Big Horsepower Gains With Propane

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Gather 'round the computer screen Rammers, ol' uncle HVAC has a fun topic for you. That's right, HORSEPOWER!

Dash right out tonight and purchase the December issue of Four Wheeler magazine. In this issue there is an article about propane systems which can be added to the intake system of a turbo diesel. These use similiar components to what you would use to run an lpg powered vehicle, but in this scenario, the propane is used in conjunction with the diesel fuel system. The lp acts like a catalyst to aid the combustion of the diesel. Lp has an octane rating of approx. 110, so it is going to start to burn before the diesel.
I just got off the phone with Bully Dog (one of the companies providing kits) and they tested a PSD with their system. They had a stock configuration hp measurement of 192, and with the lp system switched on they were unable to get peak hp and torque readings since they ran out of traction on the dyno. They topped out at 280 hp and 668 torque. This would be similiar to a stage 2 Dr. kit, but at half the price! Cost is about $1,000. They dislike Dr. almost as much as I do!

Hear are 2 sites to check out.
Advanced Turbo Systems www.atsturbo.com
Bully Dog www.bullydog.com

This system doesn't create excessive egt. With this system and a set of Dman's super injectors one could net close to a 200 hp gain, and not have to worry about egt!

Excellent!

They also know Dman in Las Vegas, killer injectors coming, stay tuned.

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3/4 ton, 5 sp, lsd, 2wd, qcab, guages, Scotty sys. Rhino liner, Blue Box hp enhancement

 

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HVAC
I know a guy with the propane kit on his ford. He uses about 5 gal of propane per tank of diesel. With the high cost of diesel and propane I’m not sure that milage computes. What I mean is, with some upgrade kits mileage doesn’t change much, i. e. fuel economy with power. With the propane fuel, mileage cost is much high. My friend runs most of the time with his off, and only uses it for pulling, but if your going across county pulling a trailer, costs would be high. I looked into the bully dog system before I upgrade my truck, and what I found was it was just to expensive burning two type of fuel at the same time. Just my two cents.

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98. 5 SLT 2500QC, ISB, Uprate, 5-spd, 3. 55 lsd, Short Bed, Brown/Gray, Unicover Safari, Trailer Tow.

Wilderness 24C Camp trailer

 

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"Driven that train, high on propane, Casey Jones you'd better watch your speed !!

Have fun HVAC !!!! Sam

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1999 Dodge Laramie SLT QC, 24V Cummins turbo diesel ISB, 2WD, auto trans, 3. 55 rear end- LSD, long bed, HD towing and camper pkg,K&N air filter, CD player, electric seats, bright white, chrome diamond plate tool box, resonator removed, turbo silencer ring removed, all options except leather seats. "I love the smell of diesel in the morning. "
Hemet, California

 

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Thanks Porky, I do enjoy driving my street legal locomotive!

Gary, it would be interesting to get some more data about your friends truck. I will quote ATS here "When using a 15 to 20% propane mix, mileage can increase by 30 to
40% with overall increases of 15 to 20%".
Around here propane can be had for 1. 00 under certain circumstances, I am not sure what the local motor fuel price is (has more tax), but it is usually priced close to gasoline (coinsidently, I think not). One would have to consider the overall effect to make a judgement. I'll do some math later. Propane is much cheaper in any other part of the country, and even cheaper in the country to the north of us (No not Alaska).

Enough of this mileage stuff, I need my drug and cost is no object. I would leave the lp system off until the PSD's start swarming, and then I'd flip the switch and LET 'EM HAVE IT!

Gary I think you are a perfect canidate for some magic I have in another one of my ever increasing number of bags. In a couple weeks I will be installing a set of "MONSTER INJECTORS" that will rip your head off and will have just that disclaimer on the package. These clever devices will use the same fuel much more efficiently. This will give you the best of both worlds. I will post my dyno figures to verify the results. Another outfit has been marketing a similiar product for boocoo money. They will now suffer a reality check. Dman are you getting that dyno hooked up?

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3/4 ton, 5 sp, lsd, 2wd, qcab, guages, Scotty sys. Rhino liner, Blue Box hp enhancement

 

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Funny you should post this today. I picked up this magazine this morning and it was the Diesel Tech heading on the front that caused me to reach out and grab the mag. I will read it a little later. I may even subscribe to this mag. I followed their articles on Operation Tugboat many years ago. I still have those magazines. It was a project truck that they modified for, yep, POWER, and other cool stuff.

 

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Hey HVAC I was rattlin down the road today and was thinking (dangerous) of your "monster Injectors". Here's a little fuel for thought. Your in the heating business, how about taking some 2 gal. per hour nozzles used in oil boilers and adapting them to the Cummins? Probably need about 6 turbos to pump in enough air to get a good burn tho. Hmmmm, lets see 2 gal. per hour X 6 cylinders, you could only drive for 2. 8 hours on a tankfull. At 70 mph thats only 196 miles but you could be pulling your house behind ya. Lou

 

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I have worked on one boiler which was rated at 600 horsepower! That is a level I can live with!

Truth is, this modified injector technology doesn't use more fuel, they just create a better fuel plume in the combustion chamber as a result of the reworked discharge nozzle. The fuel burns more completely which generates more power using the same amount of fuel. Fuel burn characteristics are a critical factor of power development and fuel comsumption.

If Dman catches us equating his "MONSTER INJECTORS" with oil burning boilers, he isn't going to let me into his shop and I will be stuck with Briggs & Stratten horsepower!

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3/4 ton, 5 sp, lsd, 2wd, qcab, guages, Scotty sys. Rhino liner, Blue Box hp enhancement

 

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HVAC

Bill is the name of my friend that has the propane kit install on his ford. The kit is from Bullydog, and this truck is the older style 7. 3 pre-turbo. (NO TURBO) According to Bill, He doesn’t use the propane when he’s running empty. He clams in real life he didn’t enough fuel mileage increase to justify running with it on. Bill is a cabinet setter and makes runs into Salt Lake City (about 450 miles) one to two times per month for supplies. Bill pulls a 16' tandem axle trailer. He uses the propane on the way home loaded, and this is what Bill tells me about his fuel economy. Empty with no propane he gets about 12 miles to the gal. load with the propane on he gets about 12 miles to the gal. Before the propane kit he got (loaded) 10 miles to the gal. A two mile per gal. increase in fuel economy, the added power is why he runs it. He can now get over most of the hill without down shifting.

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98. 5 SLT 2500QC, ISB, Uprate, 5-spd, 3. 55 lsd, Short Bed, Brown/Gray, Unicover Safari, Trailer Tow.

Wilderness 24C Camp trailer

 

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Gary, thanks very much for your feedback.
The example you gave, the brand x, non turbo diesel does not fit the target for ATS (it's not turbocharged). My neighbor has the same (slug) truck and I don't need to tell you that Ford(Navistar) came around after witnessing the real diesel engine manufacturer, Cummins, and put a turbo on there version (hello!). I think this is a key since you cannot burn fuel without oxy. The turbo engine can digest more fuel due to the fact that the additional air will support it. When increasing power as a result of adding fuel you will need to increase boost (oxygen) in order to extrapilate the power from the fuel. Otherwise all you do is elevate egt. I did my own experiment this weekend, and it went like this. I was in the process of performing a tightly choreographed rototiller dance in the field accross the street from my house, when I blew of one of the intercooler connecter hoses. My egt went up a lot as I finished my performance, and so did the black smoke.

My point is this, I believe the propane injection system is best served with an engine enjoying a positive pressure intake system. Turbo charged or super charged or both. This will provide the air necessary to burn the lp the system introduces which will in turn burn the diesel to its greatest potential. Your friend's truck is still enjoying the power gained from the lp system with no decrease in operational cost as I figure it, and I for one would purchase a product for that reason alone.

I further recommend your friend pour gasoline on his mistake for a truck and .....

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3/4 ton, 5 sp, lsd, 2wd, qcab, guages, Scotty sys. Rhino liner, Blue Box hp enhancement