The last post was about a month ago - Since then, the CNG system has performed well. During the past month, the system has been tuned using the Vogas Software; it's pretty good and the software rarely has problems such as lock-ups etc.

One of the problems that was noticed during the last month was that the regulator would get really cold especially when the weather got a little colder than it was in late August and early September. The picture shown is of the regulator after driving about 6 miles in 45 - 50 degree weather with high humidity (after it rained).

What I noticed most was the smell of natural gas. Not until after some research was done I realized that the regulator could get as cold as -70 degrees F. When this happens the seals shrink which allows natural gas to escape.

This problem was remedied by installing hoses to the heater core and branching off to the water jacket that is standard and integrated into the Belgas regulator. This completly solved the problem of the regulator being to cold and allowing natural gas to escape.

The last item that I installed was an EGT probe attached to a modified Edge Products power module. The power module originally intended to be for 1999 1/2 to 2002 Dodge trucks w/ Cummins ISB engine using a VP 44 pump. This is a very useful module since it has two I/O that can be assigned and several A/D inputs. I kept the EGT probe calibration from the original truck use and modified the module to show digital vacuum. In monitoring the vacuum I can drive conservitively and also see the EGT of gasoline fuel VS CNG. This will help me determine if I have a heat problem when adding too much CNG.

These pictures show the addition of the CNG injector wiring to / from the original gasoline injector wires. The part of the kit that was the most uncertain was where to attach to the OEM injectors. My preference would be to have a "stack" connector where one could detach the stock injector wiring and attach the kit to the injector connector so that the wiring harness didn't have to be cut. I chose the next best thing and attached a Tyco 10 pin weather seal connector in between injector wires from the PCM and the injectors themselves. This way if there is a problem with the Vogas kit or injectors, the harness can be detached and a jumper installed so that the gasoline injectors are wired the same as they came from the factory. Shown in the pictures is the Vogas wire harness detachment and the gasoline injector(s) jumper.

It's alive...Alive!

The installation of the CNG kit on the 1999 Honda Civic was successful. After what seems to have been forever, the kit was finished and tested on September 27, 2008 with the help of Jerad Hanson from whom I purchased the Vogas Propane Kit. We set his Chevy Truck up using the dealer software and the dynamometer at Edge Products. After which Jerad was kind enough to give me some pointers for how the wiring setup should be concerning the MAP and vacuum lines on the Vogas kit. In the ajacent picture, you can see the wiring of the Vogas kit is contained in wire armor. The grey armor houses an extension to the temperature sensor connector which is located on the vaporizor.

Electrical Harness Installation

During the past few days I have been working on installing the waring harness and the Control Module. The harness looks very good and capible of lasting for a long time however none of the wires are terminated (other than the injectors) and none of them are labeled either.

This makes for some challenges as far as identification of wires especially since this is my first installation of a kit like this.

Plumbing the Injectors

After a brief consideration about how best to go about plumbing the injectors, I decided to fasten the manifold to the air filter cover. This provides an easy access to the manifold and tubes and also doesn't hinder access to the air filter. In the case that access to the engine is necessary, there is only one nut / bolt holding the manifold to the air filter cover.

Weekend Progress - August 23, 2008

After considering the previous installation used two flexible hoses and was kind of in the way, I reconsidered how to run the flexible high pressure lines. I decided that I could increase the reliability somewhat by removing one of the failure points and reducing the complexity.

The other couple items that I refined were the manual valve installation. This could come in handy for maintenance of the system as well as a potential safety feature as well as the fill valve stabilizer arm.

The last item was the fill-valve holder. Originally the fill valve was attached to the system by the compression fittings and the stainless steel tubing. I built a stabilizer arm that is secured to the car body. This will help to avoid bending the tubing during filling.

Here is the fill-valve holder and manual valve installation. Notice the manual valve also has a securing holder.

I came across this video about testing of CNG cylinders - Take a look

Installation of Natural Gas injectors

In order to install the natural gas injectors, holes must be drilled in the intake manifold. To be cautious not to get aluminum metal shavings inside the cylinders, I chose to pull the manifold from the block.

Once the hole locations were identified, the manifold was pulled and the holes for the nipples were drilled and tapped. See picture of hole locations.

Once the nipple holes were drilled, the holes were tapped to match the nipple threads. The nipples were installed after which the manifold was re-attached to the block and the natural gas valves were added. See photo of natural gas injectors.

Pictures of the installation of the first-cut pressure regulator bracket, installation and installation location.

Civic CNG Conversion

This post will cover the conversion of a 99 Honda Civic to run on CNG and Gasoline at optimal cost / fuel efficiency.

First consideration was where to put the CNG tank and how to secure it safely so that it is out of the way and also safe. I choose to put the tank in the back (obviously) so that it was out of the way - Now how does one get to the spare?

I hinged the tank and secured it with hitch pins and welded brackets out of angle iron - Here's a picture pre-paint:

Since the hinge was welded in, I fabricated a latch system out of angle iron and hitch pins to secure the other side to the body. Here are some more pictures of the installation.