38 gallon fuel tank upgrade

Thank you!!! I’m on my search now.

 

auxiliary tank in the bed FTW. got other shit I would spend the cash on.

 

Inserting shameless plug here as I have 38gal tank straps in the garage.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/fs-oem-38-gallon-tank-straps.88939/

 

thought about it but I tow so it is more to keep me out of cramped gas stations

 

aux tank saves you some coin, gives you more fuel capacity and gives you more miles between fillups....

 

A dedicated aux tank also counts against my payload though which is already pretty limited with hitch weight. Not including when I'm not towing, it takes up precious bed space.

 

15 gallons of fuel weighs 90 pounds. what are towing that 90 lbs of payload will create an issue?

 

Ah, I thought you were referring to the 70 gallon aux fuel tanks that I've seen referenced where you can set it up to keep the main tank at a minimum level and then carry upwards of 100 gallons of fuel total.

90 lbs isn't an issue. Adding an additional 420 lbs of fuel + the weight of the 70 gallon tank on top of my "4 bodies, 2 dogs, tow hitch, tongue weight" combo would tip me into the legal negligence zone.

 

For that cost may as well do the 46 gallon transfer flow.

 

The quote I got for it shipped to a local shop was $2500 after tax and shipping with another $1200-$1500 to install. It adds additional weight over the OEM tank and the profile of the tank sticks out a considerable amount compared to OEM. From what I can gather from other people's experience, you also lose the DTE calculation and fuel level indicators. Not including that the TF isn't legal in CA in case I ever move back.

 

Wow, not a chance in the world I would ever use that shop. Their prices are ridiculous.
https://www.tankandbarrel.com/toyot...placement-gas-fuel-tank-46-gallon-p-3838.html

$207 for shipping.

It’s about 4 hours of easy work for you and a buddy. A shop should be able to do it in much less than that.
The tank hangs down just slightly more than OEM but nothing that will make a difference for anything.
Yes, the DTE no longer works properly but I have never even looked at mine and the fuel level indicator works as it should.
Not a chance in the world I would ever live in California.

 

The shop didn't install it often and the guy was fairly new. He was spitballing it off the top of his head. He wasn't far off though... $1,763.28 + $176.33 for tax + $207 for shipping comes out to $2,146.61. With labor, he quoted it at $150 hr @ 8 Hours, coming out to $1,200 . I can give him the benefit of the doubt that if I was actually serious, he would have dialed the quote into something more concrete.

Good to hear that it doesn't hang down more than OEM. I've read differently and other members have stated it. https://www.tundras.com/threads/extended-gas-tank.10644/page-3#post-810310

I'd rather have 100 lbs of payload to put towards our bigger trailer that we want, so weight does make a difference.

California is where I was born and raised. I don't live there any more but I can't rule out that I wouldn't ever move back for the right reasons.

 

It does hang lower than OEM but nothing that will make any sort of difference. Plus it is steel so no need for a skid plate.

If a full time shop needs 8 hours for a simple tank swap I would be concerned they don’t have a clue or are intentionally inflating their labor times for an already inflated labor price (granted this is somewhat regionally dependent). Labor rate where I go (if I can’t do it) is $110 which is still a touch high but he is the best around.

 

Everything costs more here regionally. Just what it is. It's not a full time mechanic shop. It's a specialized restoration shop that just happens to be listed as the only local shop on TF's website to me.

I'm happy with my purchase and won't have any issues with servicing since it's all OEM parts.

 

possibly dumb question - say I find a junked truck, and go to pull the tank and misc parts I need to do this job. will there still be gas in the tank? or do junk yards remove any remaining gas?

 

In CA, I've seen them pulling tanks completely. I assume they would drain them as much as they could but may have some residual fuel if they left the tank or in the fuel pump assembly. Probably best bet to go the safe route and assume there's something flammable in there.

 

I would go in assuming it's full of fuel - much safer to go in expecting possible vapors and the additional weight than to expect empty and end up with a full one. It's not something I've done first hand so can't say from experience what occurs.

 

Anyone have experience with LKQ Online? I called and they have two 38 gal tanks - one in Houston and one in Livingston LA. I ordered one for $300 after tax, to be picked up at their Houston location. They mentioned they deliver to autoshops for $25.

 

Not bad if they only charge $25. Or is that above what you already paid? I think they have to ship these mostly by freight.

 

safe to assume they did as little work as possible AND that you have a ticking time bomb on your hands

 

tank was $275, plus tax. would be another $25 to deliver to a shop in my area.

also, they only "guarantee" the tank itself. but he put a note in the order to include all the straps and hardware if possible....so we'll see what I actually end up with. He mentioned they don't even put the fuel tanks in their online inventory because they often get "bagged"...meaning damaged upon removal from the vehicle. So he also said there is a good chance my order will be canceled lol

edit: should clarify what LKQ rep told me. parts get added to LKQ online inventory when they're pulled from the vehicle. parts like fuel tanks don't get pulled unless a customer orders them. and then many times they're damaged during the removal process and the order has to be canceled.

 

That's not a bad gamble though. $1000 off the tank price before standard freight shipping.

 

Let us know how this turns out. This is the only way I'd ever accomplish this upgrade. It's just cost-prohibitive to order new.

 

How did you find this on LKQ? I searched online, didn't find one listed. On hold with them now. I'll snag the one in LA

 

Called LKQ, they mentioned one in CA and the one in Livingston LA. However, they said they would not ship because Hazmat. $225 plus tax. Considering making the drive if its still there in 2wk.

 

Here's the results of a search on car-part dot com for a 2017 38 gallon tank. It shows the Livingston, LA one for $200.
https://www.car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi

Linky no worky for the search I ran. Looks like you'll need to set up your own search parameters.

 

the LKQ guy told me they don't add parts like fuel tanks to their online inventory. parts get added to inventory when they're pulled from the vehicle, and fuel tanks don't get pulled unless a customer places an order for one like I did. Basically, have to call LKQ which sounds like you did.

 

I'm leaning toward replacing my small 26 gal tank with the 38 gal. I like the transfer flow with the comprehensive instructions and all the needed parts but I'm hesitating to go away from stock, the extra weight and that it hangs down some.. Has anyone seen a comprehensive list of the parts needed to upgrade to the 38 gal tank? I'm sure some things will cross over but plenty of things that will need to be replaced. I'm thinking like the fuel pump, hangers/hardware, filler hose, etc... Someone may have already posted a list I'm just not savvy enough to find it and have looked at dozens of related posts. Thanks

 

The added weight and slight added depth of the Transferflow tank are no issues and nothing to worry about.

But your comprehensive factory swap thread is here.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/07-14-38-gallon-tank-swap-install-thread.27144/