Newb here and could really use your help!

[audreylynnn]

Hi Y'All!

I've been on Bob's website for quite awhile and have been a lurker on the forums since somewhere back around Sept, I think. 
In the last year I've watched every van dweller and the like video, followed every blog I could get my cursor on, and searched and researched until I'm aching to get my van and get started!

I'm a female in my 50's, a widow to the most awesome veteran you could have ever wanted to know, have a quiver full of kids and even more grand-kids spread out across the lower 48 and am tired of the rat race!

So, just when I've finally found THE VAN, or so I thought, (I had even imagined my awesome post tomorrow night complete with pictures about my new find and what I was going to do with it, etc) and then I read the fine print in the ad and see "fuel: natural gas".  What?  No way!

So I google and google and google some more and all I can find are posts on how to convert from gasoline to natural gas, not the other way around.  Now don't get me wrong, if natural gas is cheaper and cleaner yada yada yada, then great! But it doesn't seem to be all that available in my neck of the woods or any of the places I plan to go one day so I would need to convert back. 

My question to y'all is: Can you use gasoline in a natural gas vehicle? and if not, how easy (i.e. inexpensive) is it to convert back?

I've taken a vacation day tomorrow and am driving two hours away to see/buy this van.  I'd rather not if this is a hopeless case (and I will admit that will break my heart).

Any and all advice is welcome.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this far and I can't wait to chat with and meet up with y'all!

audreylynnn

p.s. so glad the forums are back!

 

[SoulRaven]

I don't know about all conversions but I am sure it could be reconverted to gas. The Natural Gas vehicles the company I worked for had did not have the ability to use gasoline. Someone here may have better info but be care, redoing the system would be expensive.

Good Luck And Travel Safe..Bob J.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums audreylynn! Sorry I can't answer your question but I hope the van is as nice as you think. Please let us know how the trip to see it goes. Good luck!

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[MikeRuth]

Take notice that I had read that NG vehicles had a completely different fuel tank installed that had a 10 year limit on it before replacement. I doubt the orginal gasoline tank is still in it.
It's my vote you wait and get confirmation on the transition back to gasoline by someone that can explain exactly what needs to be done and how much it will cost you.

 

[HarmonicaBruce]

Wasn't there a thread a while back about a van that was a real good deal, except that it used natural gas?  As I recall the consensus was... bad idea.  I think it's a bad idea.  There are enough problems with normal vehicles that mechanics are used to working on without looking for problems.  There's a reason natural gas vehicles are such good deals.  If it was easy and cheap to convert back to gas, the owner would do so and sell it for much more.  I would never attempt to convert from natural gas back to gas without talking to someone who has done it and found out what kind of results they had.

 

[audreylynnn]

Thank you everyone for your great responses. 

I contacted the dealer this morning before I headed out and he told me that it was an error in the listing and that the van was fueled by Gasoline. Yay!

However, he was concerned about the engine.  He was selling it for a friend at his dealership (he's a one man operation), and when the van was brought to him it was warm and running fine.
He had it inspected and everything.  But this morning, in running out to verify it was in fact gasoline and not natural gas, he started it up and after sitting for two weeks, he didn't like the way it sounded cold.
He said he wasn't selling it until he had it checked out and talked with the friend he was selling it for.  He told me that he'd let me know if he could tell me exactly what was wrong with it, and if the seller would reduce the price to account for the possibility of needing a new engine. 

So, it seems I'm going to pass on this one for now.  But I really appreciate everyone's advice and will steer clear of natural gas vehicles in the future!
I have had my eye on another one for the last couple of weeks so since I took the day off, I'm going to go check it out.  Who knows, maybe it's the one I'm looking for.



Thanks again!

audreylynnn

 

[ccbreder]

NG filling places are very hard to find. While I have no direct experience, I believe converting to gasoline would be very expensive. Needed; fuel tank, fuel pump, injector system, new engine management computer, fuel gauge, then it is still a compromised vehicle.

 

[Theadyn]

Hi and Welcome!!

Sorry this one didn't turn out the way you planned. And you never know, that one may have fell through because 'the ONE' is out there waiting for you. A few weeks back I was just in the looking phase, drove to the big city to check out a list of ones that were possibles and get a feel for them, and just happened on to one next to the lot I was aiming for. I turned into the wrong lot, and there she sat. I wasn't intending to buy one that day, mostly look, took cash just in case. As it happened, it was the first one I looked at and took her home. Sometimes things happen for some unknown reason, haha. I turned into the wrong lot and found everything I was looking for at a price I liked. Could be that engine is not running so great this morning so you may stumble on to a better one. You just never know.

Best of luck in your search and adventures!!

 

[mconlonx]

I'm impulsive and it is amazing that I didn't rush right out and buy the first cargo van I could find. But I didn't need to, had the time to wait, and I'm glad I did, considering the van I ended up getting.

Unless it's an emergency, wait it out until you find the perfect buy on the van of your dreams.