LRA 40g Main Tank '05+ Install

[GTV]

5/8" is much too large to fit in the stock retaining clips so I ended up going to 1/2". I bought four feet of 1/2" and one foot of 3/4" rubber fuel rated hose at NAPA and ordered this 1/2" to 3/4" barbed adapter as I couldn't find one locally. I'll jump up to 3/4" right before the EVAP canister. It's not my favourite solution but I can't think of anything better that isn't considerably more complex. This also meant that I had to replace the LRA supplied 5/8" brass barb fitting with a 1/2" barb as well.

 

[GTV]

Submersible fuel line arrived and is now in situ on the fuel return side, I can call the sending unit done. It is the same Dayco product that LRA supplied for the fuel pump. 12” long fits flawlessly.

 

[GTV]

The newer style fittings swap over to the supplied 5/16” pressure and return lines just the same as the early style.

On early 100’s the vent for the roll over valve goes towards the front of the truck. My roll over vent tube is located next to the filler. I’ll replace the OEM hard/soft lines with a 5/16” hose that runs back towards the filler.
Note: This picture shows the original Toyota sending unit retaining ring in place. The LRA supplied flat ring must be used. Also of note, the large original Toyota o-ring seems too large to fit but the LRA supplied o-ring works.

 

[GTV]

Finished assembling the tank. The hoses are lying roughly where they'll reside.

Yes, I did this on the living room floor. My garage is tiny.
The only thing that is different from the LRA instructions is the 1/2" barbed copper fitting and roughly five feet of 1/4" hose for the roll over vent.

Top tip: Buy the roll over valve 77380-26010, the tube sub assembly 77018-60060, and the screws that secure it 90159-40155 (x4). They are 4mm x 0.7 x 12mm, smaller than the sending unit hardware which I believe is 5mm x 0.8mm. I ended up picking some up from the hardware store because I'm a dummy. Don't be like me.

Also, removing the driveshaft should be step 2, right after removing the spare. It gives you a LOT more working room. And buy/borrow/steal a transmission jack. It made getting the tank into place so much easier than using a floor jack.

But the good news is... the tank is in.

But it's not without problems. I've got a routing/clearance issue with the parking brake cable and the LRA supplied return fuel line is too short. I'm hoping I can get to the hose from the sending unit access panel and not drop the tank back out... instead, I'll just have to remove the big side of the rear seat which is always a blasty blast.

 

[GTV]

Don’t get behind me at Costco gas

Overview coming soon!

 

[xeuxaz]

Don’t get behind me at Costco gas
View attachment 3629015
Overview coming soon!

 

[GTV]

I can't believe no one told me this wasn't going to work

Obviously the LRA tank is designed to fit earlier non US spec 100's. AFAIK earlier 100's vented the fast fill hose UP to the fuel door (to the atmosphere). Mine, as previously noted, vents to the charcoal canister. The charcoal canister is mounted above the spare, at the same height as the top of the fuel tank.

So you can imagine what that unbaffled/unvalved brass fitting at the top of the tank does when I drive up a steep hill (or accelerate quickly, or bounce around off road, etc.) with a full-ish tank of fuel. It allows fuel to pour directly into the charcoal canister. I smelled fuel after going up a steep hill with a full tank. A few minutes later the truck stalled, fired back up without warning lights and has been running fine since.

I don't yet know what is going on inside of here but I can say it is far more sophisticated than what is supplied by LRA.

I tried to install this in a way that complemented the LRA kit and that your average DIY guy can tackle. It clearly isn't going to be that easy. Now I'm going to do it my way. I feel like the smartest thing to do is to modify the LRA tank to fit the vehicle instead of redesigning a proven system (i.e. backdating to accept an early fast fill vent, roll over vent, etc.) So I'm going to harvest the entire fill/vent section from my original tank and have it welded onto the LRA tank. This will allow me to use all of the factory hoses so the system works and installs exactly as Toyota engineered it just with 50% more capacity. It’s really not that difficult, saves having to buy a roll over valve, as well as hoses and fittings that I view as a huge compromise.

In the mean time I'm going to fill it half way and run it.

 

[Trapper50cal]

Sorry it's fighting back...

 

[xeuxaz]

My thirsty 2007 desperately needs longer range. I’m really hoping you figure out a reasonable solution. Thanks for all the work and documentation of your journey.

 

[GTV]

Sorry it's fighting back...

I expected a fight, I'll get it sorted out.

I've been driving it anyway. And it's been absolutely amazing. Nearly 400 miles in with almost 1/4 tank left. I'm on 35's, geared and the odometer has been recalibrated for accuracy.

Impromptu trip up to the Sawtooths yesterday.

The extra capacity is a complete game changer. 50% more range makes a MASSIVE difference. I think I lost some fuel when I went up that steep hill with a full tank, but since the tank fell below 3/4 I have had zero fuel smell (confirmed by passengers). So I believe my adaptation works, I just need to fix the full tank problem. I think I have a simple solution in mind...

 

[GTV]

Credit where it's due, my buddy is much smarter than me and suggested just taking the fast fill vent hose up high so fuel wouldn't spill out of it. Yesterday I guesstimated that I would need about 10' of 1/2" hose so I bought 12' for insurance. And used every inch of it.

The hose follows the same path as the original except now it goes all the way up to the filler door (mimicking earlier 100's) but instead of venting to the atmosphere it goes back down and vents to the charcoal canister like it's supposed to on an ‘07. The 12' of hose actually follows a very natural path on its own but I used a few zip ties for insurance anyway. Seems like it would satisfy all of the conditions, right?

All put back together, I filled up (13.7mpg) and hit the road to Portland, 420ish interstate miles away. First thing you notice with the LRA tank is that the first 1/4 tank doesn't go that much further than the original tank did, 80-100 miles. The middle half though, 1/4 to 3/4, easily gets you to 350. The needle moves incredibly slow now.

I stopped in Pendleton for a bite, 213 miles in. Hop back in the truck aaannd I've got the check engine/VSC light trio on the cluster. Great. Did the 12' of hose cause this or it is a residual effect from the fuel that spilled into the evap canister a couple weeks ago? I haven't checked the codes yet, I still need my own code reader. The truck still drives perfectly fine though. Even pushing through heavy headwinds in the Columbia River Valley I made it to Portland with ≈1/8" tank. Range anxiety, zero.

 

[J1000]

Pretty awesome stuff. Who knows what the CEL could be until you pull the code, please report back!

What's the deal with the rollover valve? I guess it's in case the truck rolls over? Where are you supposed to route the hose? I have a pile a goodies, just waiting for my tank to show up.

 

[GTV]

The truck sat Saturday and Sunday. I was hoping the CEL would clear up when I started it Monday morning but I had no such luck. However after I filled up (12.4mpg, ouch), the lights did disappear! I drove straight back to Boise without incident and this time I was going with the wind.

I'm at 420.5 currently and the needle doesn't look much different. In good conditions 500 miles to a tank with fuel to spare is certainly possible.

As long as everything keeps working as intended I'm going to leave it alone and call it done for now. When I add another 1" of body lift I will have the original fill/vent section welded in and make a couple more tweaks.

What's the deal with the rollover valve? I guess it's in case the truck rolls over? Where are you supposed to route the hose? I have a pile a goodies, just waiting for my tank to show up.

Earlier 100's have a separate roll over valve, the vent is directed towards the outside (left side) of the vehicle where it connects to... something. Late 100's have it integrated into the tank and it's located next to the fill/vent hoses. My '07 tank with the fast fill vent, fill hose and roll over valve all in one area:

This is a crap picture I know but this is roughly where the lines go when installed in the vehicle.

Between the fuel sending unit and the fill/vent there is a body cross brace that runs width-wise across the top of the tank, hence why you can't just make a straight shot with the fuel lines and roll over vent line. The roll over valve is keyed into the tank so it can only go one way. The vent piece that goes on top of the actual valve is designed to point towards the outside (left) of the vehicle but it will bolt down if turned towards the rear, 90° counter clockwise (it will not fit 180° off and take a straight shot with the fuel lines). I was considering turning it 90° and sending it up with the fuel lines but I was concerned the hose might not have enough room to comfortably turn before the body cross brace gets in the way. It might still work though and would easily save ≈2 feet of vent line.

I really do believe that swapping in the entire fill/vent area from the original tank is the path of least resistance though. Then the only things you need to do is extend the sending unit fuel lines (return needs to be longer than what LRA supplies), cut the fill tube back as LRA instructs and cap off the early style roll over valve. All of the factory fill/vent lines would then work 100% as Toyota intended and you wouldn't have to monkey around with all this rubber vent line mumbo jumbo.

I'll be road tripping to Santa Fe in ten days for a 2,000+ mile test trip, wish me luck! So far I can say this is an absolute game changer. It takes the worst attribute of the 100 series and more than eliminates it. It is a road tripping weapon!

 

[GTV]

Not so fast, we’ve got codes.

Currently researching… hoping the truck is still road trip ready. If anyone reading this has experience with these codes I’d like to hear it.

I filled the tank anyway 14.8mpg. 14.8 x 40g = 592 mile range, theoretically.

 

[J1000]

It checks the evap system from the first complete fill up and drive where it is then parked with about 3/4 tank or less for x number of hours. Can't remember the exact numbers. But maybe clear the codes, fill up and park it with more than 1/2 tank remaining. Maybe the vast size of the tank is producing more extreme endpoints and the mid range will be more similar to stock. You've been on road trips using it from completely full to nearly empty and maybe if you use it in the middle ground it will be happy to at least set the evap check as complete.

Of course there could be a leak somewhere so maybe worth tightening up a few hose clamps.

I am not sure which codes are you actually having. All of the codes listed or just the ones in bold?

 

[GTV]

I believe bold is primary and the others are secondary? Anyway, they’re all pointing to a similar thing, EVAP/charcoal canister issues. This in particular stood out to me:

There is a valve of some sort inside the fast fill vent pipe. I can see how the absence of this valve wouldn’t allow the EVAP system to create a vacuum.

I’m leaning more heavily towards needing the entire vent/fill assembly from the original tank. I certainly could be wrong but I feel like if the proper venting is in place it shouldn’t matter how big the tank is that it’s attached to. Toyota used similar EVAP systems on a variety of vehicles regardless of tank capacity.

 

[jtb517]

Subscribed. This is good stuff.

 

[MongooseGA]

I started by following the FSM procedure to depressurize the fuel system. Unplug the fuel pump, start it and let it run til it dies. Then try to start it again to make sure and plug the fuel pump back in. Disconnect the battery, drop the spare tire out of the way and prepare to get a lot of dirt in your face.

Releasing these fittings was the worst part of the job. The orange/yellow collars must be pulled up perpendicular to the hose then the blue tabs on each side are pinched in to release the hose from the hard line. Easier said than done.
View attachment 3617438
Removing the vent line tube (left of the fill hose) from the tank was also a challenge but only because I couldn’t see around the crossmember to understand how it was secured. I finally figured out this red plastic circlip must be removed and then the hose simply pulls straight out.
View attachment 3617439
The same method is used near the EVAP canister if you want to get your eyes on it.
View attachment 3617440
I keep my undercarriage pretty clean but this made quite a mess.
View attachment 3617441
Tank finally out.
View attachment 3617437
I took the opportunity to wipe down the area around the tank. I hate working on dirty stuff.
View attachment 3617443
First problem, judging by the photo on LRA’s website I need a roll over valve with a nipple.
View attachment 3617464
Instead I've got this thing which fits in the hole properly but is otherwise the wrong part. From my searching this was the right part for pre '05 100 series but something got goofed up.View attachment 3617444
So I need the correct valve, retaining ring and hardware at a minimum. I'm not sure which year(s) are correct and I can't seem to find the parts diagram that applies. Any help is greatly appreciated.
I'm assuming the OEM tank has an integrated roll over valve, and it is inside/behind this small vent line to the right of the fill hose?
View attachment 3617466
If I'm understanding this correctly the line that did connect there will now go to the roll over valve.

Thank you so much for posting the removal tips. I am going to have to drop my original tank to replace with another, and have been kind of dreading it. Did you manage to remove on your own? Roughly how long did it take you? Did you access from above (under rear seats) or all from below?

Incorrect, my mopars are 100% SAE ... no diamler/fiat stuff here!

View attachment 3617512

In to classic Mopars, Cruisers, and live in VB... You're either my food friend Scott Maguire, related to him, or you definitely have to know the Maguire family in town!

 

[GTV]

Thank you so much for posting the removal tips. I am going to have to drop my original tank to replace with another, and have been kind of dreading it. Did you manage to remove on your own? Roughly how long did it take you? Did you access from above (under rear seats) or all from below?

Everything from below. Run the tank down as low as you can. Dropping the spare first and hosing everything off really well (focusing on the top of the tank) will make the job a LOT neater. If you can get your hands on a trans jack that will make it a breeze but it’s not bad without one. Took me maybe a half hour to pull it.

I’d be curious to know the differences between your tank and mine, please post the build date and a couple pics here if you can.

 

[MongooseGA]

Everything from below. Run the tank down as low as you can. Dropping the spare first and hosing everything off really well (focusing on the top of the tank) will make the job a LOT neater. If you can get your hands on a trans jack that will make it a breeze but it’s not bad without one. Took me maybe a half hour to pull it.

I’d be curious to know the differences between your tank and mine, please post the build date and a couple pics here if you can.

Thanks for that.

Just to clarify, I'm not replacing with a LRA tank, just another OEM. But if you're interested in differences between OEM tanks, I'm happy to share some pics when mine comes out.