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Propane regulator freezing up

makemeknowit

makemeknowit

Kwisatz Haderach
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
72
Messages
278
Loc
Memphis, TN
Buggy has a gotpropane kit on it (22R/turbo). First trip out first of September it worked flawlessly, same for mid September trip to Clayton. Three weeks ago at hot springs it starts freezing up on first start up. Once it thawed and cranked the 2nd time it is good to go until the next time it has fully cooled. I'm wondering if the fact that the coolant runs thru the chassis tubing at floorboard level and has to go up to the regulator that is in the cowl is a possible cause. There is a fitting with a hose barb branching off of the chassis tubing at floorboard level with a hose going to the regulator. My last buggy had pane as well but it was forklift stuff and never froze up regardless of ambient. But the coolant hose ran to the regulator from under the intake (22R) so it was a short trip and pretty much level. Coolant level is full.

What say ibb?
 
Well, first thought of PV=nRT... if pressure drops too rapidly, temperature will drop. Is the regulator the proper size for the application?
 
Check your coolant. If you have none to warm up the reg, it will freeze.
 
Sounds like the coolant through the frame is the issue. I’ve never had that issue with my gotpropane setup. Even on a Utah trip that dropped to 15 degrees.

My shit always runs flawlessly. 🤘
 
makemeknowit said:
Buggy has a gotpropane kit on it (22R/turbo). First trip out first of September it worked flawlessly, same for mid September trip to Clayton. Three weeks ago at hot springs it starts freezing up on first start up. Once it thawed and cranked the 2nd time it is good to go until the next time it has fully cooled. I'm wondering if the fact that the coolant runs thru the chassis tubing at floorboard level and has to go up to the regulator that is in the cowl is a possible cause. There is a fitting with a hose barb branching off of the chassis tubing at floorboard level with a hose going to the regulator. My last buggy had pane as well but it was forklift stuff and never froze up regardless of ambient. But the coolant hose ran to the regulator from under the intake (22R) so it was a short trip and pretty much level. Coolant level is full.

What say ibb?
Click to expand...
U sure you got all air bled out of coolant lines/tube work? Bc that is a fair amount of passage. Maybe over the first few trips air worked it's way out and you don't have a full coolant system.

If the coolant is full and air bled out, regulator could be goin bad.
 
Got around to putting a stock heater pipe coming off the back of the timing cover to shorten the distance to the regulator to about 2' vs the 8' or so thru the chassis. 60 degrees Saturday and it still froze up. According to gotpropane tech, freezing up IS NOT an indicator of a reg going bad. I shot the hose with an ir gun near the regulator and the side off the back of the cover struggled to see 100* after considerable run time. The other hose on the regulator saw 130-140.
It feeds back into the chassis and finishes the loop to the front of the buggy.

I didn't install this setup, it was on the buggy when I got it. I'm being told the regulator doesn't have an "in and out", doesn't matter which way the water flows. I don't have access to whatever instructions come with Cary's kits to confirm or deny that.

The heater pipe I put on is coming off the back of the passenger side of the timing cover. The driver side is blocked off. Is there any difference in how hot the water is from one side of the timing cover to the other? This is pissing me off to no end. I'm to the point of trying to figure how I can plumb in a dedicated hot water source with maybe a one gallon cell that I can heat electrically maybe and use a small pump to move it thru the regulator.
 
You got thermostat working fine? 100% sure there is no air bubbles/lock in your coolant system?

How clean is your coolant system...radiator? Radiator hoses? Regulator hoses? Debris, rtv, gasket material, diaphragm material can cause flow issue. Flow issue can freeze it up. You need hot coolant, clean and air bubble free system for a functioning reg. To not freeze up .


I don't 100% agree with the statement that a bad reg won't cause freeze up. The reg is there for fuel delivery, if its not regulating and drawing to fast it will freeze up. Prop. Forklifts spend a LOT of time never reaching operating temp, some dude just hop in real quick to offload a truck for 5 minutes then done. Not really enough time for that coolant to get real warm and a good reg, with a good coolant system and flow won't freeze up in that time. If your running it all day, you need that hot coolant flow.

Not exactly like but kinda....a weed burner on a grill tank, tank freezes up eventually as you use the fuel and you lose pressure. But it doesn't do it right when you start or the first 20 minutes of running it.


Not saying tech is wrong . But I'd want to know 100% my system is clean and flows correctly. And you could still find out that the reg was bad. I think* if I remember correctly the reg comes apart and you can inspect it
 
if i can remember i will get some pics tonight, i have same setup and its in a buggy so not much is in the way, i can even do a vid if you need.
 
Oh and both hoses for the reg should be warm , shouldn't be different temp.

And not saying it's better but don't think it matters if you tap in before or after the thermostat /water pump for your line to regulator bc normally your regulator won't freeze up before you get to operating temp. I'd rather have the hottest tap tho.
 
It definitely freezes before operating temp. Guy who did tube work on my last buggy has a regulator I can swap to see if it is indeed the problem. I'm pondering routing the water that cools the turbo over to the regulator. I shot the turbo with the ir this weekend and it was 5-600*
 
turns out i have a simple pic,

the red line i drew in there, starts below number on exhaust and up by brake master there is a elbow, from there it goes across valve cover to one side of reg, then out the other side and into the heater line in back of the engine. not the cleanest of installs but it is working.
propane set up.jpg
 
That way more "travel" for the water than I have. I'd be curious what the temp readings are on your inlet vs mine.
 
i will look tonight. but i beleive thats correct. kinda did it long time ago and never had an issue. yikes i cant recall
 
I must've over read it. But 100* on the hose AFTER flowing through reg? And 130* on hose flowing INTO reg?

I dunno but something ain't jivin there. Plus 100* I would think would be more than enough to keep reg from freezing.

If it were me, id probably pull the reg and open it up. If I remember correctly it's just like milled aluminum passage and rubber diaphragm. If that is all clogged and gunked up that could be an issue OR diaphragm is toast.

Maybe a coolant flush and rebuid reg and youre good to go. Rebuilding that thing takes like 5 minutes and flush system before your run your new rebuild. I'd pull thermostat and make sure it's opening, put it in a pot and boil water if you need to.
 
I don't know which direction flow is. It would make more sense to me for inlet to be passenger side and outlet driver based on the way the coolant flows around the chassis from passenger side to driver side. If you shoot the chassis tubing on passenger side it is notably hotter than driver side. Regulator was originally fed from passenger side of chassis tubing and was freezing up once ambient dropped. Was fine my first 2 outings in the buggy but ambient was 70-90*. I rerouted water to regulator coming off the passenger side back of timing cover vs chassis. Still don't know if water from driver side rear of timing cover is hotter vs passenger.
 
ive had to piss on my regulator a few times when it was REALLY cold.
 
So this is my lower radiator hose where it goes in behind the alternator basicly and I teed into that with my 5/8 hose going up. It’s in heat wrap to protect from exhaust.
C8D48AEE-D4D1-4A0B-9385-4D7CDB22B568.jpeg
 
Is it possible that there isn't real flow through it?

I am propane dumb, It's on my forklift and it works (sorta)


But what if the feed and the effluent just aren't jiving?

Kind of static if you will.

Maybe pull the hoses off and see what side is flowing or if either side is moving more than the other.
 
First things first. Is the regulator higher than the radiator cap? If so I’m going to say that there is air trapped in it and would be the first cause of issue.
 
Regulator is under the cowl

20211221_181926.jpg

There used to be a hose from here where the rubber cap is that went up to the regulator. This is the under floorboard area on what is the driver side of this buggy. This buggy is right hand drive. Apparently this was the outlet. I originally thought this was the inlet side.

20211221_181955.jpg

I rerouted that hose to the back of the timing cover. There was a block off plate there. I bought the heater pipe on ebay. At the time I rerouted I was still under the impression this was the inlet side of the regulator.
20211221_182057.jpg
 
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Under the floorboard on this side is the same fitting in the 2nd pic above. The hose runs up to the regulator. I thought this was the outlet side of the regulator. I have since determined that this side is the inlet. I'm thinking to get the heater pipe that goes on the "driver side" of the motor and feed the regulator from directly behind the timing cover. As of now, the coolant makes the full circuit around the buggy and feeds from this side. Since the heater core was originally fed from the back of the timing cover on the "driver side" I assume the water would be hottest from this point in order to heat the cabin in an original configuration. Once I rerouted the hose on the other side, and shot both sides with the infrared thermometer while running and up to temp, I noticed there was a 30-40 degree difference in temperature side to side.
20211221_182036.jpg
 
Byro said:
First things first. Is the regulator higher than the radiator cap? If so I’m going to say that there is air trapped in it and would be the first cause of issue.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I think the regulator is indeed higher or damn near the same height. Radiator is behind the driver seat.

EDIT: Regulator is definitely higher
20211221_182018.jpg
 
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