Bi fuel van power

[HERTS P&D]

Hi Guys,

This question is regarding van power.

What is more powerful in a 3.5 ton van, is it the Bi-fuel/petrol 2 litre engine at 145 ps or 2.5 diesel at 95ps.

I hope it's not a silly question.

Many Thanks

Andy

 

[Burnerman]

145ps mate - horsepower wins it every time!
John

 

[HERTS P&D]

Many thanks John, yet again!

How would I find what petrol stations sell LPG?

Is there a list?

Andy

 

[Burnerman]

I guess you'll have to look on the web, maybe by company.....there's very few up here that I've seen, and those that do exist seem to be Shell.
There will be a trade off in fuel consumption though as LPG seems to give less MPG than unleaded, and diesel will see them both off - it has to depend on your priorities, really.
I would say, that 95 ps in a 3.5 ton vehicle is a bit on the light side so I'd need a test drive.
What van are you after?
John

 

[HERTS P&D]

Hi John, I have at the moment a LDV Convoy which is now 10 years old, but as of Jan 2012 will not be LEZ compliant, so I have seen a LDV on autotrader with the LPG/Petrol engine and was wondering if it would be better than mine.

I have had mine since new and it has never let me down. They are work horses and I do carry alot of weight as I have a jetter in the rear. The only thing is that I normally do my own services, oil, brakes etc etc. But I have never worked on a LPG engine, is it much different?

http://vans.autotrader.co.uk/bodyty...-id/at8a65f6202c786f36012ca25438dc1327/advert

Andy

 

[Burnerman]

Servicing remains much the same as for a petrol engine, with the obvious differences regarding the LPG set up - i.e pressure regulation, gas storage and the maintenance of the gas injectors...for this I would recommend a professional installer - even the Calor people would keep you right. The only drag about LPG conversions is the need to start up on petrol and then manually switch to gas - but even that is getting more advanced.
I've only had dealings with an LPG Transit and the only thing of note was the cleanliness of the engine overall...the oil was as clean as it went in, the spark plugs as new, and there were no exhaust deposits at all in the exhaust system.
So, if gas is readily available, and you don't mind the extra room taken up by the gas storage container, it could be worthwhile. To convert means an outlay of approx £1000 (which is a fair amount of petrol) but if you buy a vehicle ready done then you could well win. Until the government catch on and stuff the tax on, of course.....!
John

 

[HERTS P&D]

Hi John, did you see the attached link? In your opinion is this van better than a 2.5 turbo diesel? I really appreciate any advice you can give me.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[Burnerman]

At that mileage on an 03 plate I don't really think you can go wrong - the vehicle has been nowhere and it looks as good as it gets.
I can't tell how many owners it has had, and I'm not sure why the mileage is so low.
What I would say though, if I was looking for one of these, I'd have a damn good look around with interest.
Give it a test drive, look closely for panel damage, check out the MOT certificates to verify the mileage and see that the clutch doesn't judder. There shouldn't be any whine from the rear axle, no engine smoke on a cold start up and the gear change should be smooth.
At this mileage, the make of tyres should all be the same, and the number plates front and back should also tally.
If the vehicle has been a hire / rental I'd be a bit more unhappy but its difficult to prove that one....
I can only wish you well if you go for it!
John

 

[Mursal]

John, Andy, thats a really tidy van.

If I may ask, will it be hard on gas. We have no LPG's over here and am curious about the actual running cost.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Hi John, I went to see that van today. All the panels look ok, all the tyres are new and the MOT has 4 months left but they said they would put a new one on. The front and back number plates match. They started it up from cold and apart from the initial smoke the exhaust ran clear. It's a one owner from new (council owned) with warranted mileage.

The only thing wrong was an oil leak under/from the engine, could or should I ask them to fix this?

They said I could have a test drive subject to buying it.

I will also contact the Low Emission Zone to confirm this van is ok to drive in London and for how long. Also I would like to get the MPG for petrol and LPG for this van, I will try on the nett for this.

Andy

 

[Burnerman]

Certainly you need to find out where the leak is coming from - it could be as simple as the sump seal or oil filter or something more serious.
Engines rarely leak oil these days so I would want it seen to.
I'm not familiar with the DAF engine, unfortunately - but it looks like an excellent vehicle to buy.
John

 

[Mursal]

Peugeot Diesel in the older vans and Ford Transit Diesel in the newer ones.

Not sure on the petrols?

They will probably throw in the oil leak repair as a luck penny. Push for it regardless. "No good to me with an oil leak"

What do they mean "test drive subject to buying it"?

 

[Burnerman]

I guess that'll be the Duratorq motor then - a good one! Done a few corroded sump pans on those.
John

 

[Mursal]

John, that might be the oil leak?

 

[HERTS P&D]

Hi John, just an update, as my current van has just pasted its MOT and has 11 months tax with 6 new tyres. I thought I would keep my van untill the end of next year.

As my dad always told me, 'when you the money, you will always find a sale' So I will keep my van running for another year and my savings in the bank.

Many thanks for your help.

Andy