Jump to content

Fuel tank swap options


Coreyfatboy

Recommended Posts

My 16yo just picked up a 1976 Chinook with 5000 miles in a barn where he duck hunts. It has been sitting since 90 and had about 7 gallons of gas in it. Tank is shot. Does anyone know where I can get one or how I can make something else work. Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

that's the problem with duck hunting in a barn: it leaves lots of pellet holes in the roof where rain gets in and destroys things...... altho it does make it easier to retrieve your ducks afterward.  ;)

OK, sorry, couldn't resist that.  when you say shot, how shot?  there are various products used for coating the inside of tanks, usually on motorcycles, to keep rust scale from trashing the fuel system...one brand is Kreem.  if it's totally shot, i'd start with junkyards in desert states...NM, AZ, SoCal.  I found no new tanks online when I looked.

Plan B would be to drop n drain the existing tank, then take it with you to somewhere you can compare it with a newer truck tank.....I suspect they don't change that much from year to year (ie, the tank from an 83-88 generation truck might fit, and those are still available).  you might need to do some plumbing and relocation of fittings but that's not hard with a new (never had gas in it) tank

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awww ya I guess I walked into that one?. So I had two pinholes in it and haven't even tried cleaning yet so I'm thinking the integrity of the tank is probably bad. I'm seeing the tanks that u are talking about they have 2 bigger holes on the top of them and mine only has one. One thing I'm noticing is that mine is an electric fuel pump in the tank. The 2 hole ones seem to b mechanical fuel pumps

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Look at tanks for 85 and older ones with carburetor... In 85, they gradually switched over to fuel injection so the newer tanks have a hole for a fuel return line.  Not too hard to close off the 2d hole if you need to.  You can get 85 tanks for carb or EFI models. You may have to get the in-tank fuel pickup assembly to match the tank.

I have to wonder if your in-tank pump is a retrofit....I've never heard of carb'd Toys using anything but mechanical.  There are more expert folks here who will know that answer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No one makes tanks for older Toyota trucks. Try calling these guys. 2 different places that claim to have suitable tanks. Don't know how much shipping to your location would be

Linda S

All Parts Brokers Auto Salvage USA-ID(Caldwell) E-mail 800-678-7474 / 208-454-0713 522
1976
Fuel Tank
Toyota Truck
    3415C $Call B and K Auto Salvage USA-OR(La-Grande) E-mail 1-800-233-9640
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, payaso del mar said:

I have to wonder if your in-tank pump is a retrofit....I've never heard of carb'd Toys using anything but mechanical.  there are more expert folks here who will know that answer.

 

I've worked on, or owned - 1976, 1977, and 1978 Toyota trucks with carbs and all had in-tank electric fuel pumps. I don't know if Toyota ever made any truck with the 20R engine that did not have electric.

Toyota trucks went through major frame changes in the early 80s and I suspect the tank mounts are different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/12/2016 at 1:42 PM, linda s said:

1980 to mid 84 Toyota trucks used a mechanical pump. Some of the early ones would have been 20R engines

Linda S

1980 was the last year for the 20R in pickups and as far as I can tell, those all had in-tank electric pumps. 22R was used in some late 1980 trucks and those had mechanical pumps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That link you posted doesn't bring me to any fuel pumps.   I'm not going to say "never made" about any of this. What I AM saying is I've never seen any parts listing for a 20R truck with a mechanical fuel pump.  When I look up parts for a 1980 - is shows me a "no longer available" electric pump in the tank if a 20R engine.  If a 22R it shows a "still available" mechanical pump.

Image3.jpg

MF1060C.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

you must be talking about 410 auto all Toyota in Buckley WA bought a few Toyota things there myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wish I could get so lucky with finding a gas tank for my 2002 Chevy four-door 2.5 V6 4WD Tracker.  Seems to be a REAL odd-ball.  I found a few in junkyards but nobody will ship. Pickup only - and the closest so far is 300 miles away.   The ones local to me come "pre-rusted."  New ones seem to be discontinued. 

Sad thing is - my Tracker is from Kentucky and has no rust.  Seam is leaking.  I was hoping to just swap in a good tank instead of pulling this one and jerking around with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, jdemaris said:

I wish I could get so lucky with finding a gas tank for my 2002 Chevy four-door 2.5 V6 4WD Tracker.  Seems to be a REAL odd-ball.  I found a few in junkyards but nobody will ship. Pickup only - and the closest so far is 300 miles away.   The ones local to me come "pre-rusted."  New ones seem to be discontinued. 

Sad thing is - my Tracker is from Kentucky and has no rust.  Seam is leaking.  I was hoping to just swap in a good tank instead of pulling this one and jerking around with it.

Have you tried this place. 71 miles but they say it's a grade A which should mean no rust and it's only 50 bucks. oops farther than 71 but not 300

W and W Auto Parts, Inc. USA-MI(Roscommon) E-mail 1-989-275-5650

Linda S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, linda s said:

Have you tried this place. 71 miles but they say it's a grade A which should mean no rust and it's only 50 bucks. oops farther than 71 but not 300

W and W Auto Parts, Inc. USA-MI(Roscommon) E-mail 1-989-275-5650

Linda S

Thanks. No, I did not try them yet. I'd gladly drive to Roscommon. it is 92 miles SE of me.  I'll give them a try.  I have not done a parts search since last Fall. At that time - I called every place listed in car-part.com.  I have not looked lately.  Tracker is off the road for the winter (sort of) so it hasn't been on the top of my list.  I try not to drive it on road salt unless I really have to.  Use it more in the spring and summer. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, Coreyfatboy said:

The only thing I need to figure out is if there is a pressure regulator some where. I am going to have to put an electric fuel pump in line on this tank

All you need is a low-pressure fuel pump.  No extra regulator. Something that runs at no more then 4 PSI. If it was my truck I would buy a good fuel pump made for sucking fuel from a tank not made for electric and also with a very long service life.  Those little rotaries and pulse pumps like auto parts stores do not fit that category.  I'd use something like a Walbro FRA-2.  Runs at 2.5-4.5 PSI and has a projected 5000 hour service life.  That's like 250,000 miles in car-talk.

walbrofuelpump.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok on to the next problem. My old tank had one hole in top with a 2 prong electrical plug I'm assuming one to run sender and one to run pump. The new tank I got has 2 holes one is sender and one is pick up. So I thought there would b one wire going to the sender and I would use other to power in line fuel pump. When I went to hook things up I found that there is 2 prongs on the sender in the same configuration as my old tank. I believe the wires to be ylw/rd and blk/rd. Any ideas what wires would go where

Link to comment
Share on other sites

47 minutes ago, Coreyfatboy said:

Ok on to the next problem. My old tank had one hole in top with a 2 prong electrical plug 

Yes.   One wire is dark - perhaps black with a red tracer (stripe) and that is the POS for the fuel pump.  The other wire looks like white (or something light) with a yellow tracer (stripe). That goes to the non-grounded side of the fuel-gauge sending unit.   There was NO ground wire on the Chinook and is kind of a poor setup. Later Toyota trucks use a separate ground wire instead of just bonding to the frame.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, Coreyfatboy said:

 Do I need to run a ground wire off off the other prong on sender

I suppose so.  I'd have to see it to say for sure. I have a 1987 sending unit from a Toyota truck sitting here. It has two terminals and one is for a ground wire.  Easy enough to tell. Just stick an ohm-meter on the wire that you think is a ground and check for continuity between it and the metal part of the sender.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You've got me a little confused.  Which sending unit are we talking about?  The 1976 Chinook sender only has one wire going it.  To complete the circuit is uses the metal of the holder that makes contact with chassis ground.    If you are talking about a sender from a newer truck - I'm not sure what you have.  Some time early to mid 80s, Toyota started using ground wires to the sender.  I don't know what you have. Post a photo.  If you want to check for sure - just stick an ohm-meter between the two terminals and move the float on the sender up and down.  Should go from around 2 ohms (full) to 100 ohms (empty). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Coreyfatboy said:

Ya I'm using the wiring from a 76 and the tank from an 81. Sender on 81 tank has 2 prongs on it so I'm wondering if one of the prongs I need to just ground

If neither is grounded now - it a makes no difference which one you ground.   It is just a variable wire-wound resistor with a lead at each end. No polarity to it as long as you are SURE it has no continuity to the metal it is mounted on.  Either end can go to the chassis -ground and the other to the sender.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...