Back to the fuel line. It delivers liquefied LPG into the reducer-vapouriser mounted inside the engine bay. Given the limited amount of space, the Tomasetto Alaska AT-09 reducer has been fitted under the front bumper and it can only be accessed from underneath the car. Despite that, the liquid state LPG filter and all the connections on the reducer (LPG, coolant, electricity) are easily accessible. Should any maintenance be done on the reducer, the car needs to be lifted or the installer needs to get into a service channel, but there's no need to disconnect the reducer from the LPG or coolant hoses.
Placing the reducer underneath the car made it necessary to use a rather lengthy hose to supply the injector rail with LPG. Along the way there's obviously also the gaseous state LPG filter, placed near the bonnet's lock. It's easily accessible, so replacing the filter insert is very convenient, although it would be even easier after unscrewing the housing from its bracket for extra access. The rubber hoses are long enough for the filter housing to be manipulated in order for the clarifier to be removed, with no need to disconnect the hoses.
After the gaseous state filter, but before the injectors there's the PTS 01 pressure and temperature sensor, whose indications help determine LPG density and calculate the appropriate LPG dose under given load and speed conditions. Last but not least come the TECH Dragon injectors, fitted very neatly on the petrol injector rail. Since they're placed almost vertically, any contaminants contained in the fuel can easily drip down towards the engine. Also, placing the LPG injectors on top of the petrol injector rail makes the hoses connecting the LPG injectors with their nozzles screwed into the intake manifold very short. Thanks to that the engine is very responsive in LPG mode.
The only component the driver actually uses (unless he or she refills using self-service) is the LPG/petrol switch inside the cabin. In this particular case it has been placed in a small compartment under and to the left of the steering column. According to LPGTECH, many users wish to have their switches mounted like that to avoid problems when entering underground car parks. It may make sense in theory, but in practice we've never seen a car park attendant looking into the cabin in search of the LPG/petrol switch. Besides, the switch may be concealed, but there's an easily visible 100-liter cylindrical tank right inside the cargo area. Will the attendant fail to see that? This kind of logics just falls apart.
Now it's time for a summary. We may not have the kind of experience installers have, but we've never driven a car that would switch from petrol to LPG or the other way round so smoothly regardless of ambient conditions. Especially that the reducer temperature necessary for the switchover to occur was set so low (20 degrees Celsius, just to remind you), cutting petrol mode operation time. Let us also praise the LPGTECH conversion shop for the way they mounted all the components of the autogas system. They have all been fitted in a thoughtful manner, making use of existing perforation, without making additional holes. The only downside is the aforementioned flexible LPG line, which exits the profile in its bottom part, thus becoming the lowest point of the body.
Now, let's mention fuel economy. The Fiesta used 11,05 l of LPG to cover a 150-km stretch of the road, which translates into 7,37 l/100 km. This is an outstanding result, especially if you consider that a 60-km piece of the distance was covered on a freeway, at very high speeds, and the remaining 90 km were covered in city traffic. During the entire test, average fuel economy was 9,2 l of LPG per 100 km, which may not be the lowest possible result, but then we didn't try to apply any eco driving techniques. Given the average fuel economy and the tank capacity, one refueling should suffice for approx. 870 km, although economising on fuel should make it possible to achieve ranges in excess of 1000 km.
All in all, the engine converted with an LPG system featuring a TECH One ECU performed just fine. The LPGTECH product offers an oustanding quality to price ratio – it has all it needs for less demanding cars and is cheaper than more complex models. In price-sensitive markets, such as Poland, the TECH One seems well cut out for success.
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