Just when I thought that the day could not get any stranger.........

[mwilson]

This appeared in the dooryard yesterday...........

Propane powered M2 Freightliner with a.............wait for it............

DURAMAX PROPANE ENGINE.........

I can't even wrap my head around this one........


Me being the smart a** immediately asked "Where's the pilot light???"

 

[Wayne M.]

This thread is worthless without pictures!!!!

 

[mwilson]

Smart phone was giving me trouble. Pictures there now.

 

[mwilson]

A few more

 

[mwilson]

It has to go to the LOCAL CHEVY DEALER today because there are warning / check engine lights on and we can't read them....this oughta' be good.......

Mike.

 

[TFucili]

What's that thing carry, potato chips?

 

[mwilson]

What's that thing carry, potato chips?

We are trying to get the horsepower, should be equal to a "B" series...We Think.....

 

[Wayne M.]

I don't think That's a Duramax. It looks like the SB based CNG engine I was trained on for the CNG G van the city will be buying. I am getting flashbacks with the belt driven tu-flo compressor! I really thought those days were over. This is such a throwback it's amazing! I remember reading about Freightliner mediums available with Dodge Magnum V8 and V10's back in the '90's.

Now the question I have is, is that CNG or LNG? the sticker on the top starts with LNG.

 

[mwilson]

LPG. A gas grille with 6 tires....

It has gone to the Chevy place, so I can't look at it right now., The talk at the parts and service counter is Duramax but I will confirm or deny as time goes on.

Most of it is stuck in under the firewall but I can try to get better pictures. That belt drive compressor is a throwback for sure, brings back memories of 3208 Cats, IH and GM big block gassers. I wonder if the base will loosen up and leak oil like they always did,......

 

[mwilson]

So now I wonder if you run out of fuel you can't stand on the side of the road with a fuel can. Stand there waving a 20lb. propane tank instead?????

 

[TFucili]

So now I wonder if you run out of fuel you can't stand on the side of the road with a fuel can. Stand there waving a 20lb. propane tank instead?????

Gas(LP), Grass, or A**... Nobody Rides Free!

 

[TFucili]

That compressor does look just like the one on my buddy's '79 C70 w/427 gasser!

 

[Dl5treez]

A fleet in my area has a bunch with the LNG Cummins engine in them. The ignitors-spark plugs-are rather delicate; like a halogen light bulb, if you touch them with your fingers they will fail prematurely.

Quite the PITA for them. Buddy is the shop foreman; they pulled their hair out for a while with stale fuel, the ignitor issues, and other things....like the MPGs at about 1/2 what an equivalent diesel would be getting.

 

[Bill Lins]

they pulled their hair out for a while with stale fuel

LP gas can go stale? Sure didn't know that.

 

[Bill Lins]

Mike posted "A gas grille with 6 tires...." Damn- that's funny right there! :-laf

 

[Dl5treez]

LP gas can go stale? Sure didn't know that.

LNG. Liquid Natural Gas. Maybe stale is a bad way to explain it. They had a problem with the delivery tanker allowing contamination due to a cracked inner liner. The LNG was contaminated by whatever inert gas/chemical is between the inner liner and outer shell of the tanker, causing a reaction that turned it into something that was sort of LNG but not quite. It took a bit to figure it out, along with their problems with not using the special tools on the spark igniters, and a host of other things.

It's a learning curve in the shop....

 

[Wayne M.]

LNG. Liquid Natural Gas. Maybe stale is a bad way to explain it. They had a problem with the delivery tanker allowing contamination due to a cracked inner liner. The LNG was contaminated by whatever inert gas/chemical is between the inner liner and outer shell of the tanker, causing a reaction that turned it into something that was sort of LNG but not quite. It took a bit to figure it out, along with their problems with not using the special tools on the spark igniters, and a host of other things.

It's a learning curve in the shop....

Wow. Put that in the brain file. NYC is definitely going alt fuel in this direction. They are underway to CNG the Staten Island ferry. I recently read the call for a bid conference to do a fueling station and retrofit work on at least one boat.
We currently have various vehicles running around with CNG, and from what I know, most of the horrors of the days past are worked out.
2 vehicles I distinctly remember were conversions to run gasoline and CNG. A 2.0 Ford Contour and a 4.6 Expedition. They were flops if attempted to run in CNG mode. I don't think we ever even considered a fuel quality issue back then. Hmmmmm.

 

[Dl5treez]

I don't know the differences between CNG and LNG as far as combustion, fuel handling, etc. Luckily the stuff I work on is either gasoline, diesel, or propane. No funny biznez lol

WA State Ferries have talked about converting some of the boats to LNG from diesel, due to the cheaper price of LNG. The conversion will cost millions, but supposedly pay for itself in 5 years as long as the cost of LNG fuel doesn't go up at all. Ever. mhmm....like that will ever happen.

 

[rscurtis]

JMHO, but I think that many of these alternate fuel conversions fail to look at the efficiency losses compared to diesel. Many would not make any sense at all if it weren't for subsidies from you and I to pay for the fueling stations.

Would you want your kid riding in a school bus with that time bomb bolted to the frame?

 

[MLee]

What's that thing carry, potato chips?

helium balloons!!!!