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Propane Injection on an 7.3 IDI!!!!!!!!

38K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  Johnnybgood 
#1 ·
Has anyone put a propane injection kit on the 7.3 IDI? The promise is 84 more h.p.> 148 more ft.lb. of torque> and 29% fuel economy gain. These numbers are based on a 4:1 ratio.
But the real question is can the motor withstand the increase in power? Will the head just push right off? What about you turbo IDI guys? Do you ever had problems with these issues! What about larger cc injectors? How can numbers like this be produced without the engine pussing out!


Also, what is the mileage expectancy out of the injector pump? The guys at City Diesel in Knoxville, Tennessee say about 100,000 miles, but they all drive duramax p.o.s.
 
#2 ·
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29% fuel economy gain

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That's a diesel fuel gain, but how much propane do you burn to aquire that..... six of one, 1/2 dozen of another...

Several guys have the Powershot 2000 and like it.... used when required, rather than to impress some duffus driving a ricer... you could enjoy the extra power when hauling.
 
#3 ·
Lot of guys have done homebrew propane and love it. EGT's will go up a bit, so the power gains are short term, but that's what your looking for anyway. It's not used for economy. True your diesel will burn more completely, but now your running out of propane as the previous poster said.
 
#4 ·
I have the Powershot 2000 system, I like it and under load it provides a decent power boost.

There is no 29% fuel economy that's for sure. Again under load you travel faster and maintain better speed on hills etc. I'm not sure I could even say there is any fuel economy improvment, if there is it would be in the 5% range.

One main feature to evaluate in your choice of system is safety shut off. IMHO, Powershot was the best on the market at the time I did my research.

What system quoted you the performance numbers?
 
#5 ·
Ip's can be good for 200,000+ miles, I'm pretty sure my 93 is still on it's first one and the first one on my 92 last over 200k.

No experience with propane other then cooking hamburgers.
 
#6 ·
I put homemade propane injection on a 1967 GMC bus Detroit Diesel 8V71 in 1994, used it only when climbing hills for more power. You had better know what you are doing, propane can be very dangerous. You have to inject liquid propane to do any good,vapor don't cut it. Liquid propane will be at 220 - 300 psi in the lines depending on ambient temp. so you must have a hi pressure cutoff solenoid. If you would use a regular propane,say a 20-30 Lb tank you have to extend the outlet tube to get liquid, and I don't no how you can do that now that they have to have an OPD valve on those tanks. I took the propane system off when Im sold the bus, just for there safety sake. Not familar with store bought ones.

Edited: Just checked out the Powershot propane and they are vapor injection systems, sorry about that, $649.00. Guess the Detroit,s are different because of the blower configuration.
 
#8 ·
some of the "Claims"

http://www.dieselperformanceproducts.com/ said:
When propane is added to diesel fuel, almost 100% of the fuel is burned (as opposed to approximately 75% without propane injection) which is what gives you the "powershot" of torque, horsepower and fuel economy.


Horsepower and torque will increase from 25% to 30%

The systems have been designed to maintain OEM specifications for all engine temperatures including engine coolant temperature, oil temperature, exhaust gas temperature and intake air temperature. In some instances, temperatures are actually reduced by around 50-100 degrees

EGT Temperatures
Only by about 50° or less. In some instances it actually decreases EGT temps

Fuel economy is increased significantly. You can expect a NET increase of 1-3 mpg depending on the vehicle and your driving style. Fuel range is also extended.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Right, love the first one:
Has anyone put a propane injection kit on the 7.3 IDI? The promise is 84 more h.p.> 148 more ft.lb. of torque> and 29% fuel economy gain. These numbers are based on a 4:1 ratio.
Anyone dumb enough to believe that one has snakes in their head.
I'm no genius, but most are to stupid to realize that the key words "up to" and "as much as" means anywhere from ZERO (which is usually the case) up to whatever their claim is.
 
#10 ·
I put an propane injection (fumigation) kit on my 94 IDI. I did not see that much gain in power or mileage and when it was on it sounded like every injector/lifter was clattering. Made me think maybe the IP was cutting back on fuel with the increase in propane and since the injectors are lubed by the fuel I decided not to continue using it. I am going with water/methanol instead.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Made me think maybe the IP was cutting back on fuel with the increase in propane and since the injectors are lubed by the fuel I decided not to continue using it.
The DB-2 runs solely on the metering device any time it's not wide open or at idle, which are the only times it runs on the governor. It won't "cut back" because you add propane. And the injectors are not just lubricated by the fuel but actuated by it, so if the injectors are firing, they're being lubricated (and cooled) by the excess fuel which flows to the return ports etc.

Which kit did you install?

I am going with water/methanol instead.
Which kit will you install? :) I have been thinking about rolling my own using the AEM DIY kit and my Auber 1813 as part of the controller system since reading this: XJ 600 Diesel bike – Water injection | FotiFixes.com – A Journal of my fixes

I sure wouldn't make my own mister nozzle, but now I'd consider using a nozzle from a gasser. The concerns are largely the same and the scheme for mitigating them identical (finer spray, in a controlled amount relative to intake volume.)

edit: looks like AEM advertises their kit for diesels now. About $450 with tank or $350 without, with a boost-controlled pump controller.
 
#12 ·
I went with the snow performance kit. I added a always off solenoid to keep the water/methanol from draining into the intake when it is turned off. Well I have more to learn about this motor for sure, I don't know why the propane makes it clatter like that but I am not taking chances of hurting mine. I really really like this motor.
 
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