CNG kits for Pontiac Vibe 2003 AWD

[pawkar]

Dear friends,I am thinking to install a CNG kit in my Pontiac Vibe and I would like to hear from you if you have done it already, what are the desadvantages, maybe you can suggest a few brands, etc.Thank you for your time,Pawkar

[lexicon]

than forklifts or industrial engines.Prior to purchasing my 05'Vibe, I considered CNG. If you wanna spend 23,000 for a new Honda Civic with CNG, there are dealers out there that sell them.I have seen one corolla of 97 vintage with CNG.Since I have drive by wire, thats another issue. I would love to gas up in my garage with the Home CNG systems called Phil.In the olden days, converting to CNG was easy due to the simplicity of Carburetor.The other places CNG is offered is in India and Maylasia areas.You would really have to have a real demand to have some company design a kit. Also, one "major" drawback of CNG is it gets considerably less mpg, so you would need to carry more fuel to get you the same distance as a gasoline engine.IF you persue this and make any headway, I would seriously want to go this route. SO, count me in.(for those that may not know what CNG is, its Compressed Natural Gas, its the stuff we get in our homes. Its NOT Propane, which packs more energy per gallon than CNG.)I think the last time I checked, you would be paying (assuming you fuel up at home) approximately 25% of what you would pay for a gallon of gas. It may be cheaper since gasoline has gone up recently.Great topic. but I think the Matrix/Vibe crowd is more into performance/visual upgrades than econonmy issues.Correct me if I am wrong. I am just making the statement based on the majority of posts.

[lexicon]

PawkarI noticed you are from Lithuania, is CNG common out there?You may want to post on http://www.matrixowners.com for a similar CNG request.Come up with a kit. Get is legalized in the USA and I would for sure buy one.Anyone else wanna sign up?Pawkar, you are in charge of this project. : )

[tangerine]

that stuff is dangerous as hell on a street driven car.

[Jahntassa]

Quote, originally posted by tangerine »that stuff is dangerous as hell on a street driven car.Why's that? There're a lot of taxis that use it, not to mention college vehicles, government vehicles, and busses.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »Why's that? There're a lot of taxis that use it, not to mention college vehicles, government vehicles, and busses.Yeah, really! The utility companies here use the stuff in a lot of their trucks as well...At any rate, like driving around with many gallons of gasoline is all that safe either.

[tangerine]

Quote, originally posted by Jahntassa »Why's that? There're a lot of taxis that use it, not to mention college vehicles, government vehicles, and busses.There was an article on this a few years ago about how much easier it detonates and how vehicles in minor crashes easily caught fire. I'll try and find it.

[Jahntassa]

That was a few years ago. A lot has progressed in the technology, i'm sure. I would imagine it wouldn't be in such widespread fleet use (government, corporate campuses) if they were prone to explosion.

[tangerine]

The 'problem' isn't a fix. You can't put CNG in your normal gastank and have to have another tank mounted on or in your car and that is where the problem lies, and the money involved to do this to a car that already gets outstanding gas milage is just dumb.

[lexicon]

1) With CNG, you could fill your tank in your garage over night2) With CNG, you would pay approx. 25% of what you pay now, that was the last I heard, may be more now.3) Your exhaust is cleaner, no gas residue, carbon build up , clogging fuel injection jets, less wear and tear on the engine because your oil remains cleaner without the garbage from gasoline getting past rings and dirtying the valves, seats etc.4) Drawback is , (you are correct) another tank in the back someplace.Either way, at this point, unless someone makes a coversion kit, the point is moot.5) There are CNG stations out there, you just gotta know where.6) You would have to calculate payback on how long you are going to keep your vehicle also.

[pawkar]

Dear friends,In Lithuania the mayority of the gas stations now offer CNG, I guess the use of it is perfectly legal in this country.CNG is 47% cheaper than gasoline 92, here in Lithuania the galon of 92 is about 4.50USD, 95 and 98 are out of my mind. My AWD Vibe gives me only 25 MPG which is very poor I think.I found one CNG converting kit from GALILEO, first I thought is a spanish firm but I was surprise to find out that in fact is argentinian. This company offers an Electronic Kit at http://www.galileoar.com/2005/...c.htm This Kit allows you to switch between gasoline and CNG.I was thinking on using the space of the spare wheel in the back for the CNG tank, I will empty that area.I was thinking to do the same what Toyota has done with the Prius this year http://www.greencarcongress.co....html.Now I would like to ask you if the Pontiac Vibe 2003 AWD is a multipoint injection or singlepoint injection engine?Hope to hear your comments.Pawkar

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by pawkar »Now I would like to ask you if the Pontiac Vibe 2003 AWD is a multipoint injection or singlepoint injection engine?It is definitely using a multi point fuel injection system.

[lexicon]

Hi PawkarGlad you responded to the topic again.I am Serious about persuing this,Do you know if they make a 2005 conversion kit to CNG?This model is a "drive by wire" model which does not use a cable from the accelerator pedal to the throttle. It uses some kind of electronic control to open the butterfly valve on the intake.Please keep in touch with me on this

[pawkar]

Dear friends,I am considering to install the OMVL "Dream XXI N" CNG conversion kit. You can see in what consist the kit at this site http://www.omvlgas.it/eng/pdf/...a.pdf , now the way I understand it works is that bypass the computer that controls the multipoint injection unit of the car and in its place is working the computer "ECU unit - 16 bit 16 MHZ" that comes with the kit, this allows a switch back to petrol (gasoline) at any time without loss of performances.My concern was about space inside the car, now they have gas balloons that resemble the spare tire that goes back in the trunk. I did not want to have one of those cylinders that are big and bulky, just eating space from your trunk.This kit + installation and 5 year warranty is USD1000 here in Lithuania.I would like to hear your comments.Warm regards,Pawkar

[lexicon]

Hello Pawkar,I sent an email to the original company (Galileo) in your previous post but received no response. I have re-sent them an email requesting information and will also sent an email from the OMVL company that you may purchase from.What is the tank size that you are considering purchasing? What are the other tank sizes.If you are not going to use one of your back seats, you could also mount your tank behind one of your front seats .I like that you can use either gasoline or CNG if you want to.If purchased, I would have to do the conversion myself.Does anyone know what company sells the conversion kit for the Honda Civic in the USA? here is a link to the Honda info http://www.ngv.org/ngv/ngvorg0...X.htmThanks for your information.

[pawkar]

Dear friends,I am considering to install the OMVL "Dream XXI N" CNG conversion kit. You can see in what consist the kit at this site http://www.omvlgas.it/eng/pdf/...a.pdf , now the way I understand it works is that bypass the computer that controls the multipoint injection unit of the car and in its place is working the computer "ECU unit - 16 bit 16 MHZ" that comes with the kit, this allows a switch back to petrol (gasoline) at any time without loss of performances.My concern was about space inside the car, now they have gas balloons that resemble the spare tire that goes back in the trunk. I did not want to have one of those cylinders that are big and bulky, just eating space from your trunk.This kit + installation and 5 year warranty is USD1000 here in Lithuania.I would like to hear your comments.Warm regards,Pawkar

[lexicon]

In my "homework", I have noticed that the equivalent cost of CNG per gallon is around this much per gallon.AND, you would fill this up at home in your garage.Wanna read more, see http://townhall-talk.edmunds.c...ecentHavent calculated all factors, but payoff would be around 3 yrs assuming you could get one of those units that pawkar is getting and install it yourself.Dont know about Calif law and using it in my vehicle yet. Local trips max would be around 200 miles before fill up is needed and its dual fuel, meaning you would be able to switch to gasoline when you wanted to.I would not want to go exclusively CNG, the dual fuel is attractive.Pawkar, thanks for getting me interested in this.No response from both manufacturers yet via email.

[lexicon]

I have received info from galileoar and they say that they have a kit for the vibe. Approximately $240 for the kit.(this does not include tank) or shipping.I have not received any information from the omglv company yet.From what I understand, You can not use a donut (toroidal) tank because it is for LPG not compressed gas.Regarding space in the trunk, one cylinder that is approx 3ft wide and 13 inches high would be mounted in the space where the existing spare tire is.The space is approx 6 inches deep or more. That means you would only use approximately 7 inches in useable floor height from the storage area of the Vibe(Matrix). ( Look at some of the subwoofers that are being installed in the back!) .You could build a flat plywood platform over the tank that is flat when the back seats are up, it would give plenty of storage space and still look ok. When the seat is down, you still have a significant amount of space left.Pawkar, would you please find out if the OMGlv kit is made for the 2006 Vibe or Toyota Matrix with "drive by wire" intake, which does not use an accelerator cable?I will continue to try to contact OMGLV also.And, I found out that Argentina makes far more kits for CNG conversion than Italy.Thanks

[silver_vibe]

Quote, originally posted by tangerine »There was an article on this a few years ago about how much easier it detonates and how vehicles in minor crashes easily caught fire. I'll try and find it.I've actually read that CNG is safer than gas in some accidents because if a CNG tank fails (without igniting) the gas dissipates, but if a gasoline tank fails you're sitting in a pool of highly flammable gasoline....but I don't remember where I read that (just like you ).EDIT: I found it What are the benefits of using natural gas?