Converting diesel to gas engine? Need help!

[seabreez]

Originally Posted by MikeBravo556

It's physically impossible to convert diesel engines to gasoline. I suppose it could be done but you would need an engineer and a professional machinist to accomplish it.

Now I am no stranger to the 3rd world. I've spent half my adult life in "developing nations" (im 43) and nowhere I have been anywhere outside of the US is gasoline preferred over diesel. The fact that diesel pollution even makes your priority list makes me wonder just how much you're helping these people.

You want to saddle these impoverished people with engines that are less efficient, shorter lived, and use fuel that is dangerous to handle, dangerous to store, dangerous to transport, and difficult to obtain in austere conditions. F'n seriously? Just because you think it's cleaner than diesel????

Nowhere have I been in Africa, Asia, South America or Latin America were things running so well that we could divert funds and labor away from things like healthcare, hygiene, education, etc to fumble**** around with something like converting economical, reliable diesel engines with craptacular gasoline engines.

horrible idea. just terrible.

Make sure they even need engines. If a diesel starts and isn't puking oil, it's good. If the engines are beyond repair you have to make sure they are replaced with engines they can maintain. In Africa that means Listers (usually indian copies) kubotas, Mahindra, Tata, Mercedes These are dead nutz simple and cheap to fix. South America its kubota, yanmar, International Harvester, Mercedes. Perkins and the chinese copies of perkins and kubota are honorable mentions.

read up on the dangers of gasoline use on boats. read basic hazmat info on gas vs. diesel. If this absolutely must happen, buy them outboards and plastic tanks.

MikeBravo556 Congratulations for taking the time to express your thoughts to help. I could not have expressed your thoughts any better. It is very clear! Diesel fuel is also cheaper to obtain in third world countries compared to gasoline. My 2 cents worth...

[Perna]

My previous employer is one of the largest diesel engine manufacturers in the world and we also had a range of cng engines based on the original diesels. The compression ratio needs to be lowered from around 16:1 to around 7:1 which means you need to cut the tops off the pistons. The sparkplugs need a new threaded insert and maybe a copper sleeve where the original injectors went and you need a timed sparking system and some way of introducing the gas mixture. All this is doable but it is not really feasible.

You end up with an engine with less power and it certainly will not be "cleaner".

No harm in asking though.

[roverhi]

Land Rover converted their 2.3 diesel engine to gas. The engine was originally designed as a diesel. The block, crank rods were the same for the diesel but the head, distributor, carburetor, etc were added/changed for the conversion. Can't remember whether they used different pistons. The diesel injector pump and distributor used the same drive point. Injector and spark plug locations were the same just machined differently for the different parts. The gasoline version of the engine was a real workhorse and near bullet proof but the diesel version wasn't as robust.

The real question is why convert. I'm sure you are talking displacement hull with only 16hp available. You can't find a more efficient way to power a boat than a small diesel. First, diesel fuel is very stable and can be stored for long periods without deteriorating. Diesels are more efficient in their use of hydrocarbons than gasoline though the gap has narrowed. Gasoline engines require complex systems, usually electronic, to gain their efficiency and doubt whether a small fishing village would have the expertise to maintain the systems. Mechanically injected diesels are very simple engines to maintain. If they get clean fuel, air, and compression, they run. The injector pumps are complex and have very close tolerances which require specialty shops to rebuild but the rest of the diesel is pretty simple for a palm tree mechanic to rebuild and maintain. Diesel is relatively much safer as a fuel on a boat. Diesels will run on non dinosaur hydrocarbons. Diesel fueled his original engines with vegetable oli. Don't know if palm oil or whale blubber would be a viable source of fuel but raiding the local McDonalds french fry vats is already done.

[buzzstar]

Short answer: My recommendation is reconsider the plan, and perhaps not do it. Maybe, and only maybe, less pollution. Otherwise most everything is probably a disservice to those you seek to help. You may wind up actually hurting the recipients, economically and even physically (gasoline can dangerous, expensive, and can be difficult to acquire). Please rethink the expenditure, but in the end your NGO, the recipients, and maybe the local governmental authority, get to decide, hopefully will full disclosure to all concerned, and no private agendas.

[georgeg305]

CONVERTING a Diesel engine to a gasoline is impossible. The compression ratio if a diesel cylinder is 22:1 vice 10:1 for a gasoline. We are talking about the volume of space in the cylinder with the piston at the bottom of the stroke compared to the space left when the piston reaches top dead center. The higher compression ratio provides the heat so the diesel fuel ignites without a spark as furnished by the spark plug in a gas engine.

[Mike Banks]

I would leave them with diesel and for why? Diesel engines can use bio-diesel.

The pessurised fuel tanks, filling and mixing (you have to mix some diesel oil into the liquid gas) just makes the whole project a waste of money and time--and with more risk than straight diesel.

In New Zealand some public transport was converted to run using liquid gas through the injector system. I know they had to mix diesel with it--but they did it because they had plenty of gas and the conversion for a larger engine not going too far from home base made more sense.

Your projected conversion sounds like putting people in danger for no significant savings to the clients or the environment.

I should imagine the insurance costs for a vessel fuelled by a pressurised fuel system would be very high.

I would stick to diesel. Safer and cheaper. Use bio-fuel in the diesel engines if the environmental costs are the buzz factor.
.

[Capt Nemo]

Sorry for being so abrupt, but mr. Always Confused seems to be trying to justify his job.

[crazyoldboatguy]

3 dozen comments and no further clarification from OP Confused.

I believe CF has been trolled.

Save your considerable creative talents for folks who truly need your help.

[patprice]

Trolled! My thoughts too!

[Dash-Robo]

Critism plenty of Comendation at least your trying
I agree with Dockhead post but
Please clarify Diesel to Gas as in petrol or Liquid Petroleum Gas
There is a trend to swap out diesel for electric power units Solor Power
Diesel Eco Fuels made from cooking oils
A lot of development expense in developing new technology and a technology
The natives may not understand

[Barney21]

I think this maybe a "hoax"! Only a Govt office could spend money on such a hair brained idea! And anyone who asks such a question should not be asked to investigate such a thought.
If you are serious you will need at least a left-handed hammer first!

[Tricolor]

Originally Posted by Barney21

I think this maybe a "hoax"! Only a Govt office could spend money on such a hair brained idea! And anyone who asks such a question should not be asked to investigate such a thought.
If you are serious you will need at least a left-handed hammer first!

+1 They say stupid questions do not exist, you sure?

[billgewater]

Go to "Diesel to methane engines" on the web. The technology as outlined by RaymondR is spot on and well advanced by some companies.The advantages are many.
The conversion engineering for small engines is the crux and the presumed need to compress or at least, manage, the locally available methane gas made from waste material.
The cultural divide here is that Americans loosely call liquid petroleum "gasoline" or just "gas". OK, it does vapourise but a "gas" it is not at atmospheric temperatures and pressures. Thus the confusion.
Collecting the methane in a small remote fishing village may have other benefits in that the methane collected can be used for cooking/possibly even electric power generation.
It can also be a controlled means of managing food, vegetable and poo waste from humans and animals leading possibly to better hygiene and field composting. Methane escaping to the atmosphere is a disaster as it is a great greenhouse gas, whereas if oxidised it is simply part of the carbon cycle we all learnt about at school.
It all sounds good to me. I suspect that the real problem is that no one will make money out of such a project. Yet.
To "always confused", it may be an idea to approach the small engine makers and see if they can develop the required attachments to their engines to allow the use of methane. They will then have a better market profile for these users and may sell more engines. If they say "too hard" then remind them that it is already done and there are many millions of these small engine users world wide. The engine suppliers may become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. You may be surprised to find just what work has already been done.


It is also important to remember that the price of diesel fuel is very high and rising for many users and even its storage can be highly polluting in the local ground. Diesel combustion by-products are not attractive at all.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by billgewater

Go to "Diesel to methane engines" on the web. The technology as outlined by RaymondR is spot on and well advanced by some companies.The advantages are many.
The conversion engineering for small engines is the crux and the presumed need to compress or at least, manage, the locally available methane gas made from waste material.
The cultural divide here is that Americans loosely call liquid petroleum "gasoline" or just "gas". OK, it does vapourise but a "gas" it is not at atmospheric temperatures and pressures. Thus the confusion.
Collecting the methane in a small remote fishing village may have other benefits in that the methane collected can be used for cooking/possibly even electric power generation.
It can also be a controlled means of managing food, vegetable and poo waste from humans and animals leading possibly to better hygiene and field composting. Methane escaping to the atmosphere is a disaster as it is a great greenhouse gas, whereas if oxidised it is simply part of the carbon cycle we all learnt about at school.
It all sounds good to me. I suspect that the real problem is that no one will make money out of such a project. Yet.
To "always confused", it may be an idea to approach the small engine makers and see if they can develop the required attachments to their engines to allow the use of methane. They will then have a better market profile for these users and may sell more engines. If they say "too hard" then remind them that it is already done and there are many millions of these small engine users world wide. The engine suppliers may become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. You may be surprised to find just what work has already been done.


It is also important to remember that the price of diesel fuel is very high and rising for many users and even its storage can be highly polluting in the local ground. Diesel combustion by-products are not attractive at all.

Question, how do you put the compost piles on a small fishing boat?

[HopCar]

Originally Posted by Cadence

Question, how do you put the compost piles on a small fishing boat?

What do you think a composting toilet is? Just run a hose from the toilet to the engine and feed the crew beans.