbon gunk issues. Your plugs will look like new when it's time to replace them.

PS: We ran the Onan slide-in engine on propane too, which was a significant benefit since they were prone to having carbon build-up issues.

Onan? They are a high quality motor used commonly for industrial generator applications.From what i understand they are a very very low RPM motor which should make them very reliable, last much longer and also be very quiet. Sound like they would be ideal for T/M ? I imagine they cost a lot more and that is why they are not used in T/Ms?

 

[Mardie]

$15,885 option to upgrade to CNG in a new Chevy Express.

Is that in Yen? You'd have to do some math to figure if there would ever be a payback from that kind of investment.

We used to run propane in some of our trucks in the eighties. It was about a $1,500 conversion including the belly tank, but we only had to replace the carburetor and run lines to the tank. If the tank was overfull the lines would ice and the truck wouldn't start. The only reason we went away from propane was that the price of gas dropped and we stopped using slide-ins and propane heaters.

Propane doesn't have the bang that gas does so your mileage will be less, but it burns very cleanly so there are no carbon gunk issues. Your plugs will look like new when it's time to replace them.

PS: We ran the Onan slide-in engine on propane too, which was a significant benefit since they were prone to having carbon build-up issues.

Onan? They are a high quality motor used commonly for industrial generator applications.From what i understand they are a very very low RPM motor which should make them very reliable, last much longer and also be very quiet. Sound like they would be ideal for T/M ? I imagine they cost a lot more and that is why they are not used in T/Ms?

 

[Shane T]

I had an Onan in my first TM. Bought it used and don't know how many hours it had but it didn't last long. I replaced it with a K series Kohler and it's still running 20 years latter.

$15,885 option to upgrade to CNG in a new Chevy Express.

Is that in Yen? You'd have to do some math to figure if there would ever be a payback from that kind of investment.

We used to run propane in some of our trucks in the eighties. It was about a $1,500 conversion including the belly tank, but we only had to replace the carburetor and run lines to the tank. If the tank was overfull the lines would ice and the truck wouldn't start. The only reason we went away from propane was that the price of gas dropped and we stopped using slide-ins and propane heaters.

Propane doesn't have the bang that gas does so your mileage will be less, but it burns very cleanly so there are no carbon gunk issues. Your plugs will look like new when it's time to replace them.

PS: We ran the Onan slide-in engine on propane too, which was a significant benefit since they were prone to having carbon build-up issues.

Onan? They are a high quality motor used commonly for industrial generator applications.From what i understand they are a very very low RPM motor which should make them very reliable, last much longer and also be very quiet. Sound like they would be ideal for T/M ? I imagine they cost a lot more and that is why they are not used in T/Ms?

 

[The Great Oz]

The Onan was a common generator powerplant back in the day. They were rock-solid reliable, could be abused by not keeping up on oil fill and change (try running a Honda out of the one cup of oil in the pan and see what happens) and would last a lot longer than the today's typical 2-2.500 hour units.

They were also cast-iron heavy, had a tendency to carbon up, and were expensive to fix when they did need service.
I think they just got replaced by engines that cost less or had higher HP ratings.

 

[handdi]

i have an westerbeke ten set in my boat
its great
can not hardy hear the thing run
very reliable also
now that a tm unit that someone should build

 

[KevinL]

you have a what in your what?

 

[Ron Werner]

Cons:
Not as much power as gasoline or diesel
limited fueling stations
sometimes the guage isn't as accurate so you need to keep on top of topping off the tank
you need someone that is specialized in propane for servicing, not as common as "normal" mechanics

Pros:
burns cleaner, you don't need to worry as much about the exhaust, ie causing black
your engine stays cleaner
cheaper than gasoline and diesel
I had an 88 truck on propane, when I sold it last year it still had original mufflers on it