Clark NOT SURE OLD:
Freezing regulator - rich condition

I own a 1945 Clark Carloader with a Conteniental L-Head 4 clylinder that was converted to LP. It has a Century regulator on it that does not have "heat fins" on it and is not plumbed with coolant. I recently installed a electronic distributor which made it run great for a short time but the regulator just continued to freeze up quicker and quicker. Now I'm lucky to get a minute or two of run time out of it. Do I just need to replace this regulator with one I can heat with coolant? Thank you!
  • Posted 2 Jun 2013 10:29
  • Discussion started by jim_r
  • Indiana, United States
Showing items 1 - 15 of 27 results.
I wouldn't buy the G-85 on ebay- if there's something wrong with it you could be screwed ( I've not had the best luck with parts these days) plus it sounds to cheap- the last one I bought was 228.00 in Dec '08.

Any forklift dealer in your area should be able to supply this part- no matter what brand they sell. If you have a issue e-mail me & I'll point you in the right direction.

As far as the primer button- even if the one you buy doesn't have one you can swap over the one on yours- no big deal.

As far as mounting- make sure you hard mount it- don't let it hang by wires or hosing, lpg is EXTREMELY flammable- it's around 110 octane & ready to light up. Propane can even self ignite from static electricity- I learned this one the hard way. Keep all hosing as far away from heat sources as possible. Do not mount the regulator to the exhaust- maybe close to it, but not touching.
  • Posted 7 Jun 2013 23:50
  • Modified 7 Jun 2013 23:51 by poster
  • Reply by bbforks
  • Pennsylvania, United States
bbforks (at) Hotmail (dot) com
Customers love technology- until they have to pay to fix it!
My lift doesn't have a water pump and my current reg isn't ported for water. It is hanging by wire against the exhaust manifold (I believe because the former owner had freezing problems). This baby is a sweet rig! Parts vender - ha, I'm one my own here. Found a new finned G-85 online for $100, I think I'm going to try it unless someone here tells me different. The one I have has some wires on it near the "prime button". The new one does not.
  • Posted 7 Jun 2013 10:31
  • Reply by jim_r
  • Indiana, United States
I'm not familiar with the #'s after the G-85 you reference. If you tell your parts vendor you need a air warmed G-85 w/fins, he should be able to supply you what you need.

I don't believe you can purchase just the finned housing- you'll have to buy the whole unit.

As far as yours freezing up, it's a symptom of not having warm coolant running through it while it's dropping the lpg pressure. As propane drops in pressure, it begins to "boil"- although when it boils it becomes extremely cold.

At below -40 degrees, propane is liquid. At-39 it begins to "boil"- to keep propane in a liquid state at room temperature we keep it pressurized. As the regulator begins to depressurize the propane it begins to boil. To keep this boiling at bay, external warmth is needed. The only air warmed vaporizer/regulator I know of is the Century G-85.

The key to your success with this process is mounting the regulator in a warm air stream.
  • Posted 7 Jun 2013 10:20
  • Reply by bbforks
  • Pennsylvania, United States
bbforks (at) Hotmail (dot) com
Customers love technology- until they have to pay to fix it!
Will a Century G-85 2379 work for this application? I believe the one I have is a G-85 2335.
  • Posted 7 Jun 2013 10:03
  • Reply by jim_r
  • Indiana, United States
I'm starting to think that an air cooled regulator is the correct solution. Can the finned part of the regulator be purchased alone so I can use my current G-85? Is the freezing a sign that mine maybe in need of a rebuild? He is some of the info I should have started with. Clark CL451619, Carb 1A?35 ??, Reg Century G-85, Motor Continental F4124. I will post some pics if I figure out how.
  • Posted 7 Jun 2013 09:52
  • Reply by jim_r
  • Indiana, United States
The air warmed G-85 Century regulator is exactly the same internally as the water warmed version. I believe it's rated for 85 HP engines. If the unit is already fitted with the century system, I'd just replace the regulator. Place the regulator where it will receive a stream of warm air & you should be fine.
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 23:31
  • Reply by bbforks
  • Pennsylvania, United States
bbforks (at) Hotmail (dot) com
Customers love technology- until they have to pay to fix it!
here's an idea....
can you take some pictures of this thing?
get any info off of the converter?
i've seen these systems before years ago but did not work on too many of them but i think you'll find the converter probably needs a kit which may be hard to find. You may have to do a conversion to a newer system. But some pictures so we can see what this actually is might be a great help :o)
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 22:24
  • Reply by swoop223
  • North Carolina, United States
You've been swooped!
swoop223@gmail.com
jim r;
You have more then likely a M6 Century Carburation system which started on vapor and ran on vapor LPG until engine reached it's normal operating temperature and then change to liquid LPG. You can get good help if you contact Alternate Fuel Technologies.Inc at 877-425-8383. They just be able to supply with what you need to restore what you have.
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 11:48
  • Reply by MEngr
  • Missouri, United States
I'd contact Manny at M&M forklifts in Phoenix AZ. I think he may be able to help you put that machine back so it works correctly. Just goggle M&M forklift salvage.
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 08:41
  • Reply by cownd
  • Arizona, United States
orchidlane29@gmail.com
I would say that it never did run right. There were many things wrong with it when I purchased it. An example would be that the main seal was out and instead of changing the seal they painted "check oil daily" on it! Nothing else was changed. The engine ran great after the electrical tune up but the run time to freeze up just keeps getting shorter. I can only get a few minutes out of it now and the plugs are fouling out quickly.
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 08:37
  • Reply by jim_r
  • Indiana, United States
I think the first thing I have to ask after reading and watching this post is......did this truck EVER run right with this converted LP Regulator system on it....and if it did I have to ask what was changed/ done that made it start freezing up.....couldn't of been just a distributor change that made the freezing start????
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 07:45
  • Reply by kevin_t
  • Pennsylvania, United States
I have installed the air heated century regulator on a 4 cyl air cooled wisconsin manlift. Unit worked well- no issues.

I have seen the lift you have with convection cooling. Not sure if any type of liquid regulator will receive the volume of coolant needed to satisfy the heat transfer - keep us posted on the model J conversion if that's the route you take.
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 07:37
  • Reply by bbforks
  • Pennsylvania, United States
bbforks (at) Hotmail (dot) com
Customers love technology- until they have to pay to fix it!
this sounds like an old Y20 & I thought carloaders were electirc?
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 04:42
  • Reply by cownd
  • Arizona, United States
orchidlane29@gmail.com
Jim;
If my memory serves me you have an old Clark flat back and the style of Century was still being used in the Clark product lines as late as 1976.
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 03:08
  • Reply by MEngr
  • Missouri, United States
I want to add that placing the J-model vaporizer near the lower end of the ascending radiator hose will cause a convection loop to form passing through the regulator as first choice (instead of climbing higher to fall down through the radiator) if the coolant return hose from the regulator begins to descend immediately toward the engine block.
Because the new J-model circuit in the plumbing provides a sort of "bypass the radiator" condition..........you will want to keep an eye on the coolant/engine temperature to make sure that adding the vaporizer heat loop does not decrease flow volume through the radiator enough to cause engine overheat.
Ways of compensating and "fine tuning" the vaporizer heat loop could include adding a restriction orifice fitting into the vaporizer coolant plumbing.
But the easiest way to handle this would be to use an extra long length of 3/8" heater hose for the returning coolant line (going to the bottom of the engine block) and simply raise that hose to a higher elevation if it seems that the radiator is not receiving sufficient flow volume to affect adequate cooling.
Liquids will seek out the path of least resistance if given unequal elevation routes to flow through, so the return hose from the regulator would be the path the convection loop would want to use if it is lower than the loop path through the radiator.
You might want to set up your return hose out of the vaporizer so it rises to the same, or maybe 1 inch lower than the normal level of coolant in the radiator top tank.
I don't know from experience how much the flow rate of a convection driven cooling system is, but I'll bet it can't be all that much. Or in other words, adding a 3/8" alternative loop might "reroute" enough flow volume of coolant to decrease cooling in the radiator (despite the fact that the vaporizing propane will provide some cooling itself) so you really want to route that return hose strategically in regard to WHERE it changes from ascending.......to descending.......in the scheme of plumbing.
  • Posted 4 Jun 2013 02:40
  • Reply by L1ftmech
  • Tennessee, United States

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