Fuel Update

I mentioned here that the petrol gauge drops as I drive along burning gas. After I topped up the tank last week to nearly half-full, it slowly dropped back down again. Four times in the last three weeks, for no apparent reason, it rose back up to show the correct level.

I checked to see if opening either the filler cap or the covering door was enough to trigger a correction, but it seems not, leaving me none the wiser.

Last week I needed to check the mileage for a journey I’d just finished. I’d just switched off the engine, so I replaced the key in the ignition and turned it to the ‘run’ position for several seconds, but without actually starting up. Very shortly into my next journey, the gauge was reading the correct level, making me wonder if messing with the key had been significant. More investigation is required…

[Update: It seems the fuel computer must be set to show 'range remaining'. Investigations continue]

Strange Goings-on in the Fuel Tank

When I got the Coupé back from Essex LPG, there was very little petrol left in the tank. It uses petrol to start the engine and pressurise the LPG fuel lines, so I put £10-worth in.

I noticed on Wednesday that the fuel gauge was gradually drifting downwards, and by the time I got back from Norfolk it was firmly below the red line. The fuel computer’s estimate of remaining range was also dropping, but only by about a quarter of the actual distance I was covering.

This morning the fuel computer insisted that there was zero range remaining, and the petrol gauge remained firmly stuck to the bottom of the red line, so I added £15-worth. I was surprised to see this moved the needle to the half-tank level...

Talking to Alan this morning, it seems that both the gauge and the computer update themselves by monitoring how much fuel is supplied to the engine, and only reset when more fuel is added to the tank. Unaware that what is being supplied is Autogas rather than unleaded, they then show inaccurate figures.

I’m sure that there is more to this than I’m aware of at the moment, but for now it seems the only way to find out how much petrol I’ve got is to add some more…

Converted...

I’d booked the Coupé in with Essex LPG for conversion on April 23rd. Alan was slightly cheaper than the Greenfuel quote I’d had, at £1650, but it was going to be a four-hour journey to drive the car down to him and then get a train back home. When I mentioned this to him he immediately offered to collect it from me and take it back to Essex on a trailer. Everyone’s a winner.

He’d estimated that the conversion would take about a week, but due to a problem getting a part from a supplier in Wales, I didn’t get the car back until the following Thursday. He did deliver it to me, saving me another four hour journey, which was good.

The conversion looks like a neat job; an 80 litre (nominal) tank fits nicely under the parcel shelf, but still gives me good access to the spare wheel. The filler valve has been neatly fitted onto the rear wing, close to the petrol cap, and the switch is tucked away under the radio.

What a Week!

Well, I finally got a call from Potential Future Boss #1 last Friday, telling me that I would be offered the position we had discussed. So, time to stop faffing around and actually buy a car.

I've been looking at used car adverts for three months, so now was the time to leap into action and buy myself a shiny Peugeot 406 Coupé.

The first car on my list, mentioned here, had been sold, as I predicted. The next one, I noticed just as I called the dealer, had red leather upholstery (why??!).

The next three all had sunroofs. None of these were mentioned in the text of the advert, nor were they visible on the photographs. In one case,the advert ran to eight lines of description of the car, including the surprise news that the car had power steering, but failed to mention the sunroof. As I established a while ago, sunroofs are a no-no.

By yesterday, I had narrowed the choice down to two vehicles:
A 2001 (Y) 2.0 S, cloth interior, 73,000 miles. Advertised at £3800 but £3500 agreed.
-or-
A 2000 (W) 2.0 SE, electric heated leather seats, cruise control, etc. 97,500 miles. Advertised at £3500.

My scoring system penalises the 'SE' for the extra 24,500 miles (~£600) and the extra year (£700), but gives it £600 for the extra kit. So, in order to be of equal value to the 'S' model, it would need to be reduced to around £2900.

I called the dealer, Rude Car,this morning and offered £3000 cash, which they politely declined. The car had come in only yesterday, so they weren't willing to drop the price at all. No sale for them today.

I've arranged to collect the 'S' from Southampton next week, once it's been MoT'd. The dealer serviced it and replaced the cam belt when he received the car, so no worries there.

I've also got a nice quote for the insurance by changing the car on my existing policy and taking out a new policy in my wife's name for the Astra. Net cost, about £490, which is £200 or so less than I'd thought.

The LPG conversion is also provisionally booked at Essex LPG for two weeks' time.

Full speed ahead...

Size Matters

I spoke to Alan at Essex LPG. He tells me that the standard spare-wheel-well tank is 60 litres, and that in-boot tanks can go up to 90. If I really want the range I can do what he's done to his Xantia and fit both, giving a total capacity of 150 litres. This would cost £300 or so extra.

Autogas tanks only fill to around 80% of nominal capacity, so this would allow 120 litres (26 gallons) of fuel to be carried. At 25 mpg that's 650 miles.

I'll be doing up to 110 miles a day, so the 60-litre tank's 265-mile range isn't too great. The question is whether it's worth forfeiting the boot space to have a 90-litre tank and a 400 mile range. I'd also still be able to carry a spare wheel in this configuration, although I've only ever used a spare on the road once in the last 300,000 miles.

I'm still hoping to see a car tomorrow, although the one I mentioned here has disappeared from the dealer's website. I'll try and judge the amount of space a 90-litre tank might take up.