compact

ok guys heres a problem thats been going on since i bought the car

Whe i bought the car the gas system wasnt working properly and i managed to secure a good deal because of it.the other thing that i noticed that wasnt working was the heaters.

We drove the car 400 kms back home on petrol and it ran beautifully, sent it to our local ford dealer and they told me that the heater box was blocked and it would cost me 500 plus to fix. I said what about the gas and at that stage they just shrugged.

so i went to our local gas guy who's usually pretty good, he took it for a spin redirected a couple of hoses that he said were not in the right postion and viola the whole thing worked gas and heaters. beautiful

Then we take of for a 400 drive a few weeks later and coming into adelaide the gas system stops working and so does the heaters.and a new problem had accured as it started to boil as we left Adelaide through the hills. ok NOT fixed, came back home on petrol(youch) and then from advice from frod dealer and other mechanics they suggested to get the raditor cleaned as it was probably blocked.
MMMMMM, sent to radiator guy for treatment, radiator was 1-2% blocked he reckoned but the thermostat was stuffed,thermostat housing and we needed a new top hose( 430 dollars later) we drove away thinking that the problem was solved.(meaning that the thermostat was the prob)

Now to yesterday( two months since the radiator guy seen it), and it happens again....WHAT THE!!!!!!.....ok seen heaps of people today and have made there hair thin a bit more(well they seem to be scratching it alot) and had 3 mechanics saying sorry mate its got me baffled.GGGRRRRR so i buy a thermostsat and a heater tap and install them, it seeems to be working, but im not convinced.

Is there anything ive missed,a couple of other unique things it was doing is,

1. it semed to overheat only when i was putting the car under heavy load, eg...hills or flat to the board

2. when i put my foot on the gas pedal...the further i depress the pedal...the more air that gets redirected from the face vent to the demist vent

Help guys I really need it and noone around here semms to have had a similar problem

jas24zzk

G'day,
hard to say exactly without spending some time on the Car.
It could simply be an air pocket in the cooling system.
It could be something more diverse.
Without having the car to look at, makes it VERY hard to diagnose.

One thing to keep in mind tho...if you are running around on gas and it comes to a stop, don't just switch to petrol and keep going. LPG is no good without water, if you run out of water , the converter will freeze over and stop the car BEFORE you cook the heads....if it stops on gas switch to petrol only long enough to pull over into a safe spot.

Cheers
Jas

jas24zzk

Just Reading back through your post.

Item 1. the Fan clutch is not stuffed is it?? another item to check is debris between the Air condesor and Radiator.

Item 2. Vacumm problem...see topic elsewhere in this thread set.

Jas

oze50

i dont suppose that u have felt the gas converter hoses to make shure that thay r not freezing.

compact

Jas, thanks for replying, you cant tell me where the vacuum out of the inlet is can you? and also there is meant to be a storage chamber somewhere, do you know where that is, and is there a valve( im thinking something like the old pcv valve) that could be problematic to the amount of vacuum supply?

Just an idea that im trying to go outside the square,let me know if im off track.

The car is running on gas again, but imnot convinced that ive solved the problem, ive also noticed that the temperature guage is hunting.

keepchatting to me guys:)

RPO-083

Could be that the gas mixture isn't right, or has a blockage. Seems strange that it runs fine on petrol.... Just a thought.

compact

idothink it has something to do with the water flow

what was that about checking fordebris between the air condenser and the radiator,where is the air condensor?

and i also have been thinking that it is just air locks in the system, I undo the hose out of the convertorand bleed it from there,how do air pockets get in there?

jas24zzk

Okay,
had a few beers....so hoping i don't miss a point.

Hunting temperature. one of 3. problematic thermostat(replace), low coolant, or air lock, possibly a sensitive temp sender or guage

Bleeding an air lock. Must be done at the highest point!

Vacuum storage canister, located under the RH Front guard behind the splash shield.

Engine vacuum pickup. On a V8 not sure exactly but can look it up.

Cheers
Jas

RPO-083

Not being a panelbeater I am not 100% on what the problem might be here. I am only a mechanic, but will give it a go anyway.

The vacuum tank behind the guard is a storage tank for the heater controls only. There is a oneway valve fitted to the heater system which stops vacuum "bleeding back" when you put your foot down. These little valves can stop working, or you can develop a slight leak ANYWHERE in the heater circuit that will cause the heater to play up when you accelerate. A small heater vacuum problem won't affect the way the car performs.

An air lock in the gas convertor will cause the convertor to ice up very quickly. It is practically impossible for you to drive 400 kms and then have the convertor ice up. This will happen if you have a slow coolant leak, and it takes 400km for the level to drop down sufficiently. Plus, the engine cooling system on all fords from EA onwards have a pressurised header tank, plus air bleeds and a draw down hose to ensure that the engine does not have any air locks. It is reasonable to say that this would "extend" to the convertor hoses on this vehicle and eliminate the chance of an airlock.

Unfortunately, as you have a 5L, the heater tap plumbing is a little more complicated than normal. On a standard Ford there are only 2 hoses, and you can actually do away with the heater tap (you don't need it - FACT), and therefore ensure a continuous flow of water through the gas convertor. I have done this previously, and everything works fine, as Ford's have a Hot/cold flap in the heater box. But, you will have 4 hoses on the heater tap, and I have not personally had experience with plumbing a convertor into this setup.

Now, after all that...... I would suggest you have someone check the engine for a MAJOR intake vacuum leak. This will cause the engine to run lean, and give you your symtoms.

atec77

Sounds like the water flow into the converter is failing . a lot of the I6's had troubles with the water feed to the manifold blocking and of course the converter would freeze , I suggest flushing and checking water flow is sufficient .