Problem with LPG conversion from Classicswede, advice please

[BananaKing]

Ok. I've a '75 Volvo 245 Estate. I'm not mechanically minded, but I love this car. In order to save on fuel costs, I decided on going for an LPG conversion. After researching a bit, I decided to head to Holyhead to have Dai @ Classic Swede do the conversion for me. I live in Ireland (though from the UK originally), so this meant a £250 ferry trip.

It's not gone well.

Ok, after paying £1150, I drove the car home on Monday evening. The timing was very off (would stall every time I tried to reverse, unless I gave it a lot of revs - which is kinda hard to do when you're reversing an automatic).
I got to around 170 miles on the trip meter before the car felt like it was running out of lpg (I was told I'd get 200 - 220 miles on a full tank, so that was a little disappointing), so I switched over to petrol. Bang. A big backfire.
Dai told me to expect a backfire at some point (again - I'm not mechanically inclined, but is that correct? Seems a little strange to me), so I wasn't too panicked. I've roadside assistance with my car insurance policy, so being stuck I gave them a call and explained what had happened.
This part had been blown right off from the backfire :



Again, I'm an idiot, so I'm referring to it as the plate under the manifold. It couldn't be dealt with roadside, so was towed to my usual garage here in Ireland (who also does LPG conversions, as it happens.

Ray (my local garage) was confused by the way the conversion had been done. He said that there should've been some kind of release valve system (?) on the manifold which would prevent this kind of damage occurring.

It was repaired (at my expense!) and I've now a poorly running car which struggles uphill, cuts out unless I give a lot of revs, and literally takes a dozen or so attempts to even start it. (So whereas before it was idling too high, now it seems to be too low).

Oh - two more things. There's now a smell of gas in the car. That concerns me a great deal. Also, when I turn the ignition, I now get this sound :

[GVIDEO]http://s28.photobucket.com/user/airm...Volvo.mp4.html[/GVIDEO]

Ok. So I've emailed and texted Dai. He suggests me bring the car back to Wales, and he'll fix the issues. This means me paying £250 in ferry travel (at my expense). I'm reluctant to do this as I'm concerned over the conversion in the first place. But do I have a choice?

I wasn't given a receipt or any certification for the work (!) - he said he'd email it to me... haven't received anything yet.

I've texted him saying that it's unfair that I should be out of pocket in order to rectify this, but have since had no reply.

So what am I asking on this forum? Well, 3 things.

1/ Where do I stand in all of this? Am I entitled to a part-refund so that I can have someone in Ireland fix the issues?
2/ Is this gas smell and noise dangerous?
3/ From the photos below, does this conversion look correct, and if I do take this to an LPG specialist over here, what should I be telling them in order to correct these problems?

Thanks..... advice/suggestions much appreciated. I'm not trying to stir trouble here, but I'm now skint and in a bit of a panic.

[NI_Volvo_Nut]

Smell of gas would be enough for me to stop using the car, as regards poor running, does this improve when running on petrol? If not there are other engine issues. Thats a B200E by the looks of it, I'd have thought an LPG system on that engine would have injectors going into the manifold or head, but I'm no expert on LPG.

If it were me, I'd take the car to an LPG specialist in Ireland, there's one in Portadown, Co Armagh is meant to be very good. Explain the situation to him and ask for advice.

As regards classicswede, there's another thread here somewhere regarding him and a botch job he (allegedly) done. But looking at you're pic's, he will NEVER work on a car of mine!! The way that tank is fitted looks to be a complete butchers job!!

I'm based in Northern Ireland, I am a mechanic and know a fair bit about those engines, so if I can be of help, get in touch on ad345@sky.com, I also have a complete B200E spare from a 740, only difference if where the distributor is placed.

Andy

Have a look here http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showth...68#post1219668

Just to point out, I've no experience of this man, my views are based purely on what I've read here

[BananaKing]

Hi - thanks for the reply! Co Armagh is quite a trek for me (am down in Waterford!), but not impossible ... I might give them a call in the morning though, cheers.

I'm stuck with LPG only right now, the backfire did some damage that means I can't run petrol at the minute!

Originally Posted by NI_Volvo_Nut

Smell of gas would be enough for me to stop using the car, as regards poor running, does this improve when running on petrol? If not there are other engine issues. Thats a B200E by the looks of it, I'd have thought an LPG system on that engine would have injectors going into the manifold or head, but I'm no expert on LPG.

If it were me, I'd take the car to an LPG specialist in Ireland, there's one in Portadown, Co Armagh is meant to be very good. Explain the situation to him and ask for advice.

As regards classicswede, there's another thread here somewhere regarding him and a botch job he (allegedly) done. But looking at you're pic's, he will NEVER work on a car of mine!! The way that tank is fitted looks to be a complete butchers job!!

I'm based in Northern Ireland, I am a mechanic and know a fair bit about those engines, so if I can be of help, get in touch on ad345@sky.com, I also have a complete B200E spare from a 740, only difference if where the distributor is placed.

Andy

Have a look here http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showth...68#post1219668

Just to point out, I've no experience of this man, my views are based purely on what I've read here

[Thanatos]

That would be this thread

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=159255

And then there's

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=159399

Unfortunately 940turbo is no longer with us.

[Clan]

That doesnt feel right feeding the vapourised gas in there before the flowmeter , that means the whole manifold and fuel delivery unit and air trunking are going to be full of gas when the engine stops and it will waft back and fill the air filter too , thats what you smell i guess . One hint of combustion from a partialy open inlet valve and the whole lot could explode to some extent !
The gas should be fed directly into the inlet ports ... on this type of engine/manifold arrangment . In my opinion anyway , I used to do official volvo LPG Conversions in the early 1980's . That system there would suit a stromberg carburettor type engine .

[BananaKing]

Originally Posted by Clan

That doesnt feel right feeding the vapourised gas in there before the flowmeter , that means the whole manifold and fuel delivery unit and air trunking are going to be full of gas when the engine stops and it will waft back and fill the air filter too , thats what you smell i guess . One hint of combustion from a partialy open inlet valve and the whole lot could explode to some extent !
The gas should be fed directly into the inlet ports ... on this type of engine/manifold arrangment . In my opinion anyway , I used to do official volvo LPG Conversions in the early 1980's . That system there would suit a stromberg carburettor type engine .

Can anyone chip in on this? Driving a death-trap wasn't what I was hoping for....

[Clan]

Originally Posted by BananaKing

Can anyone chip in on this? Driving a death-trap wasn't what I was hoping for....

It's already blown your belows off , i guess thats as bad as it will get being the weakest point . However as you said above there should be some sort of flap to let the pressure out if a backfire occurs .

[Chesh740R]

Originally Posted by classicswede

Hi Ruby,

if you search through the LPg section you will see post from Aus (volvovic I think) with a 740 LPG conversion. The installers have struggled to convert the car mainly due to lack of experiance and knowledge.

I have converted many 240's and they do not give me any trouble because I know how to do it. I asume you have K jetronic mechanical injection at that age. If so it use simple to do but must be installed correctly or you will have problems. The 4 cylinder engines fitted 240 all have hard valves and seats and need no mods to run on LPG. I have a 240 hear now on 400,000 miles and was converted at 200,000 miles still on the original engine.

I'd be happy to talk to your installers and explain the exact fromula needed for making it work.

The above taken from another thread asking advice on installing LPG.

I struggle to understand how a converter of so many trouble free 240 conversions, is sending them out the door not working properly???

[NI_Volvo_Nut]

Originally Posted by BananaKing

Can anyone chip in on this? Driving a death-trap wasn't what I was hoping for....

Clan is one of the most knowledgeable on the site, I'd take his word even if he is guessing lol, I think I have a full manifold set up for that engine which would get you back on petrol again

[lyron]

take the **** to court and get him bloody banned. a smell of gas in the car would tell me to stop driving it. get it surveyed by a proffesional. then get it repaired to a proper standard then send the classic swede the bill, if he don't pay, take him to court.


ron.