Thank you in advance for all of your knowledge.
I have an '06 470 with about 148,000 miles here in Connecticut. I am in love with this vehicle but have been struggling to resolve issues post gas tank replacement.
I replaced the tank because a small hole from corrosion had appeared at the tank seam. The dealer wanted 3500 to replace. I said thank you and went to my local mechanic. There were no new tanks available and aftermarket replacements were not even close to the design of the original. I sourced a great tank from a yard in Texas that came off a '06. Tank arrived and looked really, really, good. Shop installed it and off I went to fill her up.
At fill up, the tank would not take gas beyond a slow trickle. It would build up in filler neck and bubble up. I did some research and saw the issue with the flex hose from neck to tank being a common issue. I bought the part and had the shop drop the tank. Unfortunately, the part that was in place already was in perfect condition, so that was not the issue. They went through everything and believed it to be an internal problem with the tank.
I dealt with the slow fillups as this is an around town vehicle. About 6 weeks later the check engine light came on. I took the vehicle to another mechanic that I trust for a second opinion. They read all the codes and everything pointed to the vapor canister. I replaced it with OEM -- check engine light stayed off -- passed emissions and was good to go-- but the slow fill issue remained.
Because of the slow fill issue I had been keeping the tank at most half full and mostly 1/4 full. A couple weeks ago the vehicle would not start. It would crank and eventually just stop trying. I had it towed back to the 2nd mechanic. They determined that the fuel pump had failed. When they replaced it, they noticed that the pump and other components were jammed up in the install location. They replaced the pump, drove it for a few miles to let the vehicle "relearn the idle". I went the next day to pick it up and it would not start.
They went back through everything and saw that we were not getting enough pressure from the pump. They suspected they got a bad fuel pump from Lexus - but we all agreed that it was odd and not something they had seen before. Regardless they got a new pump and went to install. When they did, they noticed that the pump bracket was bent. They dug further and believe that something about the tank internals is different than the original. The bracket was just a fraction to long and was bottoming out. They believe that the same thing occured when I first replaced it, and that the fuel pump was sitting at an angle and basically not getting cooled by fuel and that is why it burnt out.
They bent the bracket enough for the fuel pump to sit properly and vehicle starts and runs well. They advised that I keep the tank 3/4 to full at all times. With the slow fill issue still unresolved -- I didn't want to deal with it anymore.
So before I punt this vehicle, I am hoping someone here can shed some light. I am considering sourcing another tank and trying again, but also unsure if that would resolve the issues. I love the vehicle and would love to keep it going, but also don't "trust" it in the current state.
I have an '06 470 with about 148,000 miles here in Connecticut. I am in love with this vehicle but have been struggling to resolve issues post gas tank replacement.
I replaced the tank because a small hole from corrosion had appeared at the tank seam. The dealer wanted 3500 to replace. I said thank you and went to my local mechanic. There were no new tanks available and aftermarket replacements were not even close to the design of the original. I sourced a great tank from a yard in Texas that came off a '06. Tank arrived and looked really, really, good. Shop installed it and off I went to fill her up.
At fill up, the tank would not take gas beyond a slow trickle. It would build up in filler neck and bubble up. I did some research and saw the issue with the flex hose from neck to tank being a common issue. I bought the part and had the shop drop the tank. Unfortunately, the part that was in place already was in perfect condition, so that was not the issue. They went through everything and believed it to be an internal problem with the tank.
I dealt with the slow fillups as this is an around town vehicle. About 6 weeks later the check engine light came on. I took the vehicle to another mechanic that I trust for a second opinion. They read all the codes and everything pointed to the vapor canister. I replaced it with OEM -- check engine light stayed off -- passed emissions and was good to go-- but the slow fill issue remained.
Because of the slow fill issue I had been keeping the tank at most half full and mostly 1/4 full. A couple weeks ago the vehicle would not start. It would crank and eventually just stop trying. I had it towed back to the 2nd mechanic. They determined that the fuel pump had failed. When they replaced it, they noticed that the pump and other components were jammed up in the install location. They replaced the pump, drove it for a few miles to let the vehicle "relearn the idle". I went the next day to pick it up and it would not start.
They went back through everything and saw that we were not getting enough pressure from the pump. They suspected they got a bad fuel pump from Lexus - but we all agreed that it was odd and not something they had seen before. Regardless they got a new pump and went to install. When they did, they noticed that the pump bracket was bent. They dug further and believe that something about the tank internals is different than the original. The bracket was just a fraction to long and was bottoming out. They believe that the same thing occured when I first replaced it, and that the fuel pump was sitting at an angle and basically not getting cooled by fuel and that is why it burnt out.
They bent the bracket enough for the fuel pump to sit properly and vehicle starts and runs well. They advised that I keep the tank 3/4 to full at all times. With the slow fill issue still unresolved -- I didn't want to deal with it anymore.
So before I punt this vehicle, I am hoping someone here can shed some light. I am considering sourcing another tank and trying again, but also unsure if that would resolve the issues. I love the vehicle and would love to keep it going, but also don't "trust" it in the current state.
