Does anyone have a propane hookup on one of these IDIs??

A really strange guy that always comes to the local mudbog has a Chubby 6.2 with a (I'm not even jokin) a 5 gallon propane tank in the passenger seat with a ball valve and a 3/8's air hose goin into the air cleaner. When he turns that bottle on, you can hear that poor motor scream.

My point of that ramblin is I was wonderin how well an IDI could stand up to scant amount of propane, and how much power it could add safely

 

i have been looking into doing this to my 7.3 turbo.i have heard about people doing it but havent spoke to anyone who has it first hand.but from what i hear its awesome.the way it has been explained to me is a stock motor only burns about 80-85% of the fuel fed to it and by adding propane it acts as a catalyst and burns 99.5% of the fuel fed to the motor so theoreticly my gues is it would give you about 25% more power because your burning that much more fuel.i have heard your motor will also run colder but i find that to be bull i dont see how it would burn colder being you have more combustion but i do know it will keep your motor clean.anyway i would like to hear aboput someone who has it first hand.i would for sure make sure you had a turbo though i think it would tear apart a N/A motor.there is quite a bit of info on the internet if you look around.im sure someone on here has it or has dealt with it.

 

I have played with it on my turbo engine.
Yes it can boost power.

There are also claims of higher MPG, which may be true, but the cost of propane makes it an even swap as close as I could tell.

Do be aware this is not a cheap thing to do if you do it in a safe manor.

A frame mounted propane tank was close to 500 dollars the last time I checked.
The grill bottle in the bed is not a safe method, and would make the DOT unhappy if they ever saw it with a regulator attached to the bottle.

You also need a dual stage regulator, something like you would find on a torch setup, about 50 dollars.
And you need a 12 volt electric activated shut off valve, again about 60 dollars from a propane forklift dealer.
When I did my experimenting, I bought a Hobbs pressure switch that used boost pressure to turn the propane on and off, another 35 dollars.
Add another 200 dollars for hoses, brackets, fittings, switches and wiring.

 

Can we hear from the guys that have made this Mod. in a safe manner???
I would allso be interested in taking on this Modification...
And does any one know anything about the HHO system that Diamond eye makes???

 

For a turbo engine it is not hard.

You need a Manchester tank that is DOT approved, either frame or bed mounted, the frame mounted tank also needs a remote fill setup.
Hobbs pressure switch with adjustable pressure setting tied into the boost side of the turbo system.
A master arm switch to disable the propane.
An adjustable pressure regulator to drop tank pressure to about 5 PSI depending on the orifice you use that can be tank mounted.
Propane rated electrically operated valve.

Propane side

Mount the tank in a suitable location.
Mount the valve on the tank vapor out connection.
Mount the regulator on the valve.
Run a fuel line from the regulator to the air intake for the turbo.
Make an orfice and diffuser to mount in the air intake attached to the hose from the regulator.

Electric side

Power from suitable location to a master arm switch.
From there to an adjustable Hobbs switch.
From there to the valve on the tank.
From the valve to ground.

From my experiments, you can set a single stage system up for either power or economy which is controlled by the pressure you set the regulator and the pressure you set the Hobbs switch at.

For economy, you want low pressure on the propane and low boost pressure to be able to turn the propane on.

For power, you want the propane set several pounds higher, and much higher on the amount of boost needed to turn the propane on.

As for specific settings, that is going to be something you need to play with.
The settings I use here in the mountains probably are not going to be what you would use where you are located.

The engine will tell you when you are feeding to much propane with the RPM to low.
Operating with to much propane with RPM to low is not good for the head gaskets.

After my experiments with HHO, there is no way I would spend the dollars for any commercial system.
When you look at HHO production rates and then figure the air CFM your engine consumes, the ratio of HHO to air is in the hundredth of a percent range at driving RPM.
6.9 engine at 2000 RPM consumes 6900 liters of air per minute.
A 15 liter per minute system would be 15/6900=.002173 or .2173% HHO
Last I looked a 15 LPM system was 1600 dollars and consumed about 60 amps.
From my experiments I have a hard time believing 15 liters per minute at 60 amps as well.
http://dieselhydrogen.us/?106b0bc0
With the modest gains in HP and MPG, it would take forever and two months for the system to pay out in savings.

 

Thank Dave, I know I can allways count on you to have a good answer backed up with facts..

 

I just try to much stuff.

 

I made a propane kit for my 6.9 i have banks non-wastegated turbo arp headstuds the engine is heathy so i thought i would try it. I went to princessauto bought aceylene regulator for $40 (on sale) then bought 10 feet of lpg line $20 and a 12v air pressure solenoid $25 and i already had the pressure switch. I installed a BBQ tank in my tool box i have the pressure switch adjusted so it would kick in a 1-2 psi i have a light on the dash so i know went its on and a switch so i can shut it off whenever i want i havent used it in a while but i did notice the turbo spool up alot quicker boost was higher 2-3 higher, 13-14 with propane i was told i would have less black smoke with it on but i couldn`t tell much difference but passing on the freeway is where i notice it i`m happy with it but i want to invest in a better tank and a vaporiser because the line going right before the turbo gets pretty cold when propane is on for a while.

 

If the line is getting cold, you might be getting liquid.
That is a bad thing.

Liquid propane is way to cold to come in contact with a hot piston.

 

my 7.3 is idi non turbo i would like to try propane. i am just really looking for some extra horses and a little smoke is there any thing that wont cost me an arm and a leg thanks.

 

I run the Bullydog system on my '94....w/Banks Sidewinder. I got the kit before they were popular, IIRC it was about $300. Found a DOT APPROVED tank for $200, mounted in bed. The flow is set to about 1/2 and it is boost referenced to turn on @ 9 lbs of boost when the system is armed.

I mainly use it when towing (10k +) in Rocky Mntns. I've been using it for the last 6 years and have had zero problems. It does tend to raise EGTs rather quick, but those are easily regulated with the right foot. Pulling mountain passes I can easily keep up with my buddy's stock powerstroke. Overall I say do it, its a great bang for the buck, but I would definitely look into an engineered kit. I see them on Craigs for $400-$800 depending on condition of the parts n pieces.

 

Most of the systems I have seen are for turbo engines only.
They use boost pressure to regulate the flow of propane.

With a NA engine you may see a slight power increase, but not much.
You are adding more fuel to the cylinder when what you really need is more oxygen.