EXCESSIVE FUEL CONSUMPTION

[essexcamper]

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A 1984 VW T25 CAMPER AND HAD A CONVERTION FOR LPG AND PETROL.
IT HAS A FULLY RECONDITIONED 1.9 WATER COOLED ENGINE WITH A 4 SPEED GEAR
BOX WHICH HAS DONE 15000 MILES.
ON OUR 1ST TRIP I WAS ASTONISHED TO FIND ALL I GOT CONSUMPTION WISE WAS
16/17 MPG.
COULD THIS BE DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT ONLY HAS 4 GEARS?
HAS PUTTING LPG IN NOT HELPED THIS SITUATION.
PLEASE, ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE MOST WELCOMED, AS I CAN'T AFFORD TO
RUN IT ON A RETURN OF WHAT I'M GETTING.

[R0B]

Mate.On the left of your keyboard is a button with caps lock on it.Give it a press.Oh and welcome to 8090

[Aidan]

nowt to do with 4 speed box 16-17 mpg real is what most of us get on lpg with a fully loaded camper, plenty will say they get a lot more but the ones who keep a proper log and do a lot of miles will tell you you are in the ball park, an adjustment of the vapouriser once it has bedded in will bring it up a bit
5 speed box isn't an overdrive fifth it's an extra gear in the middle and a really low first

[eatcustard]

WELCOME

16-17 MPG IS NORMAL UNDER LPG

I get 17-18 on a 2.1i

[kevtherev]

I'd wait till spring before you sell it.

you'll get a better price

[Ian Hulley]

Yep, some people will tell you you'll get 28 mpg .... the rest of us, who run these campers all the time, get 18 on the good stuff and up to 22 on petrol but that's maximum. Loaded/unloaded tintop/poptop/hightop makes no difference ... I guess if you're running a low mileage empty panel van it might but I never noticed any difference at all.

2.1 DJ running a DG carb and lpg 5 speed

Ian

[Plasticman]

OH HECK
mike

[essexcamper]

Yep, some people will tell you you'll get 28 mpg .... the rest of us, who run these campers all the time, get 18 on the good stuff and up to 22 on petrol but that's maximum. Loaded/unloaded tintop/poptop/hightop makes no difference ... I guess if you're running a low mileage empty panel van it might but I never noticed any difference at all.

2.1 DJ running a DG carb and lpg 5 speed

Ian

thanxs Ian

[Plasticman]

What yuou got to remember is the 17-19mpg is not costing £1.30/ltr, you do the sums and you'll see its not that bad for those of you burning the 'fools fuel'
mike

[essexcamper]

Actually I have just worked out exactly what i was getting, the figure is worse than I thought,
it is 15.60 mpg, still bad as far as I'm concerned, and that was with it being unloaded.

[Plasticman]

if thats on gas then its like 28mpg from the £££ point of view,
like it or get a diesel, you know it makes sense
mike

[ermie571]

Essex,

you need to learn to drive these vehicles. With respect, its totally different to cars. Your speedo may be way out....I was driving at what I thought was 56, and getting crap fuel return (on LPG too), then had the sat nav on....56 was actually 46/47 mph.....so I went a bit faster, and now get 20-21 on the motorway on a run, and 18/19 round town. But double it for the LPG prices, and my 2 ton home on wheels is returning apprx 40 mpg (and my old petrol car wouldn't do that!)

First off, make sure your speedo is right.
Second, don't push it. 55-60 is your cruising speed.
thirdly - find that sweet spot on the pedal that will let you cruise at about 2800, 3000 revs (that is in the middle of the green band on the rev counter that is on mine). If you don't have a rev counter, get an after-market one and try and drive at around 3,000 revs. My 2.1 pulls 3,500 revs at 65mph, and 3000 at 60.
Fourthly, don't rush of the lights...take your time, and enjoy the drive. heavy acceleration followed by heavy braking....lots of fuel.
Finally - really read the road ahead of you.....hill coming...give it a bit of welly to get you up, and as the van slows, change gear and go with it, don't floor it!

and with LPG....you have a power valve. Turning it out allows more gas through = more power. Screw it in = less gas = less power. Its quite a delicate balance, with trial and error to get the power / economy balance rightIf you don't have the instructions for it, its well worth speaking to Gasure and getting it set up correctly. get in touch with ELITE VW in essex (gasure agents) who can set it up for you, give it a service, changing the filters etc etc, and explain how it all works.

Like Ian, ours don't seem to mind whether its fully loaded or empty...it will return similar mileage. You may find some LPG gives you a better return. Supermarket LPG may not be as good as BP or shell.

Hope you try and get the best out of your van before you pass it on!

Enjoy!!

Em
xx