The Long Ranger

fuel tank

LandCruiser 200

Step-by-Step installation

Make no mistake, outback Australia is vast, with hundreds and sometimes thousands of kilometres between reliable fuel locations. Carrying enough fuel to traverse these distances has always been a challenge.

The 138 litres carried by a standard Toyota Land Cruiser 200 may sound impressive, but when you do the sums it doesn't come close to what's required for a remote outback trip. Particularly once you consider higher consumption due to detours, sand, heavy loads, trailers etc.

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Selecting a long range fuel tank for your LandCruiser 200

For my money, you can't go past the fitment of a quality aftermarket fuel tank to permanently (and safely) increase the fuel capacity of the vehicle.

I've been using Long Ranger fuel tanks on my 4WDs since 1993, and over tens-of-thousands of kilometres they've delivered perfect service, so I saw no reason to look elsewhere when I was deciding on a tank for the 200. Their tanks are well designed and made from aluminised steel to prevent rust. And of course, they're made in Australia.

There are numerous options available from Long Ranger for the 200-series, depending on desired fuel capacity, your exact vehicle model and your spare tyre location. All the options retain the standard main tank and replace the factory sub-tank, to provide substantial increases in total fuel capacity. Visit their website or contact your local ARB dealer for more information.

For 200-series models that don't have a sub tank (some 8-seat Sahara versions), The Long Ranger have a series of tanks that fit where the factory sub tank would have been, and include transfer pumps and additional hardware.

In my case, I've gone for the largest tank available -the 180 litre TR68L- to deliver a total fuel capacity of 273 litres, almost doubling the range of the vehicle. The other model I seriously considered was their TR68W, which is a 122 litre fuel tank incorporating a 55-litre stainless steel water tank. While the water tank would be very handy, in the end I decided that it's easier to carry additional water than additional fuel. However, if you'd like an integrated water tank, and don't need the full 270-litre fuel capacity, then it would be worthy of consideration.

IMPORTANT

The "Installation" section should not be taken as instructions. It is simply a documenting of the procedure I followed for my own installation. No warranty is provided as to the accuracy of the information, and/or whether it applies in your situation or to your vehicle. If you're not qualified and/or don't have the correct equipment, get the Long Ranger fuel tank fitted professionally.

  • There are potentially lethal dangers involved during the installation from the use of power tools.
  • There are potentially lethal fire/explosion dangers associated with fuel, particularly petrol.
  • There are potentially lethal dangers resulting from failure due to improper installation.

If you undertake your own fuel tank installation, you do so entirely at your own risk.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT REQUIRED

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  • A knife or shears (for cutting fuel hoses)
  • A tube of Fuel-proof sealant
  • Touchup paint
  • Thread locking fluid (eg Loctite 243 or 263.
Long Ranger fuel tank Installation Tips

Long Ranger supply comprehensive installation instructions with the tank. I followed these instructions in the video above and found them to be accurate, so I'll only add a few tips below.

Note: Unless otherwise stated, I used loctite on ALL bolts during the installation, adding additional security to cope with vibration.

Click to Enlarge

Step 6: 

  • When you place the sticker, I also suggest you highlight the tank model that's actually been installed, so service agents and future owners know exactly what is in the vehicle.

Step 8: Disconnect the rear three exhaust mounts

  • The three mounts (in order of removal) are located:
    • Just in front of the rear diff, behind the main muffler;
    • Just behind the rear diff, in front of the small muffler;
    • Near the tailpipe just behind the small muffler.
  • The rubber mounts can be levered off their mounting pins with a screwdriver. You may need to apply some WD40-type spray if the mounting pins are rusted or stuck.

Step 9: Remove tyre support crossmember

  • You first need to remove the two bolts on each side which connect the crossmember to the two small brackets. Then you can remove the three bolts holding each small bracket to the chassis.

Step 11: Disconnect breathers and fuel hoses

  • You can disconnect the fast fill breather and fill lines from the steel pipes that come down from the filler neck. Access them from under the right rear sill.
  • Next, detach the 2x 6mm breathers (coded pink and green) from the steel pipes that run along the floor, just in front of the tank and crossmember. Ensure factory colour coding is still visible, otherwise mark the lines and steel pipes before removal.
  • Then detach the 3x 8mm fuel lines from the steel pipes. They are colour-coded (from left-right of vehicle) Yellow, White, Blue. Again, if the colour coding isn't visible, mark the lines and steel pipes before removal.
  • Finally, disconnect the fast fill breather from the steel pipe.
    If the lines are hard to disconnect, grip them with pliars and twist on the steel pipe, to help them release.

Step 13-14: Connect the fuel lines

  • Using the shorter piece of new 8mm fuel hose, along with existing clamps, make a loop between the two right-side steel fuel pipes (coloured blue and white).
  • Connect the longer piece of new 8mm fuel hose along with an existing clamp, to the left-side steel pipe (coloured yellow). Run it over the crossmember and let it hang.

Step 15: Cut tank support brackets from floor ribs

  • Ensure you seal all open fuel lines before cutting.
  • It's easiest to cut the ribs off with a reciprocating saw.
  • Ensure you paint the cut metal to prevent rust.

Step 16: Cut rear tyre support bracket from chassis

  • Long Ranger advise that you only need to remove the small protruding bracket from the main tube, in case you ever want to revert to the standard tank and spare tyre location. But I chose to remove the entire bracket from the rear crossmember as I can't think of any reason why I (or anyone) would want to do that!
  • As with the floor ribs, a recip saw works well for the cuts, and they must be painted afterwards.

Step 17: Run sender wiring along floor rib

  • You can use the existing clips on the sender wiring, but you will have to reposition them along the cable to match existing hole locations along the floor rib.
  • Try to leave as much slack at the plug end as possible, as this will make reconnection to the sender easier.

Step 19: Fit new float arm

  • Replacing the float arm is a little fiddly. There are several holes that need to be aligned for it to clip in. Try to hold the moving parts of the sender unit still as you remove the existing float arm and install the new one.
  • Check the correct hole positions so that the float arm points directly backwards in the tank, as shown in the photo.

Step 20: Fit the brass elbow to the Long Ranger tank

  • Apply some fuel-proof sealant (eg: Loctite 567, Permatex)
  • Tighten until the barb is horizontal and facing towards the centre of the tank.

Steps 21-22: Transfer breathers to the Long Ranger tank

  • Remove the 2x 6mm system breathers from the old tank and fit them to the new tank. Ensure you install them in the same relevant positions (Pink right, Green left). Use the existing spring clips.
  • Remove the existing fast-fill breather to 160mm and fit it to the new Long Ranger fuel tank using the existing spring clamp.

Steps 27-28: Reconnect breathers

  • Ensure you connect the 2x 6mm breathers correctly. Pink right, Green left.

Steps 23, 30: Connect fast-fill breather and filler hose

  • Long Ranger specify that the new fast fill breather line should be connected to the filler neck steel pipe in step 23, but I found it easier to connect it at the same time as the filler hose is connected to the Long Ranger tank and steel pipe.
  • Make sure you trim the 60mm off the tank-end of the filler hose, not the pipe end.

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