Ray.Klefstad
New member
I posted my unsual problem a few days ago and now know the cause, so I wanted to post what I learned in case anyone runs into a similar problem in the future.
I checked the fuel delivery pressure (as suggested to my earlier post) and it was fine, so I decided to pull out the tank and take a look.
The fuel tank skid plate was slightly indented in general so that it was just touching the tank in the middle, but there was about a 1 inch gap between the tank and the skid plate everywhere else. It was clear something had indented the area under the tank - most likely by trying to jack it up as there were no visible scratches on the skid plate.
When I pulled out the sending unit which includes the fuel filter bracket, it was clear what had happened. The foot of the fuel filter bracket was bent up at about a 45 degree angle so that the fuel filter pickup was about 3 inches higher than it should be. You can see the part in this diagram number 77203A
http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_2000_TOYOTA_4RUNNER_VZN185L-GKPZKA_7751.html
The fuel pump bottom (which is covered by a prefilter) clips into the bottom of that long bracket (you can see the 90 degree bend at the bottom of the long arm). You can see the pump and prefilter here
https://www.autohausaz.com/search/i...eautopartscatalog.com/live/W01331601684ND.JPG
The prefilter connects directly onto the inlet at the bottom of the fuel pump. The prefilter rests right on the bottom of the tank. The little hose connects the fuel pump outlet (on the top) to the metal hose out the top of the sending unit bracket.
The tank looked fine - not visibly indented. I bet when someone jacked it up, it pressed in the skid plate, tank, and then the sending unit bracket. When they unjacked it, most of the metal below snapped back (and maybe the pressure that builds in the tank helped it to return to normal), but the sending unit (fuel pump) bracket remained bent and no one could see the damage until I pulled it out.
It was a simple fix, I bent it back down so that the bracket was straight and the fuel pump pickup would reach the bottom of the tank. I also had to slightly bend the connecting fuel tubes as they had been bent upwards too.
While I was in there, it was clear that the float arm for the fuel sending unit will come no where near the fuel pickup and that is why there is so much gas left in the tank when the reserve light goes on. This could not have been bent in the incident that bent the fuel pump bracket because it is free moving (to allow measurement of the fuel level).
I decided to adjust mine by bending the arm down so the float is just above the fuel pickup when it is at its lowest setting. I will still carry a spare gas can full of gas when I first test it out to find out how long from reserve light on until I run out of gas.
The only snag to the job is one of the compression joints between the fuel tank and the fuel filter was a bear to get apart and clearly was damaged by the time I got it apart, so I didn't want to put it back together. I'm going to have new fittings put on Monday when the performance fuel-line specialty shop opens. They were away for the weekend (Thu-Sun) for boat races.
By the way, no new parts - just straightening out old parts - except for the new fittings on the fuel line. The job was not as long as I thought - more like 2 hours of real work. I did put on a new fuel filter while I had it all apart though. I considered replacing the fuel pump, but it is still running strong and it really isn't too tough to pull the tank out using air tools. The skid plate was the easiest to fix. I just put it on the floor and jumped on it. It bounced right back to normal - flat.
By the way, the 4Runner's fuel pump pickup does touch the bottom of the fuel tank, but there is a large prefilter over (approximately 2.5" by 4" by 1/2") it that prevents any large sediment from getting through. Also the inside of the tank was very clean! At least to my naked eye. There was micro sediment in the fuel filter (that came flowing out when I put the in-side down to let the fuel empty out - looked like gold dust), so it is a good idea to follow the recommended change of fuel filter every 10,000 miles. It is a very easy job as it is located in-line between the tank and the engine on the driver's side. You do need to remove one small skid plate to access it, but it is a very easy DIY job. If you're interested in seeing what the prefilter screen looks like, here is a picture:
http://sd.autohausaz.com/autohausaz...autopartscatalog.com/live/W01331635041OES.JPG
Ray
I checked the fuel delivery pressure (as suggested to my earlier post) and it was fine, so I decided to pull out the tank and take a look.
The fuel tank skid plate was slightly indented in general so that it was just touching the tank in the middle, but there was about a 1 inch gap between the tank and the skid plate everywhere else. It was clear something had indented the area under the tank - most likely by trying to jack it up as there were no visible scratches on the skid plate.
When I pulled out the sending unit which includes the fuel filter bracket, it was clear what had happened. The foot of the fuel filter bracket was bent up at about a 45 degree angle so that the fuel filter pickup was about 3 inches higher than it should be. You can see the part in this diagram number 77203A
http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_2000_TOYOTA_4RUNNER_VZN185L-GKPZKA_7751.html
The fuel pump bottom (which is covered by a prefilter) clips into the bottom of that long bracket (you can see the 90 degree bend at the bottom of the long arm). You can see the pump and prefilter here
https://www.autohausaz.com/search/i...eautopartscatalog.com/live/W01331601684ND.JPG
The prefilter connects directly onto the inlet at the bottom of the fuel pump. The prefilter rests right on the bottom of the tank. The little hose connects the fuel pump outlet (on the top) to the metal hose out the top of the sending unit bracket.
The tank looked fine - not visibly indented. I bet when someone jacked it up, it pressed in the skid plate, tank, and then the sending unit bracket. When they unjacked it, most of the metal below snapped back (and maybe the pressure that builds in the tank helped it to return to normal), but the sending unit (fuel pump) bracket remained bent and no one could see the damage until I pulled it out.
It was a simple fix, I bent it back down so that the bracket was straight and the fuel pump pickup would reach the bottom of the tank. I also had to slightly bend the connecting fuel tubes as they had been bent upwards too.
While I was in there, it was clear that the float arm for the fuel sending unit will come no where near the fuel pickup and that is why there is so much gas left in the tank when the reserve light goes on. This could not have been bent in the incident that bent the fuel pump bracket because it is free moving (to allow measurement of the fuel level).
I decided to adjust mine by bending the arm down so the float is just above the fuel pickup when it is at its lowest setting. I will still carry a spare gas can full of gas when I first test it out to find out how long from reserve light on until I run out of gas.
The only snag to the job is one of the compression joints between the fuel tank and the fuel filter was a bear to get apart and clearly was damaged by the time I got it apart, so I didn't want to put it back together. I'm going to have new fittings put on Monday when the performance fuel-line specialty shop opens. They were away for the weekend (Thu-Sun) for boat races.
By the way, no new parts - just straightening out old parts - except for the new fittings on the fuel line. The job was not as long as I thought - more like 2 hours of real work. I did put on a new fuel filter while I had it all apart though. I considered replacing the fuel pump, but it is still running strong and it really isn't too tough to pull the tank out using air tools. The skid plate was the easiest to fix. I just put it on the floor and jumped on it. It bounced right back to normal - flat.
By the way, the 4Runner's fuel pump pickup does touch the bottom of the fuel tank, but there is a large prefilter over (approximately 2.5" by 4" by 1/2") it that prevents any large sediment from getting through. Also the inside of the tank was very clean! At least to my naked eye. There was micro sediment in the fuel filter (that came flowing out when I put the in-side down to let the fuel empty out - looked like gold dust), so it is a good idea to follow the recommended change of fuel filter every 10,000 miles. It is a very easy job as it is located in-line between the tank and the engine on the driver's side. You do need to remove one small skid plate to access it, but it is a very easy DIY job. If you're interested in seeing what the prefilter screen looks like, here is a picture:
http://sd.autohausaz.com/autohausaz...autopartscatalog.com/live/W01331635041OES.JPG
Ray
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