Hi everyone. For several reasons (see the other thread on the General Forum - Ferrari Related Discussions) I have decided (almost) to convert my 328 so that it can se LPG in addition to the normal unleaded gas. Now the point is: how cal I do it? Where is it better to locate the new tank? Has someone first hand experience of a similar transformation on injected F cars? Every idea is wellcomed. Ciao Eugenio
<checks calendar...hmm, not April 1st yet!> Don't think I've ever heard of this being done but I'd have thought the obvious thing to do with the tank would be either to a) ditch the spare wheel & stick it in the front (in which case I would think you could use a fairly standard spec LPG tank). You'd need to sort out something so you could still get access to the battery though. You might have to move it altogether. b) Replace the existing right hand fuel tank, get a custom made LPG tank & put it there. c) A last option I could think of would be to get a tank made to go in the existing boot/trunk space but this would kill whatever minimal luggage space there is and possibly mess with the car's handling due to the extra weight hanging out the back As far as compatibility with the K-Jet injection is concerned, I don't know what the answer would be but it was a fairly widely used system so any LPG specialist out to know whether it will work & should have come across the system on other makes of car before. I'm curious though, apart from the obvious cost advantage of using LPG (for which you need to do a lot of miles just to pay for the conversion before you'll start to see the net gain), why would you want to do this? On most "normal" cars ISTR the breakeven is that you need to be doing about 15K miles a year for it to be worthwhile. Keep us posted if you decide to try & do it I.
I have converted a non-fcar to run on LPG, and also have an F-car. There are quite a few options depending on what you're willing to pay. My car had a multipoint fuel injected V6 with ECU controlled fuelling and ignition, a catalyst and most importantly a Lamda sensor. The kit I had fitted was a single point LPG injector that was controlled by the existing ECU based on the readings of the Lamda sensor...so if it was running lean, it added more gas. This setup had slightly less power, due in part to the fact that LPG has less energy than gasoline for a given volume. My mileage dropped from 25 on gasoline to about 20 on LPG. A multipoint LPG injection set up, with it's own learning ECU so that it can make best power from gasoline or LPG is the current state of the art, but also the most expensive option. As regards the tank, you can get tire shaped tanks to fit in your spare wheel well, though typically the only hold about 40 litres (10 gals). The other option is a torpedo shaped tank in the rear trunk which will hold more LPG but won't do your weight distribution any favours...it depends on what sort of range you need between fill ups. I would question why you are considering LPG. In the UK it's about half the price of gasoline, but even so, it takes many tens of thousands of miles to recoup the capital investment through fuel savings.
As already posted in the general section, just a little back ground information. In Italy it is increasingly difficult to drive non-catalyst cars. Local authorities are banning old cars from their territory. My 328 has no catalyst... Having been quoted by Lenz (only company with such a transformation available off the shelf) 6000 euros for the catalyst installation, the only alternate solution that comes to my mind is to modify the car so that LPG can be used. As the car would become legally emission free, in this way I'd be able to drive anywhere. Question: Did anyone already tried this type of conversion on a Ferrari car? If Yes, what are the results? I am interested on the latest technology in LPG convresion. Ciao Eugenio
Sorry, I do not understand this statement. I simply love my car and want to keep driving it as often as possible. Ciao Eugenio
6000 for a cat install? Where on earth are you taking your car for service?? All you need is a USA style muffler and have the cat made. Should not cost anymore then 1000 bucks total. At 6000 your getting ripped.
Tom, Regrettably it is not as easy. Do not forget that my 328 is a Euro spec. To be fair with Lenz, they offer as pat of the package new ECU and other parts. They even claim a power increase of 30 HP (i a a little skeptical about this last claim). Anyway, again, I am only searching a way to avoid being banned from driving on public roads. Ciao Eugenio
The car's I have transformed to LPG (Alfa's Boxer, 2.0 Tspark & 3.0 V6) always had carbs or motronic. So the unexperienced part is the KE-jetronic. As it is mechanical I think jou need just to cut the fuel pump, and try to place the air-mass measuring device in a fixed position when driving on LPG. Furthermore it is best to keep the system as basic as possible. A mixture device is neccessary to let the arflow mix with the LPG. From what I have seen from an engine bay of the 328 it is best to place the mixture device just in front of the throttle body. And off course the placing of the tank is just a matter of creating room. For the exact technical interception of the Ke-jetronic system it is best to look for a LPG constructor who has experience with the Audi 2.3 5-cilinder engines. I know for sure those were rebuild to LPG quitte often in the Netherlands during the 80's. Otherwise you have to wait until I get my desired 25-year old 400I, That will also be rebuild to LPG for sure.................
I dont think you would have any problems with the fitment of LPG as long as you find somewhere for the tank. There is enough room in the engine compartment for everything you need. The question is will they allow you duel fuel, if you are installing LPG for emission reasons, you can always switch back to petrol, which would make you non compliant. I remember here in Australia, a few years ago, (the laws have changed now), if someone wanted to get a kit car registered, like a replica AC Cobra, they had to pass the relevant emission laws of the year of registration, even if it was on an old chassis, so they would use LPG. But from memory at the time of registration they had to be LPG only, and they could later convert the car to duel fuel. This is not a problem for us in Australia, we dont have annual smog tests, we never have them after first registration. Good luck with it though, keep us posted if you do go ahead.
