PROPANE..yes/no!

[cnesloney422]

Im thinking of putting propane on my 1997 ford powerstroke 4x4 crew cab but i dont know what the pros/cons are. i dont even know how it works.. does it run soley on propane or do i use propane injected or what?.. post your opinions!

i dont want to do it becuase if i ever have one of my new trucks down or in the field working, i might need to pull my d4 or JD backhoe with this truck and i dont want it messed up any..

but i was just wondering if it was bad for the motor?

chase

[97Strokerman]

Nothing wrong with propane. It is used as a catalyst in conjunction with your diesel. Your diesel will only burn about 75% of fuel injected, but the propane will make it burn almost 100%. The kits are adjustable as to the amount flowed, and at what boost pressure the propane will start to flow. The hose is put into the intake between the air filter and turbo. You can see an increase of 80hp and about 120 pds of torque...................Dave

[Quadzilla]

I've got two answers for you, one from 2002, and one from 2005.
2002 answer:
Too much propane can/will cause the engine to pre-detonate, and that is very harmful to the engine. However, if you are prudent with your adjustments, you can produce a great deal of power out of the engine without doing any damage. We'd be talking about propane injection here, not straight propane. The propane is injected into the airstream as it enters the engine, and the volume and flow of propane is regulated by boost. It's the best way to get cheap power.
2005 answer:
Don't waste your time with propane. You can get good injectors cheaper, and they'll produce more power than propane, with much less risk.
Check my signature. I have propane, having bought it three years ago. If the choices were available then that are available now, I would have got injectors instead. If you've really got your heart set on propane, wait until I've moved to San Diego, and I'll sell you my system. It's coming off once I put injectors in.

[MADVAN]

I have used a bullydog system for over 70,000 miles no problems. Your 97 has forged rods so it is more forgiving. I would not advise in the motors with PM-RODS.

BILL-MADVAN [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smokin.gif[/img]

[BellyHead]

I'll second what Quadzilla said, I've had both (not together).
I no longer have propane.

[snoxracer]

what years don't have the forged rods?

[Hellishstroke]

Engines with about a build date of October 2001 And Newer. THey Have PMR's

[BigBadLou]

Although the cost of babies now equals to the cost of a propane system (PS2000 or so), I think propane is more beneficial to the environment while providing the same power increase.
I can see why people argue for injectors and I also see the side of propane enthusiasts but my personal preference is to burn the diesel cleaner.

BTW: Would propane still add the benefit of a clean burn when running on SVO? Or does it act as a catalyst only for diesel?

Lou

[golfer]

Here are some thoughts on propane

Our diesel engines are compression ignition, the heat created by the immense cylinder pressures & heat is what lights the fuel when the injector fires.

When an injector fires too early (advanced timing due to poor programming) the fuel begins to light/burn before the piston is at TDC (top dead center), as the fuel burns, the gases within the cylinder begin expanding at an astronomical rate, trying to drive the piston downward...but since the piston is still moving upward, something is going to give...it's typically the headgasket, but often it is the rod......though we've seen some engines simply pull the block in half, no broken rods, no blown headgaskets, just the main caps hanging on the crank, with alot of the block still attached to the main bearing caps. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Now, we'll assume that you are running a "safe" program, or chip...without excessive timing.

Now add propane into the mix...

As the piston is moving downward on the intake stroke, the intake valve is open, and the cylinder is drawing in the compressed air from the turbo as well as a dose of propane (since it comes in with the boost)...

The intake valve closes, locking in the propane and boost "mix", then the piston moves upward during the compression stroke...causing a quick rise in cylinder pressures and temperature... when the propane lights off is anyone's guess, as you cannot control WHEN the propane will burn...if it lights off before the injector fires it will cause a quick rise in cylinder pressures (that's why they say it burns more of the diesel, eh?) now you fire the injector, creating a secondary rise in cylinder pressure...now each piston & rod is getting hammered with 2 seperate, but overlapping cylinder pressure spikes and I can assure you that the hard parts within the engine will not last indefinately.

We get to hear from alot of folks that build hot trucks, some of them just on diesel, some using propane to add power...we see MUCH higher rod and gasket failures with those running propane than those on diesel.

Let's say 350rwhp on propane, with "safe" tuning, is reliable, and 400rwhp on propane is pushing it, 450 on propane is certain doom...whereas 450-500rwhp on diesel appears to be safe even with programming that is not tuned to be safe.

I'm sure all the guys running a 40hp shot of "mileage bumping" propane will dispute my ascertation that propane is dangerous, and x thousands of miles of "proof" to back them up...

but we talk to more people who blow their powerstrokes up on propane every 2 months, than "diesel only" guys who do the same in an entire year.

We have a few, complete, used propane systems laying around that we'd love to get rid of...might help some of our customers pay for these new engines they've ordered.

take care~

Dave