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Frequent flyer Bronze
Posts: 43
 
Location: NSW | Good afternoon John and Terry.
Just want to thank you both for your help. After supposedly having one of the catalytic converters replaced, and getting it tuned at The Gas Man and having the vapour filter and one of the injectors replaced, car is running well (it even shifts smoother!), if only slightly thirstier than before. Otherwise, very happy with everything else about it 
Taking it to Cooma/Jindabyne/Thredbo this weekend, so will try to take some pictures and post on the 380 LX section afterwards!
P.S.: Terry, I read on another thread that you have self-tuned your car to running perfect now. Great to hear!
Edited by dazeet 4/3/2014 14:06
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Frequent flyer Gold
Posts: 1092
 
Location: An island off southern Tasmania. | well done mate... |
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Frequent flyer Gold
Posts: 108
Location: NEWPORT QLD | Good news |
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Frequent flyer Bronze
Posts: 43
Location: NSW | Good afternoon all.
Seems like my LPG system is playing up again, and throwing on the CEL. CEL flashed on one occasion going uphill.
The same coughing symptoms - noticeably more frequent at idle, and heaps of white smoke coming out when idling at lower engine temps (especially right after the auto-switch from petrol to LPG). Sometimes it is like a smokeshow behind the car!
Switched back to running down an almost full tank of RON98 (the only grade of petrol I use) - no more CEL. But the CEL and jerking and vibration and sounding like an ancient dying vehicle (particularly when standing behind the vehicle and listening to the exhaust) comes back soon after I switch back to LPG...so onto my second full tank of RON98 now...
Got a sneaking suspicion that after the dealer replaced one of the exhaust headers (containing I assume one of the melted(?) cats), the Seven Hills LPG shop I then took it to tune it too rich but not rich enough to trigger the CEL - I noticed some slight delay then sudden "catch up" in engine revs when asked to accelerate gently at low speed for the first minute or so after the auto-switch from petrol to LPG after a cold start on a winter's night. But it went away and did not come back, so I did not think too much of it - until now. So I am not surprised if their potential dodgy tuning (possibly not easy with 1 new cat on 1 bank and 1 old cat on the other - although the car was 100% fine with Terry immediately after the cat replacement and before the tuning - only about 4-6% rich from memory?) has melted the other cat - if not both.
Pity I don't know much about gas systems - my mechanic is good and honest but does not deal with the LPG side...I need someone who does not mess up with the gas system and thus my car just to get more ongoing business!
@Terry: seeing as you appear to have bought all the necessary gear, kindly appreciate if I can bring the car over for you to take a look again some time. If it is just tuning, happy to pay you to have it tuned properly. But if the waveform is similar to what we had last time - then I won't be surprised if the cat has melted again, and I might have to ask everyone who have done their exhausts where to get hi-flow metal-core cats fitted and then pay to have you tune the system.
LPG system should be 10 years old next year and due for the tank certification/replacement etc. Considering I don't do huge mileages every year, really contemplating just getting rid of the system - because the rest of the car seems to be fine (besides an occasionally slipping-feeling 4th gear - damper clutch? And some squeaking probably at the seat base as John has mentioned in another thread)... |
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Frequent flyer Gold
Posts: 1092
Location: An island off southern Tasmania. | How is the petrol fuel economy?
are you in Victoria? |
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Frequent flyer Bronze
Posts: 43
Location: NSW | I was silly enough not to do a proper calculation as it was not a full tank, but it seemed reasonable to me - obviously the range on petrol is far greater, but a tank of RON98 hurts a lot more $-wise! Definitely noticed greater RON98 use when in the lower gears and up and down gradients even at less than 30km/h, as expected.
Have not reset the trip computer, but it is showing 12.6L/100km at the moment at an average speed of 35.3km/h. No freeway runs, just a mix of stop-start + short distance + 60km/h-80km/h cruising.
Even without gradient changes, noticed the engine revs fluctuate noticeably when cruising at 80km/h or higher on CC when running LPG, which resulted in mild changes in cruising speed and the CC compensating. Does not seem to do that on RON98 - although rev-up response (whenever there is a need to press on) seems to be a touch slower than before. Not sure if it is because of the melted cat(s), or just my placebo effect!
Love to take some days off right now and visit you and your awesome collection and work in Vic - my wife actually prefers Melbourne over Sydney, just needs to find a job there - and hopefully have the issue sorted for good! But I can only take part-days off until 12/9, so looks like I'll have to wait and see if Terry might be available by then. I might try him by other more direct means...
Also need to take it to a dealer for that light switch recall... |
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Frequent flyer Gold
Posts: 108
Location: NEWPORT QLD | Back from o/s
Happy to plug it in and see what OBDii and LPG computers say
Would need you to run it for a day on LPG first so we can see if petrol ECU is compensating (via long term fuel trims) for incorrect LPG setting
I need dealer too for light switch - BTW John do you need me to scan the notice so you can publish it for non original owners who may not have had it sent to them??
Terry
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Frequent flyer Bronze
Posts: 43
Location: NSW | Thank you very much Terry. Hope you had a great time overseas!
How many km do you think I should run it on LPG before we plug it in? Don't want to kill the cats any more than necessary if possible...
Will be interesting to find out what the culprit(s) is/are...
I will send you a PM and we can work out when it is more convenient for you.
If it is the cat(s) again...really wonder if I should just bite the bullet and change them all to hi-flow metal cats. Wonder what the parts and labour cost will be...? |
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Frequent flyer Bronze
Posts: 43
Location: NSW | Thank you very much Terry for your help - car seems to be running well again.
Still not sure what caused the tune to go out so badly, though, but that's probably a question for another time!
Posting a copy of the headlight switch recall notice now... |
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Frequent flyer Gold
Posts: 108
Location: NEWPORT QLD | My pleasure |
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Recent LPG Starvation Issue
