To skraggy_uk

[Lpgc]

Hi @skraggy_uk

I read your thread yesterday but the forum seemed to be acting up and it wouldn't let me post a reply. Oops errors.

I come back to your same thread today and your thread seems completely edited, we/I cannot see what your wrote about the problems with your Elgrand now but I remember about the overheating.

There still seems to be a problem replying to your thread or even PMing you, so to get my message to you I had to start a new thread. Oops errors galore again.

Did I fit your LPG system? A sniff test checks for CO2 (fumes from engine combustion in coolant pointing to a head gasket failure) but there are other problems that can cause over-pressure in the cooling system which causes coolant to be lost and the engine to overheat. Obviously a leak in the cooling system will cause loss of coolant, a gunged up radiator won't cool as well as it should, a stuck thermostat, bad waterpump, etc, all could cause overheating but there is still another one.. If the LPG pressure reducer leaks LPG into coolant it can over-pressurise the cooling system causing loss of coolant and/or air (gas) locks in coolant all of which can cause overheating. An LPG leak into coolant would pass a sniff test because LPG is not CO2. Such problem has never occurred on an Elgrand I converted to LPG which I attribute to the type of pressure reducer I fit on Elgrands and where I fit it on Elgrands (which is low down in the engine bay where it always gets a good supply of water flow through it). Some makes of pressure reducer are much more likely to fail and allow gas to get into coolant than others, also reducers that don't have a good flow of water through them are more likely to fail because without flow of water they can get to extremely cold temperatures that can cause seals to fail.

You could try just running it on petrol and see if it still overheats. Running on petrol the gas valves are not opened so there is no gas to the reducer, so even if the reducer does leak gas into coolant it won't leak gas into coolant if only run on petrol. If you do this test don't switch to LPG even once even briefly until you know whether it overheats if you only run it on petrol. As soon as gas valves are opened it allows gas to reach the reducer and there will be a bit of a resrvoir of LPG ready to flow to the reducer in the pipe/filter between the LPG solenoid and the reducer.

Of course your problem may not be due to the above and I forget what else you said about it overheating and what other problems it's got. I know you mentioned undersealing, can't remember what if any other problems it's got, can't remember if you said it seems to drive normally (besides overheating) or seems down on power etc, can't remember if cats are done.

 

[Lpgc]

I have just searched for earlier posts you did about problems with your car and overheating etc.

I didn't convert your Elgrand to LPG, you have a BRC system fitted, everything I advised in the above post I've advised months ago in other threads you started.

 

[skraggy_uk]

Thank you. Hopefully this reply goes through. The forum is misbehaving so people are having to reply in new posts.

 

[skraggy_uk]

Hi @skraggy_uk

I read your thread yesterday but the forum seemed to be acting up and it wouldn't let me post a reply. Oops errors.

I come back to your same thread today and your thread seems completely edited, we/I cannot see what your wrote about the problems with your Elgrand now but I remember about the overheating.

There still seems to be a problem replying to your thread or even PMing you, so to get my message to you I had to start a new thread. Oops errors galore again.

Did I fit your LPG system? A sniff test checks for CO2 (fumes from engine combustion in coolant pointing to a head gasket failure) but there are other problems that can cause over-pressure in the cooling system which causes coolant to be lost and the engine to overheat. Obviously a leak in the cooling system will cause loss of coolant, a gunged up radiator won't cool as well as it should, a stuck thermostat, bad waterpump, etc, all could cause overheating but there is still another one.. If the LPG pressure reducer leaks LPG into coolant it can over-pressurise the cooling system causing loss of coolant and/or air (gas) locks in coolant all of which can cause overheating. An LPG leak into coolant would pass a sniff test because LPG is not CO2. Such problem has never occurred on an Elgrand I converted to LPG which I attribute to the type of pressure reducer I fit on Elgrands and where I fit it on Elgrands (which is low down in the engine bay where it always gets a good supply of water flow through it). Some makes of pressure reducer are much more likely to fail and allow gas to get into coolant than others, also reducers that don't have a good flow of water through them are more likely to fail because without flow of water they can get to extremely cold temperatures that can cause seals to fail.

You could try just running it on petrol and see if it still overheats. Running on petrol the gas valves are not opened so there is no gas to the reducer, so even if the reducer does leak gas into coolant it won't leak gas into coolant if only run on petrol. If you do this test don't switch to LPG even once even briefly until you know whether it overheats if you only run it on petrol. As soon as gas valves are opened it allows gas to reach the reducer and there will be a bit of a resrvoir of LPG ready to flow to the reducer in the pipe/filter between the LPG solenoid and the reducer.

Of course your problem may not be due to the above and I forget what else you said about it overheating and what other problems it's got. I know you mentioned undersealing, can't remember what if any other problems it's got, can't remember if you said it seems to drive normally (besides overheating) or seems down on power etc, can't remember if cats are done.

When initially overheated last year I did try running just on petrol per your advise and I still managed to overheat it at motorway speeds but not at local speeds even crawling in a queue.

Generally apart from not staying on LPG but flicking back and forth, once I got the new camshaft sensors fitted I got rid of the error codes (recent new fault not connected) and driving is normal, not under powered at all.

Problems at the minute are
The overheating I'm leaning towards the Kseal the last owner put in has clogged everything and gummed up the thermostat. You could be right about the LPG leakage though but I'll rule out the clogging/thermostat first as new coolant wouldn't hurt anyway.

There is an inner CV boot need and an inner rack end on the other side with play in it, and for the last 2 MOTs the crispy underside but kit seriously weakened was mentioned. Each summer I've planned on getting it sorted, but each year something else on it has taken my time/money.

Add in that the old battery has now been.dead for possibly a couple of months and it's the small standard sized one I need the get the bigger one in there but change the dip hids while the battery is out (series 1 very bottom of the lamp) because one seems dim and the other is yellowing.

I need it sorted by late October to get through the MOT but I also need to find a new trusted tester as my regular one of 18 years has retired.

Biggest problem is, last November I had to give up work for health reasons so my income halved and budgeting for this is going to be hella difficult. I'm lucky that the Elgrand isn't my daily but I still want it working and hurts seeing it sitting dead.

 

[Lpgc]

OK, well if it does it on petrol without even switching to LPG for a moment it can't be the LPG reducer, I put it forward as something you might not have considered / tested because I have known people have head gaskets and cooling system components changed when the only fault was a duff reducer.

I would give the cooling system a good flush, especially the radiator. If it's not the thermostat it could be the rad caked up to the extent it needs replacing.

Track rod end is an easy job. Is the duff CV gator on the front (if it's 4wd) or on the rear? Not too bad a job but obviously need to remove the driveshaft and take the CV off the shaft, did both jobs on mine recently. Also was about to change a CV gator on the missus' Corsa but seemed there was excess play in the same CV, so was going to change just the inner CV and it's gator.. But found a complete new driveshaft complete with CV's for £30 for the Corsa, no brainer to buy and fit that compared to more expensive just to buy a single CV and gator and have to fit them to the shaft. I couldn't believe a complete new driveshaft was only £30... But that was for the Corsa not the Elgrand.

Headlight bulb not a biggie.

Wouldn't underseal it until after having at least the cooling system fixed.

 

[skraggy_uk]

OK, well if it does it on petrol without even switching to LPG for a moment it can't be the LPG reducer, I put it forward as something you might not have considered / tested because I have known people have head gaskets and cooling system components changed when the only fault was a duff reducer.

I would give the cooling system a good flush, especially the radiator. If it's not the thermostat it could be the rad caked up to the extent it needs replacing.

Track rod end is an easy job. Is the duff CV gator on the front (if it's 4wd) or on the rear? Not too bad a job but obviously need to remove the driveshaft and take the CV off the shaft, did both jobs on mine recently. Also was about to change a CV gator on the missus' Corsa but seemed there was excess play in the same CV, so was going to change just the inner CV and it's gator.. But found a complete new driveshaft complete with CV's for £30 for the Corsa, no brainer to buy and fit that compared to more expensive just to buy a single CV and gator and have to fit them to the shaft.

Headlight bulb not a biggie.

Wouldn't underseal it until after having at least the cooling system fixed.

Front inner CV boot yes 4wd.
It's the inner rack end that has play apparently not the normal track rod end. They found those two and a front tyre wearing on the inner edge when I took it in to get the camshaft sensors checked and changed after the two new ones I fitted must have been faulty (bought from a reputable supplier).

Yes agree about sorting out the cooling system before the underseal. One thing I observed this time it overheated though, 30⁰c temperature outside, once I pulled popped the bonnet and let it idle, when I turned off the AC it cooled, turned it back on the temp went up again.

Without my fat fingers, no jack/stands/ramp or access to a lift without removing the battery and air box there is no way I'm getting to the very bottom of the headlight to get to the bulb I managed to do the hi beams by tilting/wiggling the battery, and removing some of the plastics on the passenger side and working blind.

 

[Blippi]

I found changing bulbs is much easier by just removing the headlight units. If not done before there is an awkward bolt that can be accessed by reaching up behind wheel arch liner. Don't replace that one when refitting.