DIY: Fuel Sender Replacement 2004 (1 Viewer)

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DomSmith

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Nov 16, 2004
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Oceanside, CA (Fire Mountain)
I've had a very random and intermittent issue with the fuel gauge and Trip Info display on my 2004 for a while now. It only happens once a month or so at most but it's irritating enough for me to take action.

Symptom 1: Occasionally after filling up the dash fuel gauge doesn't move from where it was. Sometimes turning the key to the OFF position and back ON will reset the gauge and sometimes it will not.

Symptom 2: Occasionally after fueling the Cruising Range on the Trip Info screen will not reset. On occasion it corresponds to he fuel gauge inaccuracy and sometimes not. This almost never resets with the key OFF/ON trick.

I searched on MUD and on the interwebs without much success. The only thing I did find was Prius owners complaining about cruising range reset and they mostly determined it was a problem if you only added a few gallons when fueling. This was not my problem as the 100 is thirsty and never gets fuel unless it's half empty or less.

After consulting with my local Toyota Service Manager buddy we both agreed the first step would be to swap out the fuel sending unit. Part # 83320-60340 ($130ish with discount from Cabe Toyota).



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Next I determined what needed to be removed and the tools required for each.

1. Remove rear seats. (plastic pry tools and 14mm socket) 4 plastic hinge covers and 8 bolts.
2. Remove rocker trim at each rear doorwell. (plastic pry tools) 2 trim pieces.
3. Remove plastic steps at each rear door. (tiny flat screwdriver and 10mm socket) 4 plastic covers and 4 bolts.
4. Remove 3 plastic seat anchor covers (torx screwdriver (don't remember size) and plastic pry tools).
5. Pull back carpet kit. (No tools required).
6. Remove fuel sender cover. (philips screwdriver) 2 screws.
7. Remove 2 fuel lines (small flat screwdriver) 2 yellow clips.
8. Unplug 2 wiring connectors (small flat screwdriver).
9. Remove fuel sender/pump assembly (8mm socket or philips screwdriver) 8 8mm screws.
10. Remove/replace sending unit (philips screwdriver and pliers, small flat screwdriver). 2 screws and metal snap in ground?


I did not use the FSM as it looked to be pretty straightforward.


Next up: Removal....
 
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****Remember, it's always a good idea to remove the negative battery post when working on your rig, especially when it involves electrical work...


1. Remove rear seats. (I also removed the third row seats but it’s not required).


This is a pretty easy task. Tumble the seats into the forward position to expose the hinge mounts. Pull (or pry) off the 4 plastic hinge covers.


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Remove the eight 14mm bolts that hold the seats in place. (The seat is removed here but these red arrows are the locations of the 8 bolts. The blue arrows indicate torx screws for the upcoming seat anchor cover removal)...


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The single seat is very manageable but the double seat is heavy. It’s not a one man job and you risk the chance of damaging your seat trying to get it out (ask me how I know). In my case I tried to slide the seat out towards the door to be removed and it got caught up on the mount. After cursing and being super F’ing pissed I just slid the seat back into the cargo area. DON'T BE A DUMBASS AND DO THIS!!!


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2. Remove rocker trim at each rear doorwell using plastic trim tools:


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I used the plastic pry tools here to remove the 2 trim pieces.


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(Continued)....
 
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Trim piece continued:


Pull up: as you can see there are 2 push in clips that hold these in place. I don’t recommend screwdrivers as they may damage the plastic.

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3. Remove plastic steps at each rear door.


I used a tiny flat screwdriver to carefully pry out the round covers and then used a 10mm socket to remove the 4 bolts (2 on each step).

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4. Remove 3 plastic seat anchor covers.


To remove the carpet you’ll need to use a torx screwdriver to remove the 3 plastic seat anchor covers (See pic with blue arrows on previous post but red arrow below). These pull off relatively easy if you pull up at the screw side. They have a couple of plastic tabs on the underside (blue arrows) that need to be hooked back in when re-installing.


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5. Pull back carpet kit.


I just pulled the carpet out from under the wheel wells and worked my way across the cab. It’s held down with Velcro. Gently pull the carpet back to the front seats to reveal the floor and uncover the round access panel close to the back of the front seats.


IMG_2919.jpg



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Next up: Pulling the sender...
 
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(Continued)...

Here's the carpet pulled back...


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6. Remove fuel sender cover.


2 simple Philips screws hold this in place. Once removed, be careful to account for all the small clips/screws as they can easy fall into the access hole (or worse yet- into the fuel tank) never to be seen again.


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7. Remove 2 fuel lines.


Here I wasn’t sure how this all went together so I was careful to study the clips, etc. The first thing I determined was the 2 fuel lines (blue arrows) were held in place by 2 small yellow clips that needed to be removed with a small flat screwdriver. Think c-clips. Be careful not to drop these! (Red arrows indicate the 2 wiring connectors)...

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Once the yellow clips were removed the fuel lines pulled right up and out of the assembly. There was very little fuel leakage here but there was some. Keep a rag handy. Yellow clips removed:



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Next up: Unplug 2 wiring connectors.
 
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8. Unplug 2 wiring connectors.


This was possibly the most stressful part as I wasn’t sure how the connectors were secured. Each had a small release tab but I was very careful not to pry too hard as I didn’t want a broken connector. These turned out to be a little stuborn as they had not been removed in the nearly 14 years of life. I was able to GENTLY pry them off with a small flat screwdriver. It takes little effort and lots of wiggling to get these to separate! It would be very easy to break these! You can see by the photos that the 2 connectors are different. This one unplugs from the other black receptacle that stays on the assembly....

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This other one pulls up and away from the assembly and attaches at the white plug on the assembly...


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Everything removed:

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I then taped the wires out of the way.


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Next up: Remove fuel sender/pump assembly.
 
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9. Remove fuel sender/pump assembly.


I used a small 8mm socket to remove the eight small 8mm screws holding the assembly in place on the top of the fuel tank. You can use a philips screwdriver but I prefer the socket. (Do not overtighten these when you re-install). ALSO: Be careful not to drop these! They may be gone forever! This photo shows the 8 screws removed:


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Once these are removed you can remove the black trim ring...


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And pull up and lift the entire assembly out of the tank.


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Now it's easiest to take this part to the workbench to sort out replacing the sender...



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Next up: Remove/replace sending unit.
 
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10. Remove/replace sending unit.


Removing the fuel sending unit from the assembly was more difficult than I thought. I wanted to be very careful not to put too much stress on the components but the 2 screws were extremely tight.

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The philips screwdriver alone was not going to work. I had to break a cardinal rule and grab the screw heads with pliers while I tried to unscrew them with the Philips head. They eventually loosened.


Once unmounted, I unplugged the electrical connector...


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And then used a small flat screwdriver to release the metal snap in ground? I’m not certain if it’s a ground but that’s what it seems like.


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Assembled product ready to re-install...



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Next up: Putting it all back together.
 
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Putting it all back together.


Obviously re-assembly is pretty straightforward and mostly just the opposite order of removal...

I re-installed the fuel sender/pump assembly back into the tank, but this took a little wiggling to assure the float could move freely. I used the pictures I took during removal so I could re-install it in the exact position as before. There is a small groove in the black trim ring to be sure it’s lined up correctly.

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Once in position I installed the 2 fuel lines with yellow clips...



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And then the 2 wire connectors....

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Once these were in place I used the eight 8mm screws to secure the assembly back to the tank. THIS IS WHERE I TESTED THE SENDER BY TURNING ON THE KEY TO SEE IF IT WAS GIVING A SIGNAL AS BEFORE. After confirming it was reading correctly, I replaced the round cover...


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Next I folded the carpet back in place and slid it underneath the plastic wheel wells, and attached it with the Velcro at the cargo area carpet.

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The seat anchor plastic covers were re-installed (torx screws) followed by the 2 plastic steps (two 10mm bolts each with round covers), and 2 plastic door trim pieces (2 push-in connectors each). Now the seats could be put back in.


I reattached the seats to the hinge mounts using the eight 8mm bolts and re-secured the plastic covers.


That's it!


I’m hoping this resolves my intermittent fuel gauge and cruising range issue. I’ll post up if this did not fix it. Either way this should help others be more comfortable digging into this repair.


:beer::beer::beer:


Next up: Seat repair??!!

:bang:
 
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This is a great write up, and worthy of the FAQ!
 
Very nice job, pictures & write up! Kudos;)

A few things I may have done just a bit different or perhaps I missed in your posts:

Either pull EFI fuse (older models) or disconnect wire block near rear of frame rail of undercarriage 12" before rear DS wheel well. Then try to start engine. This relieves fuel pressure.

Disconnect battery negative post.

Notice on the door way plastic thresholds covers, that they have a small notches directly out from fasteners along outside edge. Slip your plastic tool in from outside at notch until contact with fastener is made and pry/pop up.

Replace the large round gasket between fuel suction plate assemble & top of tank. Toyota considers this a non-reusable parts once removed.

Clean or replace pick-up fuel filter before final assemble.

Tip:
Clean gas tank port area before removing any wire housings, fuel lines or screws.
Enlarge yellow C-clips at open end as you pull/pry out at closed end, to disconnect fuel lines.
Plug the port(s) of the fuel (suction plate) line(s) at top of assemble with clean caps, as you remove fuel lines.
Place each fuel line in a clean plastic bag after disconnecting, and tie shut.
Using a phillips head screwdriver that fits screw head perfectly is key to removal without damaging head.
 
^^^^^^ All great suggestions. Thank you.

I did add the battery disconnect to my post as I assumed everyone does that when working on their junk but it's a good reminder especially with a DIY thread. I did not replace the rubber gasket as suggested but my rig has lived in the mild SoCal climate it's entire life so that may have helped it look like new. I will look up the part # and add it above for those looking to replace it as suggested by Mr. T.
 
This is awesome!! Thank you so much for doing this write up.
I agree that this should be in the FAQ section.
 
Thanks for the write up! This may be one that I tackle, soon. I have been facing an intermittent issue for a couple of months. Thankfully, I have a scan gauge and can monitor my fuel consumption.

Sometimes the fuel gauge reads approximately a quarter low and sometimes when I get below half a tank, the next time I startup, it may be on E. When this occurs, it very slowly begins to move up and may turn off the light after 5-10 minutes. The next time I startup, it may be fine.

Usually when I fill-up, it will read close to correct, but sometimes the needle doesn't quite reach the full mark after the first pump cutoff (I always stop here). I have gone weeks with no noticeable problem and then will have issues.

I know it has only been a few weeks, but would like to hear if you feel that your issues were resolved.
 
I've contacted my friendly service manager to see what he recommends next.

I do wonder if there's any connection to the installation of a speedo correction kit. I tapped into a few wires and I'm tempted to disconnect the whole thing to rule it out.
 
Sorry to hear that this did not resolve the issue. I have also wondered if this could be an electrical issue. I will probably look into that before I replace my sending unit based on your feedback.
 
What ever came about this? I'm running into a similar problem. I just purchased a used whole assembly to try and erradicate the fuel gauge inaccuracy.
 
It is a very easy change out with a access panel for the fuel pump. I would install a new Denso fuel pump on the used unit before you drop it in.

If it is not the sender then it could be a bad connection, wiring issue or gauge.

I would for sure start out with changing the sending unit out first. Watch out for dirt at the wiring connection on top of the tank.
 

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