Lubrication required for 2006 T5?

[PeterS60]

Hello everyone. I'm about to have my 2006 S60 T5 (260bhp) converted to lpg. I read about the valve seat recession issue and the lubrication to prevent it, but was advised by the installer that it is not required for Volvo engines. However somewhere else I read that valve seats in post-2002 Volvos are not so hard anymore, so the lubrication may be required. The car has done only 35k miles, but from May I will be doing around 20k miles a year and I plan to keep the car for few years. Could you please advise if I should have the lubrication system installed? Many thanks.

[classicswede]

Yes you need a valve saver system fitting on that age.

Is the installer aware that there is another thing they will also need to fit for the system to work?

Why did the installer not check the caution list?

[PeterS60]

Thank you very much Dai.

Those are very good questions. The fact that the installer simply assumed that all Volvo engines are fine is worrying. I note from your other posts that the fuel pressure is also an issue when installing lpg on T5. I haven't yet decided 100% to use this guy; he has good reputation for being precise and neat but it seems he hasn't done T5s before. I'll have a chat with him tomorrow before making final decision. Any other advise on what I should also ask him (except lubrication and fuel pressure) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Peter

[classicswede]

If I was backed into a corner on suggesting a local(ish) installer Your nearest installer I can recomend is Neil Muggleston in Boston or going up North a fair way there is decent up Doncaster /Sheffeild way. The down side with Neil is he likes to fit BRC but he will also fit AEB based systems.

You will want to discuss the normal stuff like fillr point location and where you would like the switch.
It can also be worth checking where he wants to fit the vapouriser as many installers fit it above the engine and that can cause issues with air locks.

Have you been able to look at any of the installers previous installs?

[PeterS60]

Thank you Dai. Yes, I had a chance to see his previous installation on a 960 and it looked very neat, I also spoke to the car's owner and he said he hadn't had any problems. I am inclined to use this guy as his garage is only 1 mile from where I live, so not far to go in case of any problems.

He suggested to use LPGTECH-326 ECU (http://www.lpgshop.co.uk/6cyl-ecu-lpgtech-tech-326-new/) with these injectors http://www.lpgshop.co.uk/lpgtech-dra...njectors-rail/ (a rail of 3 + rail of 2) and this reducer http://www.lpgshop.co.uk/lpg-autogas-kme-gold-reducer/ . I read some good reviews of the ECU (allegedly it's very flexible when tuning) but I know nothing about the injectors and the reducer. I guess these are not BRC/Prins quality, but allegedly they're good enough and the total inclusive cost will be around £1200, whilst elsewhere I was quoted nearly £2000 for BRC and over £2100 for Romano.

[classicswede]

Having looked at the LPG tech software is does not look that great compared to other Polish systems like Stag, Europegas and KME but I am told it is ok. If the installer is most familiar with LPG tech then that would be the best choice.

The injectors are similar to Hana so should be ok.

KME gold vapouriser is know for problems sadly and the Tomasseto Antartic would a better choice.

Shocking price for the Romano as it is only a budget system.

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by PeterS60

Hello everyone. I'm about to have my 2006 S60 T5 (260bhp) converted to lpg. I read about the valve seat recession issue and the lubrication to prevent it, but was advised by the installer that it is not required for Volvo engines. However somewhere else I read that valve seats in post-2002 Volvos are not so hard anymore, so the lubrication may be required. The car has done only 35k miles, but from May I will be doing around 20k miles a year and I plan to keep the car for few years. Could you please advise if I should have the lubrication system installed? Many thanks.

Considering how old this car is, it might be an idea to sell it and buy a diesel. LPG knocks the block life expectancy in half. A serious HDEO plus Ceratec might make more of a difference than a pre lube system. If the car is kept in a garage or within range of a power cable, another block saving idea is to fit a 250W sump heater pad (About 75 quid for the pad kit). That won't help the valves, but it does reduce ring and cylinder wear.

The final bill for the conversion plus the special lube system might cost more than a high mileage S60 is worth, although the LPG fans seem to think a pre lube is not required for older Volvo cars.

[classicswede]

What do you mean LPG knocks the block life in half?

If you mean the bottom end LPG actually extends the life 2 or 3 fold over petrol. The main reason for the extra life is the oil does not get contaminated allowing the engine oil to do its job for much longer.

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by classicswede

What do you mean LPG knocks the block life in half?

If you mean the bottom end LPG actually extends the life 2 or 3 fold over petrol. The main reason for the extra life is the oil does not get contaminated allowing the engine oil to do its job for much longer.

Sorry I should have said upper cylinder life, as it causes a lot more valve failures. I agree that the bottom end might well last longer.

This seems to be a good guide as to which engines are suffering from Valve issues under 100K km:
http://www.amrautos.co.uk/database_problem_cars.pdf
(It also lists the types that seem to suffer from injector module faults)

[classicswede]

The Prins list is not reliable as a lot of engines on that list with other systems do not suffer with VSR. For example the very common Jeep 4.7 does not suffer when fitted with kits with ECU's like AEB, KME or even stag yet with prins , AG or Piro they have problems. The Vortec is another engine that you will not normally see any problems with unless converted on one of those systems.

There is discussion on the LPG forum as to why that is the case but in short it is connected to how the injectors are driven and how the fuel maps are created. The Piro is an injector driver issue

It does look like Prins are having problems with the load simulators as most other systems are fine on most of those cars and the ones that do cause issues are easily fixed is an extra plug in box.

The fuel pressure issues with are easy enough to fix when you know.

Valve train life comes down type of valve lifting and materials used.