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Hi,
I've been lurking on this list for some time now, and finally decided
it is time to introduce myself.
I'm Andy Haxby, I live most of the time in Den Haag in the Netherlands
and part of the time in Macclesfield England. It's my long term goal
to drive around the world when I can get the cash and time off work,
and with that in mind I bought a 1994 jap import HDJ81 about two and a
half years ago.
It had 45K on it when I bought it, and now has 55K, so I'm hoping for
a good few years work out of it. For the last couple of years it has
served as a standby car and a builders van as I rebuilt my house. They
work very well for this purpose - you can get 8' x 4' sheets of
plasterboard in the back with the tailgate open, and they pull fine
even when loaded to the roof with bricks.
I figure I'm 2 or 3 years away from my round the world trip, but want
to start upgrading it for offroad use now, starting with things that
are easy/cheap to do or are useful for road use as well, so no doubt I
will needing some help and advice from other list members, which will
be gratefully received.
First off is a long range tank to take advantage of cheaper European
diesel prices. I believe Toyota have an option for a second tank that
so the two tanks work as a single large tank, or you can fit a second
tank and fill the main tank with a transfer pump. I guess the transfer
pump is less convenient but maybe has advantages if you hit something
and put a hole in the tank. Any comments please?
Also, when driving reasonably fast a really cold draft blows against
the top of my leg from somewhere near the handbrake or underneath the
centre fridge box thing. I can't find the source, and ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Andy Haxby
1994 HDJ81
Den Haag/Macclesfield
 
Andy,
Welcome aboard. As you are considering a RTW in your landcruiser, I
suppose we will be able to compare notes at some stage along the way.
There are quite a few options to consider, but as you are not working
against the clock, they can be taken one a time.
First of all, if you are not familiar with the company called All
American Imports in Kaatsheuvel near Breda, I can recommend them for
all mechanical work and sourcing parts from Japan and Oz.
Second fuel tank - I have always been a proponent of the classic
landcruiser setup - two separate tanks switched by the OEM switch-over
valves and the dashboard switch. It may cost a little more than other
setups but the valves are quite robust. This setup has one big
advantage over the transfer pump - if you get bad fuel from a pump
somewhere, it will be kept separate from good fuel in the other tank.
I also suggest two separate filler necks. I have an inverted Y-shaped
single neck and it is a pain in the aforesaid. Especially in Europe,
because fuel stations have nozzle guns which are set to cut off by a
tiny amount of back pressure caused by fuel not running straight down
the filler neck.
Sorry I can't help with the cold draft - you may need to need to lift
the hand brake trim and/or the centre console trim and see if there's
a hole in the rubber gaiter somewhere.
--
Rgds,
Roman (London, UK)
'92 HDJ80
 
Hi Andy,
Welcome aboard - we have a stack of lurkers her keeping their heads down
- always good to hear from some of you ;-)
Well you have come to the right place!
Toyota do supply a 'sub tank' that fits above the spare wheel - from
memory this is around 60l. Alternatively you can get 170-182l tanks
that sit where the spare wheel is or even go for a combination tank that
carries 55l water and 122l of fuel, which may be a bit more practical.
Most of the leading 4x4 suppliers like Frogs Island, TBR UK, etc can
help you out with these.
There are several ways to plumb the tank in.
For filling the tank, you can use a standard Toyota filler with a valve
mechanism so that you can switch between tanks, otherwise there are a
few 3rd party solutions that usually revolve around a Y shaped filler so
that you point the nozzle down one hole or another.
As for plumbing through to the engine, you can either go the transfer
pump route of using an electric pump to pump fuel from the spare tank to
the main tank, or you can have a slightly more sophisticated solution
that Roman describes where you have both tanks on a switchable feed to
the engine. I personally like the theory of this however wonder how
often you will be disciplined enough to empty one tank, switch to the
other and then just fill the empty tank.
When you get out into the boonies fuel stops will be few and far between
so you are more than likely going to want to ensure that both tanks are
full to the brim, which nullifies the idea of the seperate feeds.
One word of warning, fuel tanks are expensive so bide your time and try
to pick one up second hand.
Sounds like it is a draught from the fridge, as opposed to air coming
into the car - the gearboxes tend to be hot so you are more likely to
have warm air coming in from the car.
Your best option is to try to raise the cover on the central console to
see where the air may be coming from.
--
Regards,
Julian Voelcker
Mobile: 07971 540362
Skype: julianvoelcker
Cirencester, United Kingdom
1994 HDJ80, 2.5" OME Lift
 
Roman

Re second fuel tank...

I like the idea of 2 separate filler necks aswell.

As well as protecting you from bad fuel, it might facilitate keeping one tank in bio-fuel & 1 in diesel.

Do you know where the second filler normally goes in such a set-up. If it was inside the vehicle it would be tamper proof aswell - but perhaps a spill hazard

Niall

HDJ81 95
 
Niall,
If I were to fit one, I'd cut a hole in the wing just rear of the OEM
filler neck and run a pipe down to the tank. Looking from the inside
of the vehicle, the back of the installation would be housed in the
cavity behid the rear wheel, taking no extra load space.
You can get aircraft style round caps protected with a key lock.
--
Rgds,
Roman (London, UK)
'92 HDJ80
On 3/13/07, Niall Sommers <[Email address removed]> wrote:
 
Hi again,
Thanks for all the prompt and informative replies. I think the OEM two
tank solution sounds like the one for me, especially regards the
possibilities for alternative fuels. I've been investigating the
possbilities of running on vegetable oil, more about that on a
seperate thread later....been away for a few days so a lot of emails
to catch up on first.
Regards the draugh, I wondered if it was a common or known problem.
Evidently not so I've got some investigation to do at the weekend :)
Thanks,
--
Andy Haxby
1994 HDJ81
Den Haag NL
Macclesfield UK
 
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Andy

Keep me advised on the 2 tank solution.

I'm getting LRFT fitted in May and unless I find a spec for the 2 tank job I'll be forced to go with the 1 pipe 2 tank jobbie

Cheers

Niall
 
Hi Niall,
I'm evaluating possibilities and suppliers right now, will keep you
(and the list) posted.
Cheers,
Andy Haxby
1994 HDJ81
Den Haag NL
Macclesfield UK
 
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