Lets talk about the danger of Propane!

RED LS1

SENIOR MEMBER
Joined
Dec 31, 2001
One of my main concerns right now is putting a flammable tank of propane in my trunk next to my fuel cell and battery. Is there anything dangerous about this?

Am I gonna be an Al-Sumood if someone wacks the back of my car? Suppose a leak occours in the system, Is someones lit smoke gonna blow the car into the 8's?

Am I just being really paranoid?
 
probably just being paranoid. if you get hit that hard do you think there will really be a diffrence between your gas tank and propain tank. as long as you dont have any leaks ,i wouldnt worry about someone smoking in the car either.:D
 
It is a pretty heavy duty tank,small,and the line is not pressurized unless the system is activated under boost.It is enough out of the way where you don't need to sweat it.There is a vent tube for the overpressure protection valve too.Propane stinks so bad even a tiny bit in the air is noticable to me.All in all I think it is pretty safe.Methanol/alchy is pretty flammable stuff to have under the hood and way more folks are doing that these days so the risks are there no matter what you do.What the hell,your already driving like a nut anyways right?:D Also,it's probably a little less safe getting the big ol' 20lb (loose)BBQ tank home from the store than this mounted,4.5lb setup and that happens millions of times a year,all over the USA without incident(usually).
 
It is no more dangerous than pumping gasoline at 45+psi from the back of the car to the front. Obviously it is a flammable substance, but it isn't the only one in your car. Brake fluid, gasoline, and R134a will all ignite and burn in conditions found in a motor vehicle.

The propane injection kit doesn't charge the line running from the tank to the engine unless you are in boost so even if it did leak, it wouldn't be a real problem. You can also smell the sulfer added to propane so any leak won't go unnoticed long enough to create a danger.

Another thing is with the tank mounted under the package tray (typical for a Regal) you will have much greater things to worry about in an accident than the tank getting hit.
 
Propane will explode on impact like a bomb going off!

I have seen this happen pyrotech's giving a demo.

I am not here to flame or anything but I refuse to put a bomb in my car.

As far as the gas tank, that will not explode like propane. An empty gas tank will however.

I have also seen a welding bottle take off too! :eek:


HTH
Bo
 
Originally posted by TT/Ameasap
As far as the gas tank, that will not explode like propane. An empty gas tank will however.

I'd like to see the ratio of empty propane tanks vs. empty gas tanks on all international highways. I can predict that there are about 100,000 cars running around right now with the needle below E. I don't think I want to put my car behind a bomb.

I'd like to see the fire that breaks out in a head on collision when the contents of a SMC bottle sprays onto the downpipe/turbo.

Yeah, propane is dangerous. :rolleyes:
 
Well if you are that worried about the dangers of a flammable compressed gas being on the road, I suggest you don't drive. Ever notice a little sticker on a vehicle that says CNG or LPG? There are thousands of vehicles driving around with propane and compressed natural gas tanks that could be possible bombs if hit hard enough in just the right direction to cause a leak and then find a source of ignition. It may even be more dangerous than gasoline, but have you heard of any explosions in real life from propane or CNG in a vehicle on the road (not tests)? I haven't.

The idea of installing propane injection in your car is to make more power and make your car faster for everyday driving. That in itself will probably prove to be much more dangerous than the chance of the propane exploding. If you feel that propane is so terribly dangerous, don't install it or anything else that could be flammable and then trade your car in for a Volvo in case you get hit by somebody with propane in their car. Also make sure you don't own any handguns, because we all know that guns kill people and handguns especially have no other purpose.


OK, back to the subject, HC's are being used as refridgerants in vehicles in europe with no problems. That placed a condenser full of pressurized flammable gas in front of the radiator and would likely have a much greater chance of being damaged in a vehicle accident than a propane bottle in the trunk, but there haven't been any reported explosions or deaths attributed to the HC refrigerants in millions of miles driven. Does the danger exist, yes. How dangerous is it in real life, aparently not very.

OK, Off the soap box.
 
Originally posted by Mr. T
I'd like to see the ratio of empty propane tanks vs. empty gas tanks on all international highways. I can predict that there are about 100,000 cars running around right now with the needle below E. I don't think I want to put my car behind a bomb.

I'd like to see the fire that breaks out in a head on collision when the contents of a SMC bottle sprays onto the downpipe/turbo.

Yeah, propane is dangerous. :rolleyes:

You are entitled to your opinion.:)

We are talking about a pressurized flammable substance inside the car. :rolleyes: I can argue with you untill we both look like this:( but I dont have the time.

Put your propane tank in and have fun dude. Oh and dont forget to go to usepropane.com
 
If it is so bad then you better hire a certified propane hazard safety crew to deliver and install your BBQ grill tank when need be.How do you get it home BTW? As stated before in daily life you have much more to worry about than this, mmmkay? Gasoline is dangerous and has killed more people on the road than propane ever will.It also has been sucessfully crash tested by Turbo Tim!
 
That's true TurboBuickSix and it was not a voluntay test I can tell you that for sure. :)

Never say never of course, but, as has already been pointed out, the impact requires to breach a propane tank is severe. (also takes about 500* F. to pop the release valve) If it's mounted on he shelf it's pretty safe from all but the fatal crashes. If you get hit that hard, you will be dead, the upside being a small savings to the family in the cremation costs...:)
 
I was a little freaked about it at first, but after forgetting to turn off my bottle for 3 weeks of inactivity, the line between the valve and the solenoid was still pressured up. :eek: Needless to say, I'm no longer worried and I have a 20# bottle under a 150# fiberglass bed cover, so I could only imagine what would happen if it "lit off"! :eek:
 
Guys, thank you for all the insight. The thing i'm most worried about is the propane leaking from a fitting and filling the trunk with fumes while the battery and fuel cell ar right next to it. I am gonna have to think about it some more because it sounds like an accident that could easily be prevented. I don't want my family to loose me over a couple of extra lbs of boost.

By the way, I don't have a TR. It would be going in a 1991 notchback mustang with a 2.3 Turbo SVO motor. ;)
 
Originally posted by RED LS1
By the way, I don't have a TR. It would be going in a 1991 notchback mustang with a 2.3 Turbo SVO motor. ;)

Funny, I have a friend with a '90 notchback with a Turbocoupe 2.3L in it. :D

Propane is safe. Really.
 
Hey,at first I was worried myself and I did a search and found out that you could get a propane gas detector for between 30-50 dollars.It is about as big as a smoke detector, and prolly as loud.If you want you could take that extra measure, but after I used my kit for a while,I realized this was not really needed(would'nt want to bring the price even higher right Red;) ).Instead, I removed about 12" of the trunk seal to help it vent if necessary which would probably find it's way to your nose.Like someone said it smells so bad, you would probably catch it before it built up to a dangerous level.Also disconnected the trunk popper solenoid for now,I'll just use the key.
:D
 
Originally posted by Mr. T
Propane is safe. Really.

Propane is safe as long as it doesn't leave it's container. If it ever does leave it's container and gets released, it can be very dangerous. Let's answer his original questions.

Is there anything dangerous about putting a propane tank in my trunk?

Yes, it is more dangerous than if you did not put it in your car at all. The expansion rate of propane is.......65 to 1....If I remember my hazmat class. Ever seen a natural gas explosion? It can do severe damage.

What if someone whacks the back of my car?

Yes, there is a possiblity of a leak, or tank breach, depending on the severity of the impact.

Yes, there are other flammables in your car, but none are as flammable as propane. Gasoline is the most dangerous when the tank is almost empty....fumes, or when it is in its gaseous state.......like propane is all the time. It's a decision you will have to make. I thought about it for a while, but have decided I don't want a propane tank in my car either. Not flaming, just trying to answer questions that were asked.:)
 
Originally posted by RED LS1
Mr. T:
Think he'll want to sell it?

LOL. No. He just finished building it...err... having it built (by my brother and a few shops). And he still has plans for it.

I got a ride the other day and it is quick, 20psi on the stock turbo on pump gas. 5spd too. Should do easy 14s.

I am trying to get him hooked on the prospect of using propane. :D

Good reply Cap'n Mark. Everyone is free to think for themselves. As long as they think, before they speak. :)
 
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