LC 250 auxilliary 30L tank retrofit

[grandsons]

Hello,


I'm currently planning a 30L auxiliary fuel tank retrofit. The motivation? There's a perfect space between the chassis rails and that would bring the total capacity to 110L which is nice. The installation also needs to look as OEM as possible — most of the solutions I've seen online would never pass a Swiss roadworthiness inspection.


As for my approach: being a complete novice when it comes to automotive parts, I got lucky — a fellow LC250 owner shared his VIN, which lets me compare his spec against mine. The plan is to identify the parts my vehicle is missing, order them, and assemble the whole thing like Lego. Simple enough, right?


Am I dreaming? I'll keep you posted.

 

[Jstawgn]

Hats off for you for trying it.
People try this on all older version and the results always too complex and too expensive to replicate. I would only assume newer generation would get more complicated than easier.

 

[grandsons]

Hats off for you for trying it.
People try this on all older version and the results always too complex and too expensive to replicate. I would only assume newer generation would get more complicated than easier.

Thanks. I might end up hitting a wall, but I really want to give it a try. Ever since I put 17-inch steel wheels on my 250, I know what manufacturers are capable of. Just to fit a simple steel wheel that’s made in Mexico, which is very common on US "old school" looking 250, it ended in a pur nightmare. I had to replace the brake rotors and calipers, US trim vs Euro trim, looks the same, but are not the same.

 

[grandsons]

I'm on a bit of a learning curve here. I've noticed that both tanks are equipped with a level sender and therefore some kind of wiring harness. I initially assumed the auxiliary tank was passive, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Could someone point me in the right direction for finding the relevant wiring schematics?

 

[grandsons]

I've now sourced around 70% of the required parts, including the major ones, the tanks, yes, tankssss plural, because as it turns out the main tank comes in two different versions depending on whether you have an auxiliary tank or not. Sourced the right one. Not cheap. Shipping was its own adventure.


The sticking point is customs: the word fuel on a declaration form triggers an automatic rejection, regardless of the fact that a fuel line contains precisely zero fuel. Attempting to convince a Japanese supplier to rephrase their own documentation turns out to be a diplomatic mission beyond my current abilities. Three shipments refused and refunded for exactly that reason. At this point I'm either going to need some help navigating this, or I'll be pitching a tent on the pavement outside a dealership in Dubai or Sydney.


Anyone here a believer in the kindness of strangers?


On a separate note, an interesting discovery. The auxiliary tank has a sender unit, which means there's a dedicated wiring harness. I had assumed it was a purely passive setup, but apparently not.