Need help with Toyota 76 series warning light

Thank you

Will pass it on

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

Great advice

Thank you for procedure.

You were a big help

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!!!!

It must be dealer bashing time ..... Again!

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.

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

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

Serendipity

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.

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.