LPG conversion on current 4.0 V6 petrol Hilux

Toyota will tell you anything as to why you can`t convert your Toyota to LPG. WRONG !!!!! But they have never been able to come up with a valid reason !!!!!. I had my 3.0 litre V6 4Runner converted to Direct Injection back in April this year and am now saving 60 % in my fuel bill. My range on gas has gone from 340 Km on petrol to 460-500 Km on LPG. The 4Runner has an 80 litre LPGtank. Don't get conned by being fooled into believing what the first person you come into contact with will tell you. What you need to establish is whether you have sequential injection or Multi Point Injection. If your vehicle is fitted with an oxygen sensor on the catalytic convert then go for the Direct Injection. Its more efficient and extremely reliable compared to the conventional systems.

I`m happy to report that I helped a guy in Northern Queensland to get his Pajero sorted out, and he found a good reliable and honest gas installer and is due to have his Pajero converted in the next few weeks. You don't say where you are living , but if you care to post a reply and you are in WA, I might be able to point you in the right direction.

There are far to many know alls out there with little or no knowledge about the installation of LPG systems and will probably steer you in the wrong direction.

One of the modifications you will have to do ( which no one will tell you ) is that you need to change your plug leads to steel leads, and your spark plugs need to be changed to one numerical number lower then what you are currently running. With new plugs check the gap !!! I didn't and had rough idling and stalling and would not start on gas. I pulled the plugs out and gapped them to .8mm and now she runs as if she was a brand new vehicle. There is no noticable difference when idling on fuel or gas

I have done 5000kms on my gas conversion and would not hesitate recommending it to any new vehicle as long as it is a injected and not air mixed conversion.
I have a 100 LC 4.5lt auto and the consumption on petrol is 23lt/100 and the gas is 30lts/100. Thats towing a tonne every day. I think the mixed gas is a lot higher and then you have put the odd air-box replacement cost in the sums too!!!
Doing 1000kms a week with gas you be able to buy a suspension seat and a CD now and then with the money you save.

Cheers Chard.

I got Prado which got the same engine as a Hilux and got the
following LPG system:
http://www.vags.com.au/toyota-prado-lpg.html

You can't tell the difference if you are driving on Petrol and LPG
and I had it on the car for over 40K.

In terms of warranty Toyota would advice to do anything thich makes them liable... You are still going to be covered for warranty except for the bits which could be related to be caused by LPG.

VAGS got an optional insurance which covers engine for up to 3 years/100K or until standard Toyota waranty expires...

Stan

Hi Gramps.

First of all my ignition timing was 20 degrees retarded - thanks to Toyota techinicans servicing my vehicle. Secondly I carry no excess weight in the vehicle, as I`m waiting to retire at the end of this year, then next year we are doing The Canning Stock Route before I get to old to do any travelling. Also the 4Runner has a measly 65 litre fuel tank - hence the greater distance on LPG than on petrol. LPG burns more efficiently than petrol as its octane ratiing is 100 RON. Direct Injection is the way to go to get the extra KM and the same performance as you would get if you were running on petrol.

Hi Joe,

I just had my 2000 2.7L petrol hilux 4WD converted

Toyota didn't recommend it, even after they rebuilt the head for me (due to a burnt valve) and had the hardened valve seats put in.

One thing about the stock motor is that the valve seats will wear prematurely and you'll have to rebuilt the head in anything from 20000 to 40000km depending on your luck and using flash lube.

The flash lube does help stop premature wear, but I don't think it'll stop it completely.

My fuel consumption on petrol is about 14L/100km or just over 7km/L, while on gas it's about 20L/100km or 5km/L - so I'm using about 50% more gas than fuel, but of course it's only around 50cents a litre.

Hope this helps

Cheers, Will.

Hi Gramps. I see that Explore Oz has the CSR on video or maybe on DVD. I bought the video last year as we had planned to do the CSR this year, then everything went pear shaped, some of the group pulled out at the last minute, other suddenly got stage fright and in the end it was just going to be the wife and self. I strongly suggest you get the Video/DVD before they run out of stock and watch it over and over again as each time you will pick up something else that you missed first time round. I have watched it 7 times and I still learn something new each time I watch it. There are plenty of very useful tips on the video on what to take and what not to take. Unfortunately we were due to go this year in July, but things went pear shaped and in the end, every one had some sort of excuse for not going, so that put the lid on it for this year.

As I am due to go into hospital tomorrow morning, I shall be indisposed for about a week. Send me another post and when I eventually get home, I will give you some idea of what we had planned to take with us. Sorry I cant be more specific at this point in time

Hi Gramps. At ,last I am home and recuperating for the next four weeks with weekly visits to the surgeon. The morphine based pain killers and antibiotics sure knocks the stuffing out of one.

Did you manage to order the video of the CSR from the EO shop ??? It is fascinating viewing and each time you view it you learn what to take and not to take. The two main priorities are enough water and a plentiful supply of fuel. Some where in this website there is a chart on the amount of fuel that you will use depending on the size of the motor. In my case , being a 3.0 litre V6 it recommends I need to have 394 litres of fuel. Now we all know that its well nigh impossible to carry that amount , but I reckon one can safely carry 200 litres in 20 litre jerry cans and have a long range tank installed. If 200 litres is too much then you can place an order with the Capricorn Roadhouse and they will do a fuel drop off for a fee. Water is just as valuable and I reckon that those collapsable water bladders that fit behind the rear seat and a few jerry cans will suffice in proper plastic water containers.

On the video someone had a small portable washing machine - smart thinking ! at least you can always stop for a day or two somewhere comfortable, and get the washing done and hung out to dry. An easy to erect and fold down tent is useful.

Tyres ! This can open a can of worms as witnessed on past forums. Personally, if running 15" rims then stick to 31x10.5x15, or if running 16 " rims then find something suitable that wouldn't be much wider than 12 inches. If and when we do get around to doing the CSR next year then I will go and get a set of Cooper A/T tyres , and of course a good quality compressor to inflate the tyres after you have aired down, to cross over steep and sandy dunes. Best time to cross the dunes is early in the morning, when the sand on the dunes is still damp from the overnight cold air. As the dunes heat up, the sand becomes very soft and powdery and can make for hard going.

Thats about as much information I can give you and I`m sure there are others out there who will have other useful tips as well.

Cheers for now.

Hi Gramps.
In all of my postings to you about the CSR etc I forgot the main thrust of your post, and that was about getting your 4.0 litre HiLux converted to LPG. I think I said yes, but the best system of all is to go for direct injection. I had my 4Runner done after weighing up the pros and cons of conventional and Direct Injection and settled on the D.I . After the $3000 rebate ( State and Federal in WA) I was $1200 out of pocket and dont begrudge it one little bit. Probably one of the more intelligent and successful modifications I have ever had done. Mine starts on petrol, and when the water temp reaches 40 degrees C , it automatically switches over to gas.She starts on petrol no matter how long I have been driving, but as soon as the tacho goes over 1500 rpm it automatically switches over to gas. Mine has an over ride button in case I run out of gas, and then a touch of the button has it running on petrol . All computer controlled. All the settings are controlled by the installer using his laptop to get the optimum settings and performance. Hope that has been of some help. Good Luck.