TransferFlow 46 gallon tank score!....but with issues, not the usual ones

OK, this is gonna be a novel. You've been warned. I'll ask the last question first for those of you like me with a short attention span.

2012 Flexfuel Tundra Crewmax 5.7L, upgrading the 26 gallon to the 46 gallon TF tank. What do you think will happen if I skip TF's secondary emissions canister? Or, just how finicky are our ECUs?

Now the story. I have a 2012 5.7 Crewmax with the awfully small 26 gallon tank. I bought the truck for extended travel/camping/exploring and getting to off the beaten path trailheads. It's amazing. We just got back from a 5k trip from TN all over Colorado and Utah and the truck performed flawlessly with the only mod being BFG KO2's. Stock suspension and it goes everywhere I personally want to take a vehicle. We did lots of the Moab/Canyonlands and Alpine Loop area stuff slowly and only dented the front skid plate. Previous rig was a JKU Rubicon.

Shortly after buying the truck a couple months ago I learned there was a 38 gallon Toyota OEM option so I started looking for one on Car-Part.com. VERY hard to find. Believe it or not I didn't look long before I found a 46 gallon TF tank used in a yard a few hundred miles from me for $850. I've been tinkering with vehicles all my life and the count is above 150. All kinds, many heavily modded offroad trucks and vans, campers, etc. I've bought and mounted a few aftermarket tanks. They are expensive and rare. Finding one complete in a yard is really rare.

Obviously I called right away knowing it would be long gone. It wasn't. He had had it for months and it was still sitting there. Obviously he didn't advertise it on any forums! He had pics of all parts and hardware and it was carefully removed from a wrecked truck. No cut lines, all hardware I THOUGHT intact. We agreed on a price much less than half of a new one and he truck shipped it to me the next day. Naturally it showed up the day before our summer trip and I didn't have time to mount it.

So, fast forward a few weeks and I'm back and get the truck up on the lift to mount the tank. I have everything in the TF instruction manual. Tank, straps, canister, plumbing, etc. I get to installing and realize the seller sent me the OEM canister off the donor truck, not the secondary TF supplied one. I'm sure the truck is long gone but I won't know for sure until I can track the seller down. I'm not hopeful. I can't fault the seller, the instructions show all the parts laid out in not-so-great detail and included is an emissions canister. Who woulda thunk TF would use TWO for this install? They do.

So, I have all the plumbing to mount the tank with only the one factory canister but the truck is a flex fuel and I've read the horror stories. I'm not sure whether I'll have a problem at all but that is the question.....and I wanted to share the story. It's a score, mostly.

 

Well, it runs. Runs fine.

 

86Scotty,

I cannot comment on the emissions canister issue, but I can comment on the reliability, durability and utility of the tank itself. I had one installed years ago and I have not had ANY issues with it. The DTE does not function with the new tank; however, I use the trip odometer instead.

I would recommend that you measure ground clearance,with the tank full, as these tanks set lower than the factory tanks. Also, assess the weight discrepancy (driver side to passenger side) as far as suspension is concerned. I mitigated this with a mild 3" lift with Toytec Ultimate coilovers and Old Man Emu Dakar springs in the rear. Not sure how your factory springs will respond with the additional weight of the tank, 46 gallons of gas and your gear.

You are going to love the 500+ mile range that this tank will provide. Congratulations on your find.



Regards,

BWJ

 

I was going to say can you call TF to see if they’ll send you the missing part? It’ll still be much less overall than buying all of it new. But since it works, good job.

I had one on my 2010 and really liked it.

 

BWJ and Tim, thanks. Yes, the plan was to call TF which I did yesterday. Unfortunately but not surprisingly they will only sell the whole install kit (canister and all other stuff for new tank) to the tune of $540. This is about what I expected. I'm holding out hope that the yard this truck came from hasn't scrapped it yet but I haven't tracked them down, yet. I'll continue to try to find them today.

So yes, the truck runs just fine now but TF is convinced I will have problems. They say as soon as I fill it up I will have evap and other codes start popping up. I have and know many people who have put lots bigger tanks on vehicles though without modifying any of the emissions stuff and they played well with the ECU. We'll see.

I'll update this thread as I go in case someone else ever has this issue but it's a pretty rare one I bet.

 

This must be something new they came up with. The TF I put into a truck 4 years ago didn't come with an extra charcoal canister and the tank cost $700 less than they do now. BTW that truck has never had problems with evap codes.

I suppose if it ever does I'll know where to look now.

 

Thanks for that info endagon. But....this is weird. The truck this came out of was definitely not just wrecked. It's a couple years old at least. I'm almost positive my tank is stamped 2016 or 2017 but I'm nowhere near my truck right now. Can you tell me specifically when you bought yours and what year your truck is?

I did talk to the yard that I bought it from today and they were kind enough to hunt around for awhile and couldn't find that canister. Probably because the truck bed is long gone and it mounts to the underside of it. Pretty much all they have left is the frame, he said. They guy was very apologetic and acted like he would credit me some funds back if I wanted but I gracefully declined. I hope to figure this out. Your info is VERY helpful.

Here is my current plan, it doesn't include spending $540 on this canister. First, I'm going to fill it and drive it awhile to see if I have codes. Second, if I do, I've talked to a couple of knowledgable guys I know who say I'm just going to get a check engine light. I run a Scanguage. I can clear codes instantly on the fly. If it doesn't happen constantly and I know what it is then I'm not too worried about it. The truck running well IS something I'm worried about, so here's plan C....

They sent me a spare OEM canister and plumbing thinking it was the TF one. The idea of the additional canister is to cut down fumes and keep the ECU happy. I can plumb in an additional OEM one somehow if needed, at least as an experiment. I doubt I'll have much trouble with the plumbing. Salvage yards are full of cars/trucks with all of this stuff and it's not something that is needed often. I'm betting I could put together the lines and fittings easily with a trip to Pull-a-Part.

I'll continue to update as I figure this out.

Thanks again Endagon, that's priceless info!

 

It was purchased mid-2016 and went into a 2010 FFV

 

Any updates on FFV issues with the TF tank? I know this is an old thread and a long shot...