Need help with Toyota 76 series warning light

Submitted: Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 12:19
ThreadID: 96725 Views:11216 Replies:5 FollowUps:10
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My son is 200 km from Broken Hill after a Simpson crossing and the "Fuel system warning light" came on.

The manuel said "take to Toyota dealer to check and reset"

Toyota closed on Saturday afternoon.

Has any one had this problem and is it major problem and should he still drive.

The motor seems to be running as normal.

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Reply By: Nomad Navara - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 12:40

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 12:40
we have a 79series ute with a v8 turbo diesel engine and this light came on once,it was corrected by changing the fuel filter and resetting the warning light.
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Follow Up By: pling - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 12:58

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 12:58
Thank you

Will pass it on
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Follow Up By: JimDi - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 18:06

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 18:06
I had the same problem just last wednesday. 79 series v8 diesel. Warning light came on drove 10klm to Toyota dealership. Fuel filter was replaced,it was a very dark colour, problem solved.
I did receive conflicting advice over the phone. One bloke said it was okay to drive another said it was not. RACQ was called and his advice was to drive to nearest dealership. The warning light he said was just doing its job that is warning of a problem.
Jim
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Reply By: Gone Bush (WA) - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 13:17

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 13:17
Here is the warning light reset procedure:

Follow this procedure to turn light off:
1. Disconnect top wires/plug on filter housing
2. Turn Ignition Key on
3. Plug top wires/plug back in
4. Turn Ignition Key off
5. Turn Key back on and start vehicle
Light should now be off!!

To repalce the filter:

Disconnect the wires/plug on housing.

A 5mm Allen key is needed to crack the top off the filter housing. Put the housing cover to one side, replace the filter with a new one (about $33 from Toyota). Probably a good idea to carry a spare.

Then use the procedure above to reset the warning light.

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Follow Up By: pling - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 21:01

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 21:01
Great advice

Thank you for procedure.

You were a big help
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Reply By: Ross M - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 15:10

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 15:10
If he went into the Simpson without a fuel filter or knowing how to change it then he pushing his luck. A filter change is straight forward and if it suddenly gave a filter warning it is for one of two reasons.

He has picked up some fuel which wasn't filtered well enough and contaminants have begun to block the filter.
OR and this is the worrying OR
Toyota, at service time haven't changed the filter when they should have at service time. You will have been charged for it though.
This is called DID. Dealer Induced Disaster

When the system starts to get a negative pressure to the HIGH pressure pump the filter is blocking and although they will run it is damaging the high pressure pump if you continue to run it especially at higher speeds.
A very costly exercise.
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Follow Up By: pling - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 20:59

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 20:59
The book does not say it was a fuel filter, it just says go to dealer.

Had a spare filter, but just needed the advice from others on the forum that filter was the problem.

Has changed the filter himself.

Has had 4 crossings and never pushes his luck.

thanks for your comments!!!!
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Thursday, Jul 12, 2012 at 09:12

Thursday, Jul 12, 2012 at 09:12
It must be dealer bashing time ..... Again!

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Reply By: Member -Pinko (NSW) - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 15:13

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 15:13
The same light illuminated for me last week just prior to me preparing for a trip away.
It has happened before however I had not reconnected the plug all the way in.
I followed the procedure and the warning light cancelled.
Last week the procedure did not work.
Removed the filter and found it to be completely black with floaty type debris at the bottom of the filter case.
Replaced the filter and all is normal.
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Follow Up By: Ozhumvee - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 15:51

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 15:51
Pinko
That "black floaty type debris" sounds horribly like the dreaded algae growth in the fuel tank, might be a good idea to undo the drain plug in the fuel tank and see what comes out, also check the new fuel filter to see if more has made it that far. Algae can wreck the whole fuel system if not removed.
If it is algae putting fuel conditioner/algae killer in the tank should kill it but the existing crap will still be there so the system will need flushing and the tank draining.
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Follow Up By: Member -Pinko (NSW) - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 16:51

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 16:51
Ozhumvee
Thank you Peter for the heads up about diesel algae contamination.
The vehicle has been stationary all day and I just put it up on the ramps and dropped two litres out of each tank into a clean white dish.
Apart from two less than half a pin head sized particles that could have come from cracking the drain plug fuel is crystal clear.
In your experience would algae have shown up in four litres of fuel drained from the bottom of the tank ?
Stan
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Follow Up By: Member - Serendipity(WA) - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 17:45

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 17:45
Last time I changed my fuel filter I had some algae growth clearly visible at the bottom of the filter bowl. I bought some fuel treatment from Covs (formerly Coventrys) for about $12 and that fixed that. I was quite concerned so also bought two spare fuel filters as when the algae growth is killed it turns up at the filter and can impair the flow or block the flow and possibly do major damage to the fuel pump.

Fuel flowing to the fuel pump is not all used for the engine - only about 20% goes to the engine the rest is used to cool the fuel pump and then sent back to the fuel tank. If fuel flow is restricted the fuel pump will overheat and soon seize.

Pays to buy a spare fuel filter and cryovac pack it in you spare parts.

Cheers

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Follow Up By: Ross M - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 20:27

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 20:27
Inside the fuel system it is hot and the fuel has to be cooled, somehow.
There is usually a fuel cooler and although they are fitted, the fuel system runs hotter than in conventional systems.
If the vehicle has a plastic tank instead of a steel tank, so the fuel in a plastic tank system won't be cooled as quickly as it would have been in a steel tank system.
Therefore:
If you get some algae in the system it can grow quickly with the continual high rate of circulation, warmth and darkness.
So to carry extra filters and fuel treatment sometimes, is a good idea.

As previously mentioned, if the dealer doesn't change the filter as required, and they have a reputation for not changing them, alga growth can "run away" and unexpectedly block a filter. If this happens at service time before a BIG TRIP then you are in trouble. They don't care.

Anyone who tells you it can be continued to be driven seems to have no idea about the damage it will be causing, I suppose because they aren't paying for repairs.
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Follow Up By: Ozhumvee - Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 08:44

Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 08:44
It sounds like you may have caught it in time but the problem is that if the algae grows in the tank it may not necessarily come out through a cracked drain plug. Think of a bundle of chicken wire, obviously not as strong but unlikely to come out through the plug hole.
Had an old bloke show me years ago what it was like, he drained the tank on a tractor, fuel looked ok but colour was a bit weird, sort of like a bit of tannin in water. He then got a bit of hooked wire and dipped through the filler neck and pulled out a big lump of the fibrous algae, went to mush when exposed to the air for a while.
Put some fuel treatment in it and run one tank right down, then drain it completely through the drain plug and then try the wire trick up through the bung hole to see if it is clear is about all you can do.
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Reply By: ingo57 - Thursday, Jul 12, 2012 at 08:42

Thursday, Jul 12, 2012 at 08:42
Gday all,

Lil Pling here, have just returned home and wanted to extend my appreciation and quick responses, as my old man stated all it says in the manual is go to a Toyota dealer.
When I pulled the filter out it was a dark grey colour and in the bottom of the fuel bowl was a little water and a lot of red sand.

Followed the re set procedure and we were off again, this is the type of stuff that makes this forum so good!

Cheers
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