I have posted a link to a write up I did on my propane injection system for the mercedes forum for all those interested. Thanks Mike

link:
http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=94864

Nice, I have been wanting to try that on the Jetta but, That's a whole other project afetr the veggie is done.

I tried propane injection on my Merc 300TD running SVO and have decided that the results are not impressive enough for me to continue. I got about a 10 percent increase in performance. Too much gas gave a hideous pre-ignition sound but the right amount would give a nice boost when first turned on - something I miss since driving the diesel Merc. I ran numerous tests, driving up a 1.5km hill on SVO and biodiesel with and without LPG injection.
Considering I already run on "free" fuel, the increase in economy didn't factor. The small increase in power didn't justify the expense of buying the gas. The extra wear and tear on the engine also bothered me.
I did the tests using a 9kg LPG gas bottle fitted with an adjustable regulator sitting in the passenger seat. The gas was fed directly into the air cleaner housing through a hole in its top cover.

Andrew.

well remember his MB300 poweed rig is an International Harvester Truck. I'm guessing that this is a much heavier rig than a 300D. Thus the power increase may be well worth it to him. Also he installed a intercooler and increaased boost etc. Overall I bet he got a bit more than 10%

This % increase in power will for sure be of value to me to since my MB300 powered rig weighs in at 5 1/4 tons and gets only 12-15 mpg

what is that copper looking cylinder in the "veg oil filter setup" picture?

Good work! That is quite a rig...

Ben

picture in question

veg.JPG (35 Kb, 224 downloads) Veg 617 travelall

That copper looking cylinder is actually a stock Mercedes filter filled with veg oil.
As far as the propane, It is by far my single best performance add on!. You are correct regarding the weight issue. My truck empty weighs 6200 lbs so I feel the power immediately.
As far as the pinging you got, I only felt that when I injected too much propane. 1-2 lbs pressure is my setting now. My usage is minimum. I get months out of 1 BBQ tank.
As far as damage to the engine, Where would that occur? I've been running it for a year now and my motor is still tight, no oil leaks and 20+ mpg.

quote:

---

Originally posted by westkill:
...
As far as damage to the engine, Where would that occur? I've been running it for a year now and my motor is still tight, no oil leaks and 20+ mpg.

---

are you running full time LP enhancement or just for boost on accleration and/or upgrades?

Italian tune-up

Since I tested running the gas through my engine at different volumes I now find that she starts easier and runs with more power. I ran the car as hard as I could, up a hill, sometimes with too much gas during my experimentation. I reckon that this has probably cleaned out any carbon build-up from the last 3 years since I had the head off. I hadn't noticed any degradation in performance or trouble starting as it may have taken years, but now I appreciate the difference. Now I will "tune-up" my wife's car and see if there is an improvement there.

Andrew.

I use the propane only as an enhancement to boost power immediately and getting me moving quickly. I will at times shut the system off totally at hwy speeds because I don't really "need it" at that time. The truck is actually quite responsive without it because of all the other mods I have made. The 3.73 rear gearing helps alot. Mike

I have a ford mustang SVO intercooler I'd like to add to my toyota, Did yours give much improvement? & did you mount it in front of the rad?

Gerald

Hi,
I did mount it in front of the radiater. Unfortunately, I did several mods together so I can not say exactly what the benefit of the IC alona was but I figure the colder the air, the better. Mike

Westkill, how much did your Propane injection system cost you? I'm not sure whether to try to find a suitable kit or do it myself. There don't seem to be any kits designed with the 300SD in mind of course, though

quote:

---

Originally posted by Phrensied Rabbits:
Westkill, how much did your Propane injection system cost you? I'm not sure whether to try to find a suitable kit or do it myself. There don't seem to be any kits designed with the 300SD in mind of course, though

---

There is a generic do it yourself kit out there if he is still in business. I got one from him off ebay. Rather inexpensive. 100 bucks or so a year ago. It's not installed yet. There are folk who have home brewed them like Westskill did. Do a google search

I've returned with a couple semi-related questions...
Are all 300SDs Turbodiesels?

If one is led to believe that the 300SD one is buying is a Turbo and it turns out that it is not, does propane have any ill effects on non-turbo diesels?, because I've just seen a few things that might suggest propane injection is only an option for a turbo...

The only reason propane works is that a turbo engine has an excess amount of air that can oxidize the propane. A non-turbo doesn't have as much excess air, in fact if it smokes on acceleration, you will not gain anything with propane injection.

Yeah I asked the guy at the dealership if it was a Tourb and he said yeah, but should I really trust a used car salesman?
It's the cheapest, closest car I can find so if it doesn't turn out to be a Turbo then I'd be fairly dissapointed. Actually, the next closest car is about 400 extra miles away, so I'd be pretty pissed if I got this one and the guy was just shizing me to buy it...

quote:

---

Originally posted by Old300D:
The only reason propane works is that a turbo engine has an excess amount of air that can oxidize the propane. A non-turbo doesn't have as much excess air, in fact if it smokes on acceleration, you will not gain anything with propane injection.

---

Well maybe this is where theory and reality seperate. The guy I got my homebrewish kit from first made his system to go with his non turbo Datsun Maxima station wagen. We got into a real conversation cause I have a Maxima too. It good improvement in his Max. And trust me..... this was a just a retired ol' guy not a salesman by any means. I hate "salesman" as much as I hate lawyers. LOL He figured he might pass on his experiences so he put a kit together and sold it on Ebay.. At a really good price compared to Bullly Dog etc. His last install was in his old non turbo pickum-up truck and it did wonders in that too hauling his boat across the mountains.

I may be wrong but I think the theory says that even if your injector pump is set to deliver appreciable black smoke on full acceleration there will still be surplus air in the cylinder and more power will come with LPG fumigation.

With a turbo the air pressure generated in the inlet manifold sends a signal to the fuel pump to deliver more fuel, so it doesn't matter whether it is turbo or not there will be a similar relative improvement.

My point was in a turbo there is more air available. And if your injection pump is set to get the most fuel in, to the point of making a smokescreen, propane is going to be of limited value. You need more air to make more power.