Had anyone tried to convert an XK8 to propane gas?

 

I just feel the grill tank in the backseat would take away from the over all asthetics of the car...............

 

Some in the UK have made this conversion where the high cost of gasoline makes it competitive.

You can flip your burgers at traffic light stops.

 

There was a brief mention about it in that Jag book by Nigel Thorley. It showed a propane tank located where the spare tire would normally be.

 

Jaguar World magazine converted an XK8 to propane. They reported on it in the magazing about a year ago I think.

 

It seems like I remember a thread on here, too. It had pics and everything.

 

when I fill my car with petrol it doubles the cars value..petrol prices in the uk are a rip off

 

Yes, I have just had my XKR (4.2supercharged) converted to run on what we in the uk call gas - ie propane. It is an excellent conversion. Propane costs a little over half of the cost of gas/petrol, but fuel consumption is increased by about 15-20%, so you would need to work out if there are any potential savings for you.

The tank is a torus (like a blown-up inner tube) that fits in the spare wheel well. This lifts the floor to a fraction above the upper position, so the spare wheel now sits in the trunk. Because of the reduced trunk capacity I have bought a Jaguar trunk rack - a really sturdy piece of kit - so that I can have decent luggage capacity for holidays.

The car starts on gas, then after a mile or two switches smoothly and automatically to propane. The propane tank holds enough fuel for about 200 to 230 miles, but if you run out it will switch to gas and run on that. If you do get it done, make sure that you use a competent installer; there are certain points that must be followed to make sure that the system can cope with the power of the engine. Good luck!

 

Thanks, can you post a photo of the tank? It is a prefabricated tank or custom made?

 

Hey Goavios,

That mag Jag World, where is it published, US or UK? I'm interested in getting subscribed.


ezdriver

 

Published in UK. I find copies of it at Barnes And Noble

 

What is the cell made of?
Because propane is stored at such a high pressure, I wonder what material is used.

 

Hi again. I don't as yet have pictures of my own tank in the car, but this link will show you the range of potential tanks: Go LPG - Types of LPG tank currently available.

They are, I am told, much stronger than standard petrol/gas tanks and are much more likely to withstand impact than petrol, so there are no danger worries there. The one in the Jaguar is the toroidal one. They are standard items - not made to measure - and the choice for the Jaguar is a larger one, holding about 60Litres usable of propane, and one which holds less and is less deep (same diameter). The smaller one fits in the spare wheel well and you can close down the trunk floor flat. The one I have is the larger one, and it is a tiny bit higher than the space for it, so the floor is raised very slightly. I was worried about this when I ordered the system, but in fact it is really insignificant - perhaps half an inch - and you just don't notice it. In my view if you are converting to propane then you might as well get as much mileage out of each tank as possible!

Three other points for the UK market. For safety reasons the tank pressure is limited so that it can only be filled to around 80% of its real volume - hence my tank holds 'about' 61Litres. Secondly, if you do get the conversion done check with your insurance company beforehand what their requirements are, since this is a change of fuel and a major modification. My insurance company will accept the change as long as I produce a document confirming that it has been carried out by a legitimate installer. Finally, I also must inform the UK car licencing authorities of the change (they reduce road tax a little for such modifications).

So check the US regulatory requirements - if they restrict who can do it, if they require any documentation or initial or regular testing.

Finally, there are no restrictions whatever on travel here.....except one. The cross-channel tunnel connects England to France, and takes trains which carry cars. At the moment lpg (propane) converted cars are not permitted to use that train.

 

Jaguar XK8 4.0 1996 LPG Conversion by Gas Power UK Ltd.

 

Info on USA conversions.

Propane Conversion Kits – Convert Car to Propane – LPG Vehicle Conversion

 

Bassmania shows a picture of an XK8 converted by Gas Power UK Ltd. These are actually the guys who did the conversion on my XKR - quality people. You might be tempted to save some money and do the job yourself. I think this would be really unwise, judging by the remapping and adjustments that they had to do on my car. For example, a feed pipe has to be drilled (with a 0.6mm hole) to return unused petrol to the tank, when running on propane. This 'fools' the engine management system that the fuel flow is ok. The propane/air mix has to match the lpg/air mix across the full range, or you will have the engine management light come on, and the car could go to restricted performance mode. The lpg injectors themselves are water heated, and the transfer to lpg happens when they have reached the right temperature - if the changeover is set at too low a temperature then it will be rough.

Another little note: when first installed, lpg is put into the tank, but the tank already contains air, so the system should be set slightly rich to compensate for this. After about four fills the air has been flushed out, so after 1000 miles the system needs to be remapped to get it exactly right.

 

Another little note.

Something that I was concerned about before getting the work done was the trip computer, and whether it would work. This is what happens:
1. Instantaneous fuel consumption does measure the fuel consumption when you are on propane - at least, it gives a reading which seems accurate.
2. Average fuel consumption - likewise.
3. Remaining distance. This measures the gas in the tank, but uses the consumption figures for propane. In other words, if you switched back to gas then you would have at least that distance available (actually you should have more, because the gas consumption is lower than propane consumption).

 

Just a quick update. Mortified! I ran into the back of an Audi at not gread speed (i might post some pix to cry over) but the Jag is no more. I am putting the info onto this old thread to update the fact that I covered 100,000 miles propane, with no problems or engine wear.

 

......and, yes, I have bought another, and will get that converted, too!

 

Sorry about the accident, hope everyone is ok

This begs the question, what was your MPG with the propane?

Any performance differences.

Best!
dsd