Self-installation of 4th generation gas equipment (LPG) on an injection car

Benefits of using HBO

First, let's look at the advantages of installing fourth-generation gas equipment, and there are several of them, but they are important:

• Cost of gas (significantly less than gasoline);
• Consumption (in new generations of gas equipment, gas consumption is slightly higher than gasoline consumption);
• The gas contains no unnecessary impurities (which can be found in gasoline);
• Less deposition of combustion products inside the combustion chambers (affects the life of the power plant);
• When the car is fully refueled (with both gasoline and gas), the range will significantly increase.

With such a significant number of positive qualities, there is also a negative.

HBO 2nd generation for carburetor

Most people do not know what HBO is and what its functions are. In this article you can learn about the principle of its operation, as well as how to correct problems with this equipment.

HBO 2 for a carburetor engine

LPG is a vehicle's gas equipment. There are two types of engines - carburetor and injection. They are different from each other. The first one sucks in gasoline and air using pressure. In this case, remote control is either very low or absent altogether.

And the injector allows you to inject gasoline into the engine using nozzles. All processes are controlled using an on-board computer. Using pressure sensors, as well as oxygen and temperature beams, it obtains information.

Disadvantages of using HBO

The first and noticeable disadvantage of the 4th generation HBO is the cost of the equipment; the higher the generation, the more expensive it is.

But even in this negative there is a positive quality of the equipment - it is universal, so by purchasing it, you can remove and install the equipment on different cars.

The second negative is the cost of installation, if you are sure that it will not be possible to install it yourself, as well as the quality of installation of the equipment.

And the third negative can be considered the advisability of using gas equipment in a car.

Since the equipment is not cheap, if the car is used rarely and for short trips, then installing an LPG will not pay off soon.

Installation procedure for gas equipment

Let’s say you decided to install LPG on your car yourself – what will you need to do? No matter how trivial it may sound, it’s easy to install the equipment. It is worth understanding that the installation procedure consists not only of installing the equipment on the machine, but also of observing a considerable number of nuances of this operation. The installation procedure for gas equipment is discussed in as much detail as possible below.

So, in general, the process of installing and connecting LPG is as follows:

1. First, be sure to obtain permission to install gas equipment on your vehicle. Ignoring this stage will make the following installation steps a useless exercise, because to register the LPG you will have to remove the installed equipment, obtain permission and re-install it;

2. Then, of course, purchase a set of gas equipment components. Judging by the reviews of owners of gas-powered cars, the best LPG systems today are 4th generation units from the manufacturers Lovato and BRC;

3. Has permission been received and the installation purchased? We don’t hesitate and start installing it. Perhaps, there should not be any particular difficulties at this stage, of course, if you have at least basic car repair skills. The connection diagram for any installation is discussed in detail in the instructions supplied with it. You can connect the HBO, following the order described in the instructions, without any problems. In a typical version, installation consists of organizing the following stages:
   preparing a place for the cylinder and its installation;
4. installation of the evaporator reducer;
5. installation of HBO injectors;
6. laying fuel routes;
7. connecting all electronics.

8. After installing the HBO, first of all, it is important to adjust it. Again, the instructions for the installed equipment will help you with this. The setup and diagnostics of HBO is described in more detail in the next paragraph of our article;
9. Then all that remains is to officially register the equipment and begin to operate it legally.

Important! Let us repeat, installing HBO is not such a complicated procedure, requiring only compliance with some instructions. Despite this, many motorists make common mistakes in installing gas equipment, violating the correct algorithm of actions. If you are not sure that you are able to organize everything in the correct order, it is better to entrust the installation of LPG to professionals.

Features of HBO of different generations

So, it was decided to install HBO on the car. First you need to figure out which generation of equipment is best to use. It all depends on the car itself.

If a car uses a carburetor power system, then there is no particular choice - only 1st and 2nd generation gas equipment is installed on such cars.

Of course, there are craftsmen who install more modern equipment on such cars, but this is labor-intensive and expensive.

On injection cars you can install 2, 3 and 4 generations of gas equipment. Let's go through them.

HBO 2nd generation.

It is simpler in design, has mechanical control and adjustment.

This makes it possible to use it on many cars with both old and new injection power systems.

But this equipment has such a drawback as the lack of clarity in the dosage of gas supply, which often leads to its overconsumption.

HBO 3rd generation.

Already has a mechanism for precise dosing of gas supply. But the execution of the serve leaves much to be desired.

Equipment that is used as an alternative to the gasoline power system is significantly delayed in determining the amount of gas required at a certain moment in the operation of the power plant.

This drawback ensured a “short life” for equipment of this generation; it is now rare, and the feasibility of its use is a big question.

HBO 4 generations.

The most advanced equipment at the moment for use on modern injection cars.

And although gas equipment of the fifth and sixth generations already exists, at this time gas equipment of the fourth generation is the most popular and widespread.

Connected to the standard power system and using signals from the standard car power system control unit, the equipment performs a very precise dosage of the amount of gas required at a certain moment for optimal operation of the power plant.

Pros and cons

In conclusion, we will highlight the advantages and disadvantages of installing gas equipment on a car. Advantages:

• saving on fuel;
• less engine wear, and the influence of gas equipment on a car is greatly exaggerated;
• longer autonomous mileage;
• environmentally friendly exhaust;
• increasing the service life of a car engine.

Minuses:

1. additional expenses for maintenance of the gas installation of the car;
2. reduction of free space in the trunk;
3. large installation costs, even with subsidies;
4. reduction in engine power;
5. if something is done wrong, problems will arise almost immediately (in the best case, the car will stop starting after installation, in the worst - total).

In the comments, share your experience of installing a gas cylinder system on a car and the difficulties that arose.

Nuances of purchasing 4th generation HBO

Let’s focus specifically on the 4th generation gas installation, and we will consider the sequence of installing it on a modern injection engine.

The basis will be an ordinary modern injection car with 4 cylinders and average power, since installing this equipment on a car with a large number of cylinders, or with increased power indicators has its own characteristics.

This choice is due to the massive use of cars with exactly these indicators, regardless of the brand.

We decide on the choice.

First you need to decide on the purchase of this equipment. All pieces of equipment can be purchased as a set, or individually. This has its positive qualities, as well as disadvantages.

Purchasing equipment as a set from a branded manufacturer will ensure high reliability of all elements, since they undergo quality certification.

And the installation of equipment will be easier, since the connecting elements and debugging of the equipment have already been completed. But purchasing the kit will cost much more.

By purchasing pieces of equipment separately, you can save a lot.

Many elements are common to all types of gas equipment, and their cost individually will be lower than in the kit.

But some elements of equipment are used only on installations of this generation. This includes a gas reducer, used only on the 4th generation of gas equipment, a gas train with electromagnetic injectors, an electronic control unit, and the sensors required for the operation of this equipment - gas temperature and pressure.

You need to purchase this equipment with a serious approach; it is better to overpay a little for high-quality equipment than to be disappointed in the future by the unreliability of its operation.

Having all the elements in hand, either as a kit or as an assembly, you can begin installation.

Of course, you can leave all this work to specialists, but you will have to pay. Or you can do everything yourself, which is cheaper and will give you the opportunity to fully understand how the equipment works.

Gas pipeline wiring

Gas pipeline wiring - what it looks like

After installing the cylinder, a gas pipeline is installed from the tank to the engine compartment. For safety reasons, the pipeline is laid outside the car.

The diameter of the hole in the container is taken to be 1-2 mm larger than the diameter of the pipe. The difference in diameter is compensated by inserting a piece of plastic pipe. The resulting gap serves for additional ventilation of the multivalve. The edges of the hole are treated with anti-corrosion mastic.

The gas pipeline wiring is placed in the niche of the fuel line. The pipe is fixed in a constant position using steel clamps. After installing the pipe, begin installing the mixer and valve.

Installation of cylinder, filling device, lines

Let's start with something simple - installing elements common to all gas equipment. Let's start with the balloon. Its installation location depends on the design features of the car.

If the car has a sedan body and there is a trunk of significant volume, then it is more advisable to use a cylindrical cylinder. Its capacity is greater; it is usually attached to the rear wall of the trunk.

If the car is a hatchback, it does not have much luggage compartment, so it is more advisable to install a toroidal cylinder in the place reserved for the spare wheel, if, of course, there is one.

The cylinder must be securely fastened. For this purpose, tapes with fasteners at the ends are used. It is desirable that these tapes have a rubberized surface.

To properly fasten the cylinder, you need to take measurements of where you will need to make holes in the body.

You will also need to mark the places where the high pressure line will exit from the cylinder. After which you will need to make holes in the body in the marked places.

After this, the holes will need to be treated with anti-corrosion treatment.

To further prevent damage to the line from the sharp edge of the hole, you can insert pieces of plastic pipe into it, through which you can then pass the line.

Although the toroidal cylinder fits into the seat of the spare wheel, it also needs to be secured to prevent it from moving.

Fastening is also done with tapes with preliminary preparation of the exit site for the highways.

In both cases of installing the cylinder, they should be installed so that the multivalve installed on it is located in the upper part of the cylinder, and there is easy access to the gas shut-off valve.

Next you need to install the filling device. The choice of its installation is extensive; it is only important to take into account that this place should not become heavily polluted during the operation of the car.

The device can be installed on the rear fender, in the body of the bumper, or under the bumper.

The main thing is to ensure that the line from the device to the cylinder is laid where it will not interfere and there will be no possibility of damaging it.

Let's move on to the highways.

The line consists of brass tubes that must run under the car and go into the engine compartment.

To prevent damage to the lines, it is better to attach them to gasoline pipelines, because they are installed where there is no possibility of their breakdown.

Features of gearbox installation

After running the lines into the engine compartment, they need to be routed along the left side to the gearbox installation site.

The gearbox must be properly secured to the car so that there are no problems in the future.

It is attached only to the load-bearing part of the car, that is, to the body or subframe. It is prohibited to install it on the engine. It is important that there is good access to it.

The gearbox is then connected to the cooling system of the power plant. To do this, it is inserted into the cooling system pipes through tees.

It is important that its insertion is parallel, that is, the flow of coolant into the gearbox should be made from one pipe, and its outlet through another, and not the same one.

Next, a vacuum pipe is connected to the gearbox. Vacuum is taken from the intake manifold.

A fitting cuts into it, and it is connected to the gearbox by a pipeline. If there is no fitting, you can wait to insert it for now.

After this, you can connect the high pressure line to the reducer. Only before this, a filter is included in the design to capture mechanical impurities - a “coarse” filter.

Gas train

Leaving the gearbox for now, we move on to the intake manifold. It will be necessary to insert gas fittings into it.

Since you will have to drill holes in the manifold, in order to prevent chips from getting into the valve mechanism, it is better to insert the fittings on the removed manifold.

You can, of course, make holes on the manifold mounted on the engine, but then you need to drill carefully to minimize the entry of chips.

We will assume that the manifold has been removed and can be drilled.

The holes for the gas supply fittings should be made as close as possible to the gasoline injectors, but at the same time take into account the position of these injectors so that they do not interfere with the installation of gas supply pipelines in the future.

Below are several options.

At the same time, a hole is drilled for the vacuum supply fitting to the gearbox.

The holes must be smaller in size than the diameter of the fittings. Then you need to cut threads in the holes.

Before screwing in the fittings, their threads must be lubricated with sealant.

After this, the collector is installed in place and further installation of equipment continues.

Next in the connection diagram is the installation of a ramp with electromagnetic injectors.

The ramp is installed at the top of the collector, but so that it does not interfere with pipelines and wiring.

Pipelines are laid from the ramp to the installed gas supply fittings. It is important to ensure that the length of the pipelines running from the ramp to the fittings must be the same, otherwise there will be a malfunction of the system.

Having installed the ramp, you need to lay a gas supply pipeline from the reducer to it. At the same time, another filter is inserted into the pipeline - fine gas purification.

Again, we return to the gearbox and connect the vacuum supply pipeline to it. All pipelines must be covered with clamps to prevent gas leakage at the joints.

This completes the technical part of the installation of gas equipment, let's move on to connecting the electronic part.

What to do after installation

Once the installation is completed, it is necessary to configure the operation of the gas equipment on the car. You can solve this issue yourself (if you have knowledge and experience) or contact qualified professionals. If you do the job yourself, you'll need a $30-$45 cord, which is an additional expense. There is no need for such expenses, so it is better to go to a service station.

If the procedure and rules for installing gas equipment on a car are followed, proceed to the inspection. Take the following steps:

1. Place the terminals on the battery.
2. Turn on the ignition (do not start the car yet).
3. Repeat the procedure by turning on the ignition two or three times to pump the fuel pump to the required pressure.

If everything is done correctly, the machine is ready to configure and select nozzle nozzles. Touch the gearbox. If it's hot, good, but if not, try removing the air lock.

Knowing how to install gas equipment on a car correctly, you will be able to complete the assigned tasks. But the equipment still needs to be registered, and here difficulties may arise. To do this you need to go through the following steps:

• Receive a conclusion from a preliminary technical examination of the car for the possibility of installing a gas cylinder system. You will need a PTS, STS and the owner's passport.
• Obtain permission for installation from the traffic police (even if the installation has already been completed).
• Install the gas cylinder equipment yourself or contact the service. To do this, you need to check in advance where LPG is installed on a car in your city.
• You will receive a new diagnostic card with a package of documents.
• Obtain a certificate of machine design compliance with safety requirements.
• Come to the traffic police department in a car with documents and receive a new STS / PTS with a record of HBO.

On average, this process takes about two weeks.

Installation of the HBO control unit

The operation of the equipment is controlled by an electronic control unit, which comes with the 4th generation gas equipment.

Wiring to the control unit.

First you need to decide on the location of the block. Access to it should be free, but at the same time it is necessary to minimize the length of the wiring so that after connecting it, a heap of tangled wires does not form under the hood.

All wiring coming from the controller is divided into several parts, each of which performs its own functions.

The main thing is to have on hand a diagram with a color definition of which part this or that wire belongs to. Or at least this one.

Before connecting the wiring, you need to disconnect the on-board network from the battery.

First, you need to determine which wires are responsible for powering the unit. There should be three of them - to the positive terminal, to ground, and to the positive terminal of the ignition switch. Having separated them, it is better to immediately connect.

Wiring to injectors.

Next, we move on to the wiring responsible for the operation of the injectors - the fuel part. This wiring is connected to the wires going to the gasoline injectors.

After determining which wires are connected to each specific injector, they are inserted.

The color scheme determines which wire needs to be connected to which one, then the connection is made.

You can use conventional twisting followed by insulation, but such a connection is not reliable; it is still better to solder the wires from the control unit at the connection points and then insulate them.

For the fuel part of the wiring, all that remains is to connect the connectors back to the gasoline injectors, and also connect the connectors of the electromagnetic gas injectors.

The fuel part of the wiring is finished, let's move on to the next one.

Signal wiring.

Let's move on to connecting the next part of the wiring - the signal one.

This wiring is designed to transmit signals from sensors that come with the equipment - gas temperature and pressure.

The accompanying instructions indicate in which places the sensors should be placed. After installing the sensors, wiring from the control unit is connected to them.

Wiring for the operating mode switching unit.

The last part is the control of the operation of the control unit, that is, the unit for switching the operation of gas equipment.

The control unit is installed in the cabin, in a place accessible for viewing and control.

After which it is wired and connected.

It is advisable to collect all wires into bundles and secure them to prevent the possibility of accidental damage.

The control unit has one more output for connecting a computer, which regulates the operation of the equipment.

This outlet must be freely accessible to facilitate adjustment and diagnostic work.

At this point, the work on installing 4th generation gas equipment on the car is completed.

But what remains is checking the tightness of the system, and then checking and adjusting the operation of the equipment.

Checking the tightness of the system

So, the equipment is installed, you need to check the tightness of the system.

To do this, you need to go to a gas station and “blow out” the full tank. But at the same time, the gas supply valve to the system must be closed.

Then he goes to the viewing hole.

All connections and pipelines of gas equipment up to the gas train must be moistened with a soap solution before opening the supply. If gas passes through, this solution will bubble at the leak site.

The leak test can be done in parts. First, moisten the pipes coming from the cylinder with the solution.

Not only the connections are checked, but also the pipelines themselves, since a leak can occur due to a defect in the pipeline itself or in the event of a breakdown during installation.

After checking the lines going into the engine compartment, you need to check the tightness of the connections of the equipment installed there.

The gas supply to the reducer and the outlet from it to the gas train are checked. There is no need to check further until the equipment is connected to operation.

Connections downstream of the gas train can be checked later.

If the tightness test shows that there is no gas passage, you can proceed to the next step. If a leak is detected, for example, at the junction of pipelines with equipment, then the gas supply is shut off and additional crimping or repacking of the connection is performed. After which a re-check is carried out.

If a leak is found in the pipeline itself, it must be replaced from connection to connection.

Attempting to seal a leak with improvised means practically does not lead to positive results.

After replacing the damaged pipeline, a leak test is carried out again. It is important to ensure that there are no gas leaks anywhere.

Connecting HBO to PC

Both the cord and the diagnostic program can be purchased. Typically, equipment manufacturers sell them.

After installing the software on the laptop, it is connected to the control unit.

In order for their connection to occur, the control unit must be powered, that is, the ignition switch must be turned on, but the engine must not be started.

If the connection does not occur, the laptop may have an outdated version of software installed, but you also need to check the tightness of the contacts.

If the connection is successful and the program is launched, all the basic information on the engine will be displayed on the laptop monitor - the number of cylinders, types of installed injectors, their polarity, engine speed, current temperature, pressure in the system.

In this case, the system control unit installed in the cabin should light up with warning lights.

One is green, indicating the use of gasoline as fuel, and will glow constantly, the second, red, will flash, signaling the possibility of connecting gas equipment to operation.

In the future, if the equipment is properly configured, signals will be sent to this unit in accordance with certain operating modes.

A few words about HBO

Gas equipment installed on a car is a system that allows you to supply liquefied gas as fuel to gasoline or diesel engines. Today, the most used are installations for two types of gases - propane-butane and methane. There are no particular differences between different types of gas equipment in terms of power supply, but methane equipment is noticeably more expensive. As a result, many motorists prefer propane units.

Depending on the configuration and optional equipment, there are 6 generations of gas equipment. Each type of equipment has its own set of components, but the improvement of systems from 1st to 6th in relation to all aspects of the use of gas equipment is invariably traced. It is worth noting that the vast majority of motorists prefer 4th generation units, considering them the best in terms of price-quality ratio. One cannot argue with this; installation and maintenance of HBO 4 are truly the most optimal among all equipment of this kind.

At the moment, gas equipment is installed on at least a third of all cars traveling on the roads of the Russian Federation.

Considering such a demand for gas equipment, the government of our country has taken a serious approach to the legal side of its installation and operation. Thus, since 2016, it has been officially prohibited to register gas equipment that is not installed in specialized centers with appropriate accreditation. In addition, the legalization of HBO has become mandatory for any motorist, and its periodic inspection has also been made mandatory. By the way, diagnostics of gas equipment in special maintenance centers should be carried out every 2 years for propane equipment and 5 years for methane installations. In any case, some motorists install gas equipment with their own hands, after which they receive the corresponding papers in special centers, so to speak, by agreement.

Auto-configuration of equipment

In this case, you need to press the button for forced operation on gasoline. After this, the red warning light will go out.

To configure the operation of gas equipment, the power plant must be warmed up on gasoline.

After starting the engine, the correct compatibility of the program with the control unit can be checked again by comparing the indicators of the on-board computer with the indicators on the laptop screen, since information about the operation of the engine is displayed there.

After the engine reaches the optimal operating temperature, you can begin auto-calibrating the operation of gas equipment.

This is done by clicking on the window that says “auto-tuning” on the laptop screen.

The essence of this setting comes down to the following. After turning on auto-calibration, the electronic control unit checks the main parameters of the engine - operating temperature, pressure, etc., and, if they correspond to the required parameters for calibration, begins to connect one of the gas injectors to operation.

To do this, he turns off the working injector and connects the gas one; he usually starts doing this from the first cylinder; the connection of the gas injector can be monitored on the laptop monitor.

But when connected, the control unit supplies minimal fuel, which leads to engine vibration, since the control unit has not yet adjusted to the operation of the standard control unit.

Next, the control unit begins to receive information from the standard unit and process it, that is, adapt to its operation; as a result, it adjusts the amount of gas, which is equivalent in energy output to the amount of gasoline. With the correct amount selected, the vibration of the power plant will subside.

Next, the control unit performs the same operation, but with a different nozzle.

Moreover, the control unit for calibration uses the non-sequence of the arrangement of the cylinders, but the order of their operation. If, for example, the operating order is 1-3-2-4, then he will calibrate the injector of the third cylinder next.

Since the sequence of actions of the control unit is identical to the first cylinder, when the gas injector of the third cylinder is connected to operation, the vibration of the power plant will appear again, but it will be weaker.

Next, when calibrating the remaining injectors, you can determine whether the gas equipment was connected completely correctly.

The fact is that after connecting the second gas injector to operation, if installed correctly, the activation of the remaining injectors will not manifest itself in the form of vibration of the power unit, since the supply of gas to two injectors and one gasoline during calibration is sufficient for the engine to operate without vibration.

If vibration persists even after calibrating the second injector, this is a signal that the correct gas supply to one of the electromagnetic injectors has been disrupted.

Problems with operation can be caused either by the difference in the length of the pipes from the ramp to the fittings or by a leaky fitting of the fitting.

The program installed on the laptop will indicate on which cylinder the malfunction occurred. If this malfunction occurs, it must be corrected. Next, auto-calibration is performed again.

Possible faults

After installing the equipment or during its use, motorists often need to repair the gas equipment. In most cases, repair work is required due to problems in the operation of the engine when switching to gas or the appearance of pronounced disturbances in the operation of the gas equipment itself. In order to clearly show the main malfunctions of gas equipment to our readers, we present the following list of breakdowns for consideration:

• Unstable operation of the engine on gas or its complete failure. The range of possible problems here is very wide. In principle, absolutely any element of the gas equipment can be faulty. Note that if the latter was installed recently, then to begin with it will be enough just to check the correct installation of all components of the equipment. Otherwise, don’t be too lazy to diagnose the entire gas equipment, purify, adjust and, if necessary, repair the equipment. You may need to purchase a repair kit;
• Problems in the operation of the evaporator gearbox (the car refuses to run on gas or does it extremely poorly, there is instability in idle speed). All you need to do here is to set up the gas equipment correctly, check the tightness of the unit, drain the condensate from it and clean it thoroughly. If these operations do not produce any effect, the situation can be corrected by using a repair kit. Naturally, all faults found must be eliminated;
• The LPG filters are clogged and need to be changed every 10,000-20,000 kilometers (symptoms are similar to those that occur with problems with the gearbox). To repair such a malfunction, a repair kit is not required; it is enough to purchase filters and replace them;
• Popping noises appeared in the intake manifold. Here it is important to diagnose HBO using special equipment. In most cases, it helps to identify the presence of a particular problem. By the way, the essence of the claps may lie in both air leaks and incorrect settings of the gas equipment;
• Gas leak (there is a smell in the cabin). In the event of such a breakdown, it is necessary to immediately diagnose the equipment, identify the location of the leak and seal it. It is better to stock up on several repair kits in advance;
• The metering nozzles are clogged or faulty (the engine is unstable at all speeds or refuses to function at all). This problem is always identified through diagnostics and requires either cleaning or replacing the dispensers, nothing else.

In addition to the malfunctions noted above, HBO often suffers from sensor breakdowns, minor depressurization and incorrect settings. Such problems can be eliminated routinely using repair kits or correct adjustment of equipment.

As you can see, installing, repairing and operating gas equipment is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. The main thing in the process of these procedures is to adhere to the provisions noted above and study in detail the documentation supplied with the equipment. We hope you found today's article helpful. Good luck on the roads!

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them