What would be the disadvantages or dealbreakers concerning the conversion of a 2000-2014 Tundra or Avalanche?
http://driveonwood.com/premium/what-look-woodgas-donor-vehicle
Hello Mr. Johnson,
Above is an excellent document Chris put together on the subject.
I haven’t used one of the vehicles so I can’t advise from any personal experience but in short I would look for a high horsepower to weight ratio , plenty of room under the truck and also under the hood. Be aware of plastic intake manifold or any sensors that a fire in the intake manifold would ruin. Can the fuel pump be variable controlled , can the fuel injectors be run dry without damage , Will the computer advance the timing high enough or can it be manually advanced . Does your state have vehicle inspections that might be failed by a computer code.
Hey Chris .
My last post above came up as new and said I posted 20 minutes ago . I have been out spraying fence lines for the last hour and just walked in ( staggered in , I’m beat ) Wasn’t me ?
Not sure… post is dated Sun, 07/14/2013 - 21:17 but comes up like you say as 20 minutes ago. I’ll check on it.
I think the server computer may be chewing it’s cud? JK
My understanding is that Tundras don’t have enough room to work on their stock stuff and mice love to build nests under the intake and chew the injector wires … Avalanche is a piece of crap. Half car and half truck … Might as well add wings too :o) … OOK
Mike,
I beg to differ. I bought a 2002 Avalanche when they first came out. I sold it 10 years later after I put 300,000 miles on it. It may be the best vehicle purchase I have ever made. I am definitely sold on the 5.3L Vortec. I worked the heck out of the truck. I tugged our 773 Bobcat 100 miles at a time 2-3 times a summer and our excavator when we had sewer digs. Also multiple cross country road trips. I sold the truck to my step son.
If someone figures out how to make a 2002 or newer Chevy to run on wood gas, I will for sure get an Avalanche or Silverado.
OK Bill, You win but you would have to throw away all that extra crap in the back. I already run a silverado (great truck) … See you again soon hopefully. I was under my S-10 truck much of the afternoon. I’m too fkn busy right now with the surveying … We just had 3 weeks of rain… Anybody seeing morrels your way ?? … Mike
Here is an option to convert any LS-1 engine; to carburetion and get rid of the plastic intake. You can get a simple cam to go with it and get an easy 400 hp out of this engine. The 5.3 ltr should make one heck of a woodgas engine as this is a very high torque engine stock. This is a 325 CI engine with a smaller bore and a long stroke close to the 400 CI gen II engine. These engines are very tough and even if you did need to replace they are a dime a dozen tons of these around. If you do go to this kit and you are retaining your 4L60e trans you will need to make a mod to convert the TPS sensor over to the throttle linkage of the carb. Another cool thing about this is you have total control over timing via the MSD box.