V8 lpg Discos (general)

I'm on the cusp of buying one of these, can some owners out there please give me their opinion on this 4x4's strengths and weaknesses, thanks.

I am particularly interested in the conversion to lpg -does it make a good vehicle more versatile in this case, or does the economy come with its own problems? (I dont belive the disco came with this fitted as an option, although I could be mistaken).

W

Our old Disco 1991 V8I we had converted to LPG cost £1500, never went off road but when driving through large puddles usual fault engine cutting out due to water. Economy brilliant 120 m fr £20 instead 40 m fo £20.
Ours had sill tanks.

http://www.southeastautogas.co.uk/images/Sill_Tanks.jpg
http://www.southeastautogas.co.uk/

Be very careful buying an lpg converted car or having one done.Many systems are badly fitted,and or badly set up.Esp if you are looking at a 3.9 v8,porus block problems and head gasket issues are very common on lpg converted v8's,mostly due to them running lean under wide throttle openings/high loads - lots of gas systems dont respond quickly enough,then localised overheating results.Backfires from mixer ring systems are good at blowing up airboxes and trashing air flow meters.It can be done properly,but rarely is.

What should I look for when buying a lpg converted V8 to tell if its been done properly or not? -From what I have read I want to be buying a multi point system..

Thanks, W

i've got a 1998 V8 series 1 disco on LPG. basically its good, but the downfall is the system isnt particularly good, its a very basic single point setup. There's very little performance loss between the petrol and LPG. Once thing i would say is be careful with underslung tanks if you're off roading, as they are likely to take a knock if you run standard ride height and go for the rockier stuff.
Basically make sure the system looks properly installed, not just strapped on.
It should come with a certificate from the installer and should be checked regularly and serviced if needs be. the place that does my LPG gives me a certificate every time to say its been inspected and is in good working order.
If possible i'd definately advise you to get a multipoint system with 2 30litre underslung tanks. Also if its got a tow bar get the LPG filler mounted there, thats where mine is and its so discreet its great, dont need the fugly black plastic cap stuck to the side of your bodywork
Truth be told i dont use my LPG at all these days as i've not a lot of confidence in it, but if i do keep this disco i'm going to rip it all out and get a multipoint properly mapped one installed.
Also find out what the timing has been set to with the LPG.

Thanks MellonStu, I didnt know timing would be an issue with lpg you've given me some things to think about.

I have a lot of confidence in LPG. I run a dualfuel vectra daily (about 10 hours a day), It drives nearly as good as it would on petrol and almost halves my fuel costs. With mine being factory set up I presume vauxhall have ironed out any potential probs however..

no problem basically the timing normally needs to be adjusted to compensate for the different combustion properties of LPG, i.e ignition temperature etc. a lot of bodgit and scarper type companies just whack the timing round till it works onm LPG fine. trouble is when you go back to petrol you can find you're getting pinking / detonation. mine's now running standard, well slightly advanced timing and runs like a dream on petrol. i'll be tweaking it for LPG in april as i'm going to france snowboarding and like fook am i getting 8mpg for 1000 miles or however far it is
dont let me put you off mate, LPG conversions done properly are fantastic, mine's not brilliant and it still cuts my fuel costs massively ( a lot more than 50% ).