Fitting the Long Range Automotive 85 Litre Auxiliary Fuel Tank to Our 76 Series Land Cruiser
In this post we show you how we fitted the Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank to our 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser. This post is not a review post as we have only recently fitted this auxiliary fuel tank. Once we have done a good amount of real-world testing, we will write a detailed review of how the Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank has worked for our 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser.
This is a detailed post and will take some time to read. Please give yourself a good 15 to 20 minutes to read through all of it.
Why an Auxiliary Fuel Tank?
Anyone following 70 Series Land Cruiser builds through social media will see that most people tend to replace the stock 130 litre fuel tank with a larger 180 or 185 litre long range fuel tank depending on the brand. For us we were never really understood why you would replace a perfectly good Toyota fuel tank and throw it away. It seems like a real waste as well as some pretty poor weight distribution.
On the weight distribution point, most 4WDs have much of the weight sitting in the rear of the vehicle. This is more prominent in wagons like our 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser. Replacing the stock fuel tank with a larger tank just adds more weight at the furthest point behind the rear axles. Compared to the Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank which sits in the centre of our 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser. All this additional weight is now centred between the front and rear axles. This is far better for weight distribution and wear and tear on your 4WD. For us it was a no brainer going with the Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank, even though there is a bit more work involved in fitting this tank to the 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser. There are several other benefits of having an auxiliary fuel tank verse the one large tank including:
- Stock fuel gauge is not affected making it easier to calculate range and usage.
- Two fuel tanks provide some level of comfort in the event one fails.
- Better weight distribution in the centre of the vehicle verse all in the rear.
- Do not need to carry additional fuel when you do not need it.
- No interference with the factory tank and sender which could lead to problems.
- Carry more fuel with an auxiliary compared to a replacement.
- Not throwing away a well-engineered and tested factory fuel tank.
How the LRA Auxiliary Fuel Tank Works
The LRA auxiliary fuel tank has its own fuel gauge with a push button switch on the side of the gauge. The push button turns the auxiliary fuel tank pump on and off. When you want to use fuel from the auxiliary tank, you simply turn on the pump, which then pumps fuel out of the auxiliary fuel tank into the main fuel tank. This works well for us as we know that when the stock fuel light comes on, we have used exactly 100 litres of fuel and have 30 litres remaining in the main fuel tank. Therefore, as soon as the fuel light comes on, we turn on the pump in the auxiliary fuel tank and empty the 85 litres into the main fuel tank. We now know that there are 115 litres of fuel in our main tank for any range calculations. This should take our stock fuel gauge from just below a quarter to a few needles below full.
Modifications Required to Fit the LRA Auxiliary Fuel Tank
Fitting the Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank to a 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser does require additional modifications. This is the only downside to fitting a replacement fuel tank. Cost wise, the LRA auxiliary tank is on par with a replacement tank however, the additional modifications will add to the total cost making it more expensive.
Exhaust Has to Be Modified
The Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank for the 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser fits in the centre of the vehicle on the left-hand side of the drive shaft. This location is exactly where the exhaust runs from the DPF to the rear of the 76 Series. As a result, the exhaust needs to be removed and you will need to either modify the stock exhaust or have a complete custom exhaust made to fit. I am not sure if LRA can still supply a muffler part that makes this modification easier for the stock exhaust. We did not request this as we wanted to have a custom stainless-steel exhaust. Either way, the exhaust will need to be removed and modified.
Once the exhaust has been removed, the exhaust mounts fitted to the two cross members (that run between the chassis rails) will need to be trimmed back to allow you to fit the auxiliary tank mount brackets. Once trimmed you will need to paint these sections with rust proof paint. You also need to remove the heat shield from the floor pan by removing a few bolts. Once the floor pan has been removed, you will then need to trim back all the floor pan mounts and paint with rust proof paint. The floor pan mounts are extremely easy to trim with a cutting disk on an angle grinder. However, the exhaust mounts on the chassis cross members require a bit more effort due to the thickness of the steel and where they are located. I removed all of these from the ground without a hoist which made this task a little more difficult.
Shorten Your Exhaust Before Fitting the Tank
If you are going to fit the tank and modify your existing exhaust yourself, you will be able to complete this all at the same time, although it will require a couple of days to get done. However, if you are going to have someone else create a custom exhaust as we did, I would recommend you follow this process for the installation.
First, remove the exhaust and have this exhaust modified to a short exhaust that ends before the cross member closest to the DPF flange (it will be approximately 300-400m long). Ensure you have this short exhaust pointing away from where the tank is going to be fitted. Fit this temporary short exhaust to the DPF flange. Once this has been done, remove the mounts we discussed in the paragraph above, then clean and paint. This will now give you time to have the Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank fitted without having the exhaust in the way. This will also allow you to continue to drive the car until you have a new exhaust made to fit around this tank. You do not want to be driving your vehicle for too long like this as you will run into issues if ever pulled over by the law. Then fit the tank yourself or have someone else install it. Once the tank has been fitted this will then make it far easier for the new exhaust to be made, as you know exactly where the tank is sitting.
4-Inch Exhaust Will Fit
When we were planning for the Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank for our 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser, we were unsure of how much clearance there would be between the cross member and the tank closest to the DPF. From the pictures on the LRA website and their fitting instructions, it looked like a real tight fit. Initially we thought we would only be able to fit a 3-inch exhaust in this section. However, once we fitted the LRA auxiliary tank, we found that the pictures are deceiving and we ended up being able to fit a 4-inch exhaust with elbows to get between the tank and cross member, and then from there to the rear there was even more clearance to easily fit a 4-inch pipe to the rear. Initially we were only going to fit a 3-inch pipe at the start and then go up to a 3.5-inch pipe from the front cross member to the rear. But the 4-inch fitted which made it easy for us, as our mate Rick from Svnty6 Fab that helped build our exhaust for us had plenty of 4-inch stainless pipe left over from the exhaust build on his new 79 Series.
Fitting the Auxiliary Fuel Tank to our 76 Series Land Cruiser
Carry out the temporary exhaust modification and trim back all the mounting brackets as we have discussed above. Then follow the below instructions.
Supplied Fitting Instructions
Long Range Automotive supply detailed fitting instructions with a few pictures however, you need to read these extremely carefully and multiple times to understand exactly where fittings need to go and where all the hoses must run. One issue we had with the fitting instructions (see link below to read them) is the reference to part numbers which are listed in fitting contents. However, this makes it quite difficult to read and understand as there are no pictures against each part number, so it takes a bit of time to understand what goes where. If you fitted auxiliary fuel tanks every day then this would be easy, but for someone who has never fitted this tank, it will require multiple reads to understand these. My recommendation to LRA, would be to have a simple diagram of the tank referencing the fittings and hoses and where they need to go. Like the wiring diagram they provide which makes the wiring extremely easy. I have done up a poor sketch of where the hoses all run which is below. Hopefully this post will make it slightly easier for you.
Run the Wiring
LRA advise to carry out the wiring first however, you can get away with doing this further down the process. Wiring needs to be run from the front of the vehicle to the rear for power to the auxiliary pump and the auxiliary fuel gauge. There is a simple wiring diagram in the fitting instructions which makes it easy to follow. We did decide to remove the spade terminal from the wiring as well as the spade terminal on top of the fuel sender on the auxiliary tank. We replaced the spade terminal on the wiring with a simple ring terminal. When we connected the power to the sender, we used a lock nut to ensure this does not come loose. A spade terminal could come loose so we would recommend replacing this and securing it in place properly.
Basically, you want to fit the fuel gauge on the large rectangular blank on the right-hand side of the dash. There is a 12V ignition source under the right-hand kick panel, it is a blue wire. Run the wiring down the side to the floor where there is a rubber grommet. Run the wiring through the rubber grommet (do not forget to silicon once done). The wiring will pop out just above the chassis rail. Then place the wiring inside some split tubing and run through the chassis rail and bring out near the rear chassis rail cross member. Leave here to connect to the tank sender and pump when ready. The black and white wire is not used and can be removed. The yellow wire is power to the fuel transfer pump and is run to the rear. The red wire is connected to the blue 12V ignition wire in the front of the vehicle. The white wire is power to the auxiliary fuel sender and is also run to the rear. The black wire is the earth and can be earthed anywhere on the vehicle.
Fit the Auxiliary Tank Mounting Brackets
Once the exhaust mounts have been trimmed back and painted, you can then fit the two tank mounting brackets to the front and rear cross members. The fitting instructions are clear here, so follow these and ensure you measure up correctly. Once these brackets are in place make sure you do not tighten these as you will need some play when you secure the auxiliary tank in place. This is probably the easiest part of the install.
Fitting the Main Tank Filler Neck Hose & Breather Hose
The factory filler neck will need to be removed and replaced with the new twin filler supplied by LRA. To do this you need to remove the wheel arch cover above the right-hand side rear wheel. This requires a 10MM socket. Remove the three bolts and the cover to expose the factory filler and breather. You can also remove the wheel flare and mud flap to give you more room to move around. I would recommend doing this.
To remove the stock filler, you will need to remove the filler cover then loosen the hose clamp on the main tank filler hose and disconnect. You will also need to disconnect the breather hose from the stock filler. Once the hoses have been disconnected, you can then remove the stock filler neck. Now fit the four brass fittings into the supplied twin filler. Ensure you use thread sealer on all the brass fittings, do not use thread tape as the fittings will leak. Once the brass fittings have all been fitted, fit the one brass hose joiner to the main tank breather and secure with clamp. Then cut approximately 20mm from the main tank filler hose as it needs to be shortened. If you do not cut the main tank hose shorter, it will kink when you fit the twin filler and make it impossible to fill the main tank. Trust me from experience and not reading the instructions properly.
The next step is to fit the twin filler, make sure the large hose clamp is on the main tank filler hose and then connect this to the new twin filler. The main tank hose is connected to the filler closest to the rear of the vehicle. Once the hose is fitted to the filler, tighten the hose clamp. Then cut 300mm of hose from the supplied 16mm clear / blue hose. Connect this to the joiner on the main tank breather and secure with a hose clamp. Connect this breather hose from the main tank to the brass fitting on the right-hand side of the twin filler and secure with a hose clamp. Double check that there are no kinks in the breather hose. Any kinks will stop airflow making it almost impossible to put fuel in the main tank.
Mount Fuel Pump & Run Hoses
LRA provide a mounting bracket for the supplied fuel pump. This bracket is intended to be mounted above the rear diff to the right-hand side of the left-hand rear shock. We have remote reservoirs on our shocks that are fitted to this cross member therefore, we could not use the supplied bracket and fit the pump in this location. Instead, we used rivnuts / nutserts in two holes drilled into the floor pan and secured the pump here with stainless M8 bolts and spring washers. There is plenty of hose provided so you have some flexibility with where you can mount the pump.
The fitting instructions do not say much about the pump however, inside the pump packaging there are instructions. Make sure you read those before fitting the pump. The supplied pump and filter are different to the images in the fitting instructions. You will see on the base of the pump an arrow; this arrow shows you the direction of the flow of fuel. Make sure this arrow is pointing towards the fuel filler and away from the auxiliary tank as the fuel will flow in this direction. Connect the yellow wire from the wiring installed earlier to the red wire on the pump and the earth to body of the vehicle behind one of the M8 bolts.
You will then need to connect the longer large hose supplied by LRA to the filler for the auxiliary tank using one of the large hose clamps, the one closer to the front of the vehicle (opposite to the main tank filler, hope that makes sense). Once this has been connected to the filler, you then must run the large metal pipe over the rear shock cross member from the rear of the vehicle. This is a bit fiddly as there is limited space, but it will fit through with some persistence. This pipe needs to connect to the large hose fitted to the filler in the step before. Use a hose clamp to connect this pipe to the large hose. Leave this pipe to be connected to the tank once the tank is mounted in position.
Fitting the Auxiliary Tank
Before mounting the tank underneath the vehicle, you will see a sticker on the top of the auxiliary tank with a round magnet beside this. This magnet needs to be thrown inside the tank as close to the sender as possible. To do this, remove the fuel sender from the top of the tank and then drop the magnet into the tank as close as possible. Once this has been done, refit the sender.
You will then need to add all the brass fittings to the threaded section on the auxiliary tank. You will be able to work this out as different size fittings will only fit in certain holes. Again, ensure you use thread sealer on all these fittings. The larger brass fitting on the top left-hand side of the tank (tank in the direction that it will be fitted under the vehicle) must face towards the rear of the vehicle. This fitting will have the 8mm hose connected to the fuel pump. The smaller brass fitting on the opposite side (right-hand side) pointing to the right-hand side (toward the chassis rail). Fit the final large brass fitting into the right-hand side of the tank pointing in the same direction as the filler.
Once all the brass fittings have been added to the tank, you can now mount the tank underneath the vehicle. Two people will be able to lift the tank into place. Make sure you use the provided rubbers on both sides of the tank. Do not overtighten the lock nuts until you have the tank secured in both the front and rear. Once you have the tank in place you can tighten the lock nuts.
Now you can connect the hoses and wire the fuel sender. Connect the black 8mm hose from the top left-hand side of the tank to the fuel pump inlet filter. Then run the black 8mm hose from the pump outlet to the main tank filler. On the bottom of the main tank filler (before the large main tank hose) connect the 8mm hose from the pump outlet. This is where the fuel will fill the main tank from the auxiliary when the pump is turned on.
Now connect the black 6mm hose to the top right-hand side of the auxiliary tank. Run this hose to the top of the twin filler. The highest brass fitting on the top right-hand side of the filler. This is the breather when the auxiliary pump is running. You then need to run the 16mm clear / blue hose from the brass fitting underneath the twin filler to the side of the auxiliary tank. This hose should be covered in split tubbing as it will be rubbing between the chassis rail and body of the vehicle. The final hose to be connected is the shorter 38mm hose from the steel pipe to the filler on the side of the auxiliary tank.
Then connect the white wire to the power on the sender unit. We replaced the spade terminal with a ring terminal and secured to the sender with a lock nut. This ensures that the cable will not come loose over corrugations. The earth can be connected to the other M8 bolt securing the pump. Use split tubing around all the wiring to protect the cables.
We then checked for any slack in the hoses and secured with zip ties wherever possible. Then we replaced the wheel arch cover and filler cover. We did have to trim back the wheel arch cover slightly due to all the additional hoses.
Fitting Time
For removing the exhaust brackets, trimming back, and painting, allow yourself at least an hour to two to get this done. When fitting the tank, connecting all hoses, and doing the wiring, allow at least six hours to get this done. If you fitted these tanks all the time, you could do this quicker. However, I would allow for a full day to do all the work.
Keep Posted for Our Review
As I mentioned at the start of this post, this post is to show you what is involved in fitting the Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank for the 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser. Once we have done a good amount of testing, we will then write a detailed review on how this has worked for us in all sorts of conditions. We will not provide a review of a product before we have been using it for a decent amount of time to ensure we are providing you with a good unbiased overview of the product.
Thanks for reading our post showing you how we fitted the Long Range Automotive 85 litre auxiliary fuel tank for the 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser. You can find this auxiliary fuel tank on the Long Range Automotive website here.
To read more posts on our 76 Series Toyota Land Cruiser build, you can find them all here. To keep up to date on our future posts, and eventually our review of this modification, join the 4WD Adventurer Community. For more regular updates and to follow our adventures, follow us on Instagram.
The thoughts of Peter.
05/06/2024 @ 3:41 PM
I have recently had this tank installed, love the new capacity, but I am having trouble refueling. When one tank is full, the other tank overflows and cant take more then a litre at time. Breathers are all working well, mechanic thinks it could be the angle of the twin filler.
Did you have this issue when tank was installed?
Appreciate any information you might have!
14/06/2024 @ 3:46 PM
G’day Jack,
Thanks for the message.
That does not sound right at all. I have not had any issues refueling and I have refueled plenty of times without an issue. Something must not be right with it for that to be happening. Have you spoken with LRA about the issue as that should not be happening. There has to be an issue somewhere, be it with the install, or something faulty that you were supplied.
I know someone else with the same tank and they don’t have any issues filling up either. Definitely speak with LRA, they are always great to deal with in my experience and I am sure they will have a solution.
I hope you get it resolved.
Cheers,
Peter
11/07/2022 @ 9:44 AM
I have a 2013 mdl 76 series and read your post, as I’m wanting greater fuel storage. Sub tank seems the way to go, rather than bigger main tank.
I haven’t located your review yet, but would be keen on getting some feedback from you. Definitely a wiser choice and frees up space on the rear bar or roof if travelling remotely.
Thanks for posting.
12/07/2022 @ 6:42 PM
G’day Chris,
Thanks for the message and reading mate. Much appreciated.
I haven’t posted a review yet. I like to give gear a good test before putting my thoughts out there. Just want to make sure I’ve worked out all the pros and cons before doing a write up. Will give it a good run in our next big trip in a few weeks.
So far though I’ve been impressed with how it all works. Pump is small so it takes a good amount of time to empty the auxiliary but, doesn’t really matter as you just let it run while driving. Range is amazing now with the additional litres we’ve gained in the auxiliary over the replacement.
Hopefully get a review up near the end of the year after a few good trips.
Cheers mate.
Peter