gatton

My 4runner has been sitting for a while so I needed to drain the gas. It has a coolant leak so I couldn't run if off. I searched on here and couldn't find the exact procedure, so I'm adding one.

Since there is no drain plug on the tank, you basically have to drop the tank or use the fuel pump to pump it out. I opted for the fuel pump. Two options I could think of were the fuel filter or engine bay. I didn't want to be under the truck so opted for the engine bay.

I disconnected the fuel line here as it was the most accessible I could find. It was a pain to unscrew the compression nut. Probably want to some pb blaster to make it easier. I just used brute force.



Next, pull the COR (black relay) underneath the driver side dash. This pic just shows the general location with B+ wire coming down (later step). The relay is at the very bottom of the dash.



After the jumper is pulled, run a wire from the positive terminal on the battery to the jumper location below. It is the terminal closest to the driver side door. Don't attach to the battery yet if you don't have something in place to drain the fuel.



Last, drain the fuel. I did need to bend the metal fuel line just a bit to get a proper angle to drain.



Good luck.

Team420

hmmm... no drain plug on the tank? The 1sy and 2ng gens had'em....

Personally... I wouldnt do it this way... yes it may save a lil time, but can, and may damage the pump in the process... the fuel inside the tank is what keeps the pump from overheating, not to meantion all the nastiness that you prolly suck up as well... Only takes 20 min to drop the tank...

Unless.... u meant u had a full tank, and needed to drain 3/4 of it... then, yes, that would be fine.

cubuff4runner

I guess every time my tank gets low I am burning up my fuel pump. I don't know how it has lasted as long as it has.

Team420

well... technically... yes... Its very well known that its best to not let the tank get below 1/4, 1/8 at least..... after enough times... yes, the pump will burn out... Now... yota pumps are pretty resistant to this, but in general.... put gas in when below 1/4 tank

gatton

It's sitting on dirt so I don't want to get underneath it if I didn't have to. The pump will let you know when it is empty so you need to pay attention at the end or you can burn out the pump.

RiverRat Cargel

Maybe not the best way to go about it. You can over heat the pump for one, for two you have a spark hazard which is bad news when doing fuel transfer. If your goal was to clean the tank that wouldn’t completely do it anyway. Heavy sediment would still be on bottom and any water it acquired would still be floating on top. I’m 99% Sure my '94 pickup had a drain plug and I know my 87 4Runner does. Did you remove the skid guard(s) and check? I don’t know about the 3rd Gens but my first has an access hatch under the rear seats where you can remove the fuel tank inspection plate? That’s another good way to get at it for draining/ cleaning.

On the plus side that’s a good way to jump the system and manually check to see if your pump is working.

~Cordell

DRCOFFEE

This maybe an easier way to energize the fuel pump.



#4 = (+)
#5 = (-)

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/rep...00c15280261c50

Dirt Driver

As long as the pump is moving fuel it's not going to overheat. Shut it off when it starts pulling air and it's not going to be damaged. On top of that, load on it(and the resultant waste heat) is much lower when it's not moving fuel at EFI pressure. I'm not sure why there so much fear-mongering involved.