[Beaker80]

A few members have been asking about my CNG conversion. I thought I would share with everyone interested. In my profile I have a gallery of pics of the conversion http://www.f150ecoboost.net/forum/members/2199-albums1342.html. I don't have a picture of the 2 modules that run the system as they are located behind the passenger head light. Next time I pull the lights I'll try to remember to get a pic.

I'm running CNG on my 2011 Eco Boost and love it. I have a home refueling appliance (3000 psi) and fuel up at home for 38 cents per liter. My biggest complaint is range. Natural gas stays a gas unlike propane that is a liquid at 312 psi. I have a 19 liter gasoline equivalent steel tank in the bed and get approx 160 km range. My daily commute was (retired now) 120 km's so I was OK with that. I still have the full gasoline system and a 98 liter gas tank so if I run out of CNG it automatically switches over.

How is it just 38 cents a litre? I factored in electrical cost at night (we have "Smart" meters and pay different rates at different times of the day), cost of natural gas(fixed but changes every 6 months depending on how much the utility company buys gas for) and the lease of the compressor(from my utility company and the service it as part of the lease).

Another advantage of fueling up at home is that there is no provincial road tax.

My conversion (handled by my Nat Gas utility co) was $6,000.00. My buy back was approx 2 years. I drove about 35000 km's a year.

I typically keep my vehicles 8 - 10 years. My Eco Boost SCREW is the first new vehicle I've converted to NGV. I've owned 3 other trucks that were all converted to Natural Gas. I plan to keep my SCREW longer than 10 years.

Plus there are environmental benefits as well. Natural Gas is a bit better than propane on green house emissions and higher octane (130). But unless the motor is built to take advantage of it it a mute point.

On my Eco Boost, the natural gas is injected like a port injection system. The nozzle tip is drilled into the intake manifold just upstream of the intake valves. I also have 2 additional injectors just downstream of the throttle body that only open under higher boost conditions.

The gasoline direct injectors are shut off completely when running on Nat Gas and that the HP pump is also shut off. But, the in tank LP pump still runs to circulate fuel to the HP pump to keep it lubricated.

My system always starts on gasoline then switches over to Nat Gas. Even if it's only a 10 min trip across town. In a typical month I would use approx 30 liters of gasoline (1 liter per day/2 starts per day and approx 2 kms driven depending on warm up time).

So far in 123,000 kms I have not experienced any Nat Gas or gasoline related issues.

 

[Beaker80]

Nice write up, and goods pics also. For those that live in the area, how do you get this thing rolling with Enbridge, and who handled the actual conversion?

As this is my 4th conversion I know my Utility pretty well. I contacted the NGV Dept of Enbridge Gas (1-888-648-4728) here in Southern Ontario. The sales rep is Rob Dyswitch 416 575 6201. Great guy to deal with/talk to. There is a 3rd party (Ferris Fuels Systems) that actually did the install. Speak with Dennis Ferris ( 905-840-0291)

Good news recently is the Liberal Gov has announced funding to increase the infrastructure here in Ontario to attract more trucking companies to convert their rigs to Natural gas. That's a win for the general public as we will be able to use the stations as well. Just make sure your conversion is the latest 3600 psi P36 configuration. Mine is still the lower P30 (3000 psi) system. I am in the process of upgrading to the P36 system (different tank, lock-off valve and fill receptical).

 

[Beaker80]

Have you figured up a cost/km comparison? How is power and such?

I haven't looked at the cost/km but I was concerned about the cost of fuel. Gasoline has been a low of $0.80/l to $1.34/l and fluctuates(currently about $1.00). Natural gas has been around $0.11/l to $0.14/l before calculating the cost of the compressor lease and the electricity cost.

You loose power with CNG as there are fewer BTU's per litre. I've been told a lose of 15 - 20% is typical. I do feel a difference but still have plenty of power to pass, merge and hit my speed limiter! But I converted for the fuel savings as I was driving 120 km's a day. My dash calculated consumption shows around 14 L/100 km's when I was commuting to work. Don't forget that's on both fuels (gasoline warm up, CNG running). I think that's pretty good for a truck weighing 6,000 pounds (weighed it) and a frontal area of a brick!

One major downside is the tank. It takes up room in the bed, adds weight and has limited capacity. I sized mine for my commute as I could fill up every night. I'm now looking at installing a much larger kevlar-wrapped composite tank that will triple my capacity and weighs about 100 pounds less. It will take up the same space as the existing tank/bracket assembly. It will be a 3600 psi tank vs the 3000 psi tank I currently have. I'll still be able to fill up at home but also make use of a new Gain filling station recently opened.

 

[Beaker80]

Have you looked into having your PCM reprogrammed for the high octane of Natural Gas?

With the high octane, you can run a combination of higher boost AND higher spark advance without detonation. This can recover all the power loss you may have. It won't change the "mileage" as there is lower energy per litre of CNG compared to gasoline. But you already know you'll burn a little more.

But the retune should get all your power back ... and possibly even more.

Right now I'm running a UniChip controller with there "High Boost" program.

I did try to use a SCT and an EDGE tuner but there is something different about my transmission. Each tuner thought it was a Power stroke diesel transmission. SCT even sent me a data logger that I sent back to them and it confirmed that my PCM thinks it has a diesel trans. EDGE showed the same. Very strange. At that point (many weeks with each tuner) they gave up and suggested I bring the truck to them or ship them my PCM. Either option was not possible for me as I live in Canada. Luckily I was able to get a full refund on both tuners.

During this painful period I also took my truck in to have the PCM updated for "hesitation and stumbling" issues in an effort to see if Ford's updated software would help. It didn't. But I did get a new CAC out of it.

The Uni Chip does not do as much tuning as the other tuners as it is a signal modifier but it does increase boost and ignition timing somewhat. I also found by resetting the PCM using FORSCAN every so often it sets all the learning back to zero and I get better performance for awhile until it relearns and resets the parameters.

Any tuning companies out there with suggestions??

 

[Beaker80]

Thats why I took it in for "Hesitation" to see if a reprogram by Ford would change anything in the PCM that would allow a tuner to work. It was in twice and on one visit they also changed the CAC. Now I'm waiting to see if I will get a recall letter for the trans speed sensor issue (and reflash). So far nothing. Even when I check on My Ford there is only one for the brake vacuum pump.

 

[Beaker80]

Did your Strategy # change when you took it in?

No. And the tuners still thought it was a Power Stroke Diesel transmission. So I gave up on tuners and went with UniChip.