pcous

Hi Lukas, The transverse tank is 30L, (270mm dia.) placed behind the petrol tank - seen in the photos from the rear of the Alphard, prior to underseal. The main doughnut tank is 70L I believe, located to the rear in place of the spare wheel. So 100L combined, which gives 80L LPG capacity (allowing for the safety cut-off at 80%). They're plumbed in parallel. Hope this is helpful.

Hi all, By way of update, we had the throttle body cleaned to deal with the problem of our Alphard stuttering on acceleration and also on minimal deceleration (eg. when you lift your foot slightly to reduce speed during motorway driving). This only happened when using LPG, not petrol. Our LPG guy suspected the problem was carbon deposits which built up around the rim of the butterfly valve in the throttle body (which opens/closes to control air intake and hence change the fuel-air mix to the cylinders). So, this affected LPG ignition but not petrol because the LPG system is more sensitive to any ignition issues. Has now been cleaned and there's a significant improvement - let's hope it's a job that won't need repeating... Meanwhile, no update yet from Mike Chapman at liquidgasuk.org about poor-quality LPG in some parts of the country, or the HSE investigation.

'String distance'? Sorry, meant striking distance...

Hi Mark, You could try GasTech in Warrington - not quite Merseyside, but probably within string distance..... They specialise in Alphards and also in LPG conversion

Hi Brian, We have a Wellhouse conversion with fresh and waste tanks slung under the chassis, one each behind the front wheels. Our fill is via an inlet under the front passenger seat, there's no fill gauge so we use a cube-type 15 litre collapsible camping water carrier and funnel with a bent outlet. Experience has shown that a full one doesn't overflow the tank, which I'd struggle to gauge if using a hose. Campsites seem to vary, some have long filler hoses, others assume you'll fill from taps. One thing I've found useful is to carry our own screw-on garden hose connector - helpful when campsite taps have no connector and water just sprays in a huge sideways fan!

HI all, I've been looking for a steering column gaiter for our Gen 1 facelift model to replace the shabby example we have which lets a lot of noise through from the floor where the steering column meets it. I've had one on order from Japan for several months now, but delivery seems no nearer! So, if you have a spare or you're breaking, then please let me know.... Thanks

Hi Kizzi, LPG pumps vary quite a lot. In the UK filling stations use a bayonet fitting, but the method of locking the filler hose onto your fitting can differ a lot. In general, once you've put the filler hose onto the Alphard's fitting (making sure the bayonet slots on the hose match the pins on the fitting) the principle then is to turn a part of the filler nozzle through 45 or 90 degrees (i.e. up to a quarter of a turn) to secure it, then pull the lever back to lock on. Sometimes the filler nozzle needs to be pushed forward a tad to turn it, sometimes there's a gun trigger to lock on..... However, it's always a 2-stage process, even though the actual ways of turning and locking on can differ depending on the filling station. Forecourts often have failsafe devices, so if it takes too long to lock the filler on then the LPG gas will turn off at the pump. This happened to me a few times in the early days -usual trick is to return the filler fully to its holder and start again. Once gas starts to be delivered you'll need to hold a flow button on the LPG forecourt pump to keep it filling - it can often take a while! We don't have a switch in the Alphard for filling and because filler valves are non-return valves, i.e. won't let LPG leak out, it seems there would be no point in having a switch to allow LPG in. The forecourt pump effectively addresses this by delivering the LPG under pressure - which is what keeps it as a liquid in the tank. But that's not to say you won't have a switch - I guess you'll need to contact whoever did the LPG conversion to make sure. Incidentally, you will need LPG adapters if driving in Europe or beyond: ACME Adapter for Holland, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, USA EURO Connector Adaptor for Spain, Portugal Dish adaptor for France, Italy, Poland, Eastern Europe, Greece and the Balkans You screw the appropriate adapter into your filler fitting, before attempting to fill from the pump, which allows the filler hose to make a connection. Once you've filled up, you can unscrew your adaptor. The three different types are often sold as a complete kit - see, for example, https://lpgshop.co.uk Good luck!

Hi ThuMentaliss, You could look at this thread - https://uk.alphardclub.com/forums/topic/619-overweight-vehicle/ There's not a lot of leeway between unladen and fully laden weight limits, so it's not only the potential problem of the Alphard becoming overweight as a result of conversion, but also the need to consider whether tyres / tyre pressures need to be changed or whether to upgrade coil springs.

Hi Jan, Not related to your head unit problem, but if you have a leisure battery and split charge relay as part of your campervan conversion there's a modification which might help address your battery discharging between trips out. Our campervan conversion included a split-charge relay (SCR - far right in photo), which is fairly standard, to split the charge from the alternator so the leisure battery is charged alongside the starter battery when driving. Our van is kept outside, so over periods when not in use, we use a short mains-EHU cable (from waterproof outside mains socket, of course...) to top up the leisure battery. So, to split this charge to also top-up the starter battery, we installed a second relay (a CBE CS2 - left in photo) in parallel with the existing SCR, which tops up both batteries when EHU is connected (i.e. over 13.6v), but switches off when the leisure battery voltage drops (to avoid the leisure battery discharging totally in the event of a faulty starter battery). It uses the existing cabling between the two batteries, so the only new cabling required was under the bonnet next to the existing SCR. Works a treat when at home, just plug the EHU in for a day once a week or so....

Hi Iain, Gremlins in the last post - try again... We had ours treated in 2022 and then checked last year to see if it needed 'topping up' (no need...).The treatment was upol with added waxoyl, our sprayer said the underside was clean enough to avoid prior steam cleaning, so it wasn't too pricey. Roads aren't salted in Japan, so I gather this is the reason that vehicles aren't undersealed. In the UK, on the other hand....

Hi Iain, We had ours treated in 2022 and then checked last year to see if it needed 'topping up' (no need...).The treatment was upol with added waxoyl, our sprayer said the underside was clean enough to avoid prior steam cleaning, so it wasn't too pricey. Roads aren't salted in Japan, so I gather this is the reason that vehicles aren't undersealed. In the UK, on the other hand....

Hi all, I contacted Mike Chapman at liquidgasuk.org, as Scott said his garage had suggested. Mike sent a summary (see attached) and gave permission for it to be published on this forum. He highlighted that the issue of poor quality LPG affects only the Midlands and North of England. The summary indicates that the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) are still trying to identify what caused the contamination and it doesn't say whether they identified the source, so our local LPG guy's deduction that it was a shipment into Immingham can't be confirmed, and remains a 'rumour' or educated guess.... For our Alphard, the problem of acceleration and deceleration 'stutter' hasn't been resolved since having the gas regulator cleaned out, so the next step is to clean out the throttle body, to see if deposits are affecting the gas-air mix. Hopefully we'll end up with a clean(er) system before starting to travel further afield once again in the Spring. Mike Chapman said he'd put me on the mailing list, so I'll post any updates that I receive. Incidentally, do any of our Alphard afficiandos know whether there's a single or two throttle bodies for the 3.0L V6 engine? Propane Quality Issues - LGUK.pdf

Hi Alan, By way of follow-up, you can check if your Alphard is on the UKLPG register at http://register.uklpg.org/publicsearch.htm

Hi Alan, I assume you mean conversion to LPG fuel rather than gas for cooking. If your LPG conversion was done by an approved converter (which it should have been in order to be legal) then the vehicle should be on the UKLPG register and it's likely that your logbook (V5C) will show the Alphard as dual-fuel. You can have an extra tank fitted, but of course it is a specialist job and again you should use an approved installer - see www.drivelpg.co.uk/ for a list. Our installer fitted two external tanks, piped up in parallel, to get 80L capacity - one in place of the spare wheel (often known as a doughnut tank) and the other smaller one slung centrally across the vehicle behind the petrol tank. Because it's a campervan, we also have gas cooking from a Gaslow bottle, which is permanently plumbed in. This is tee'd from the LPG filler, so we fill both the auto tank and the Gaslow at the pump. Many forecourts won't allow you to fill portable gas bottles, because of safety risks. LPG in the fuel tank is held under pressure, as Rojie says, and it is the pressure that keeps LPG as a liquid until it reaches the regulator (in the engine compartment), where the pressure is reduced in a controlled way and then converts to gas. So any home transfer of LPG would be high risk and really could be highly dangerous.

Hi Scott, Interesting to hear that the West Midlands are also affected by poor quality LPG, although it will be frustrating for you of course. Cleaning out the gas regulator improved the general running, but it still stuttered on acceleration and, curiously, on minimal deceleration (eg. when you lift your foot slightly to maintain speed during motorway driving). I assume the gas regulator will slowly gunge up again until the problem's resolved. In the meantime, I'll contact Mike Chapman...

Hi Steve, Yes, I spoke to a second fitter who confirmed that LPG in the region has been dirty. The first LPG converter has a large number of taxi drivers as customers, he'd had seen the problem occurring in a range of vehicles, which alerted him to it being a general problem rather than for specific vehicles. The second fitter agreed that local LPG was dirty, but wasn't able to confirm why (see above post). The issue for vehicles running on LPG, as I understand it, is that there's a gradual build-up of grime in the gas regulator, so it takes time before it becomes evident. Also, there's no way of knowing how long this stock will last, so how long it will be supplied to forecourt pumps in the region...

HI all, We had an LPG conversion to our Alphard about 4 years ago. All has run well, but recently we had acceleration/deceleration 'stuttering' problems on LPG, which didn't occur when using the vehicle on petrol. Our local LPG guy said this has become common in this region and, from his research, he believed that LPG supplies across Northern England have been contaminated for several months, which appears to relate to a shipment into Immingham docks. LPG supplies to the Midlands and the South do not appear to have been affected - confirmation that it is, in fact, grim up North! (maybe a tad overdramatic - actually, he said that Scotland is also unaffected...) As it was explained to me, it appears that dirty LPG results in the gas regulator becoming fouled up, the grime being deposited when the liquid LPG turns to gas. In turn this affects the smooth supply of gas to the engine injecters, and stuttering problems. We've had our gas regulator cleaned out and currently trying to tweak the 'trim' levels for the gas-air ratio to regain smooth running. Anyone else from this region experiencing problems with LPG?

Hi big_boz, We had our LPG Prins conversion done at GAS Auto Centre, Huddersfield - very knowledgeable and also willing to pick up any aftersales/service issues. Also, not Yorkshire but relatively close, Gastech in Warrington are LPG converters who also specialise in Alphards. We're currently trying their own EMU 'map' to manage a stuttering problem on LPG acceleration/deceleration, in place of the standard Prins system which maps onto the car's existing EMU settings for petrol.

Hi Eamonn, Sorry, didn't see your post earlier. We have an LPG conversion and gas cooking for our Gen1 Alphard. I was told by our LPG engineer that you can't draw both liquid and gas from the same tank. The auto LPG gets drawn to the engine compartment as a pressurised liquid, then vapourised by the regulator (by reducing the pressure). As liquid gets used from the tank the remainder of the tank becomes gas. Cooking LPG can be either butane or propane, auto LPG in the UK is propane, so it can be used for cooking; but it can’t be drawn safely from the top of the same tank supplying fuel for the engine. We installed a small (4.6 litre) Gaslow refillable bottle for cooking, the same size as our old Camping Gaz bottle. The Gaslow is tee'd from the LPG filler, so we fill both the auto tank and the Gaslow at the pump. It’s cheaper than Calor/Camping Gaz refills in the long run and also means you can top-up whenever you want, rather than waiting for the bottle to empty, as with Camping Gaz. As part of the tee, we had a separate manual valve fitted to the inlet to the Gaslow bottle (located alongside existing outlet valve at top of gas cupboard for easy access), which needs to be closed after filling to ensure that the two parts of the system are then isolated from each other when in use. Incidentally, because autogas in the UK is propane, which gasses at a lower temperature than the butane used in our original Camping Gaz bottles, there’s a potential bonus for winter camping...

Hi Nigel, The Japanese de-registration document for our Alphard Gen 1states unladen (kerb) weight 1870kg and gross weight 2255kg. So there's a difference of 385kg between unladen and laden weight for the base Alphard, but I haven’t found a breakdown in the figures for front and rear separately when laden. Weight distribution unladen for the car is 1070kg front / 800kg rear, but ours was converted to a campervan on import and LPG shortly after, which affects the unladen weight distribution; the extra weight loading more onto the rear axle than the front. When we use the towbar for bikes, the weight distribution obviously shifts again, not only increasing rear axle load further, but also decreasing front axle load (because of the pivot effect of the weight on the bike rack, depending on its distance from the rear axle). So there are a few things to consider. We decided the only effective way to understand the axle loads was to put the Alphard on a weighbridge. After messing about on a weighbridge several times, putting the whole vehicle on then the rear only (and subtracting the difference), we worked out the unladen and laden weights for each axle on our campervan. For yours, you’d then need to add the weight of bike rack and scooter, and assume both load onto the rear axle. If you want to, you can calculate the additional pivot effect on both axles. This might be worth considering, to ensure the front load doesn’t reduce too much and lighten the steering - see http://www.caravanguard.co.uk/news/how-to-calculate-your-motorhome’s-safe-weight-limits-4104/ I know some people have also considered fitting uprated rear coil springs to address the extra weight. Our towbar has a nose weight limit of 75kg. This is obviously meant for caravan nose weights, but gives an indication of the weight the towbar will take with a bike rack attached. So you’d need to have a rack that could take 110kg for your scooter and a towbar capable of taking the weight of both scooter and bike rack, depending on how it’s fitted to the rear of the Alphard. Our towbar fitting was restricted because, like you, we’d used the spare wheel area for an LPG tank. Once you know what load you have on the rear axle, you can then consider tyres and ratings. Divide the axle weight by 2 to get a load for each tyre.... As you know, tyres are weight (and speed) rated, so your tyre rating of 825kg would support an axle load of 1650kg max (although you wouldn’t want to be operating at or near the max rating). Also, bear in mind the overall gross vehicle weight (GVW) limit of 2255kg.

Hi Rojie, I was directed to Auto Windscreens by our insurer, Adrian Flux, who presumably passed over the details - so I didn't have to deal with the website. Seems like there's a disparity between their response to customer website enquiries and what they can provide in reality (poor/limited database maybe?). So I take your point: not impressive..... and not worth recommending them if you can't deal with them via the website.

Hi, We had a chip on the M74 which then cracked and grew before our very eyes - somewhat disturbing. Had the windscreen replaced by Auto Windscreens http://www.autowindscreens.co.uk/ as an insurance claim. They had no problem with sourcing the new screen, although I think it took about a week to get it.

Hi, My recollection is that I did not give CO2 figures in the application for the Crit'Air vignette sticker - I was asked to supply a copy of the V5C document and the French authorities issued a certificate. We have an LPG conversion to a 2007 Alphard, listed on the V5C as bi-fuel, and les bon personnes at www.certificat-air.gouv.fr duly issued a Crit'Air class 1.

Hi all, Posting recent off-thread conversation because it may be useful for others: Trevhow said: Hi Last year you posted about getting an engineer to specify new springs for your Alphard. I am struggling to find anyone to do this work for me. I was wondering if you have the details of the Engineer that you used? pcous said: Hi Trevhow, I posted the details on 25th Aug in the following thread: https://uk.alphardclub.com/forums/topic/619-overweight-vehicle/#comment-11210 Let me know if you're successful... Trevhow said: Thanks for your reply. I had read it and followed up about the Engineer you used, sadly he has recently died, but I forgot it was from your post. My struggle goes on. Do you know what type of engineer he was as I’m still trying to find a suitable engineer. Sad to hear that John Ruffles died - from my dealings with him he seemed a nice guy. I contacted SVTech originally, but they couldn't help because Alphards weren't in their dataset. I seem to recall seeing another post about SVTech recently, which suggested they may now have Alphard info - might be worth trying them. On his letterhead, John Ruffles listed that he was a Member of the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (MIRTE), so this could be a possible search avenue... Good luck.

Hi Stevo, These are the weight figures from our Japanese import certificate (Gen 1 2005-07): Weight Total Front Rear (kgs) Car: Net 1870 1070 800 Car: Revenue (i.e. GVW) 2255 So there's a difference of 385kg between unladen and laden weight (which doesn't seem a lot for a 7/8 seater...) for the base Alphard, but there was no breakdown in the figures for front and rear separately when laden. Our Alphard has a campervan conversion, so there's the added unladen weight from permanent campervan furniture, but not 5-6 people in the back when laden You're probably already aware that tyres are weight (and speed) rated, so assuming laden weight is evenly distributed between front and rear, you would need a minimum load rating of 93 front and 84 rear (remember to multiply the tyre load-rating by 2 to get the total for each axle – front and rear). In reality you have to allow for unevenly distributed load when laden and also allow a further margin so that tyres are not working at their maximum rated load. I think our Alphard before campervan conversion had 95 load-rated Yokohama tyres (which allows a front axle load of up to 1380kg). Because of our additional campervan load we went with Falken front (101 load rating) & Nokian van tyres rear (109/107 rating), which works well as a combination; although next time round I might consider the Nokians both front and rear. We messed about on a weighbridge several times, putting the whole vehicle on first, then the rear only (and subtracting the difference), to work out the true unladen and laden weights for each axle. Divide the axle weight by 2 to get a load for each tyre... Here are the tables for load and speed: Tyre Speed ratings N 87mph P 93mph Q 99mph R 106mph S 112mph T: 118mph U 124mph H 130mph V 149mph Z 150+ mph W 168mph Y 186mph