So I was replacing my fuel filter and was having some trouble getting one of the bolts off. So my dad had the idea of unbolting part of where the main fuel line lead to the tank. The main and return lines went in to a rubber seal at the bottom of the tank... well turns out it was very brittle and the second I touched it it cracked in half. Does anyone know how to replace this rubber boot/seal or the name of the part? It’s a 1996 ls400

 

Same body seal on my 1999 LS400 is age-hardened and seperating as well.

Seal not only prevents ingress of water and dust, but appears to be a noise barrier....

However, at the time to replace, Toyota/Lexus elected to discontinue this chassis seal.

Am contemplating fabrication and material options....

Probably fuel resistant rubber sheet (Fluorosilicone?) stock could be fabricated. Use cardboard as a template to properly index with the fuel lines. The steel frame can be reused, but it is very thin material.

The challenge as I see it is the frame/chassis area and tank fittings are on different planes.

It can be done correctly, but awkward/cramped space to work in...And you have to drain the fuel tank to work rubber around fittings.

Anyone tackle anything similar?

 

While driveshaft is removed am going through and replacing rubber body plugs and minor fasteners that are starting to show signs of corrosion.

Observed both rubber fuel case assemblies on the fuel inlet and vent tube side were separated from their mounting frames due to age related degradation.

If you contact them while performing service, they simply crack and crumble.

While fuel pump/filter side was discontinued, was able to obtain the vent tube side and am in process of replacing it.

Several images of work in progress.


1999 LS400 underside of vehicle at rubber vent tube case sub-assembly side.
Rubber has separated at frame. Hose and clamps appear intact, but am replacing.



The metal frame extracted with rubber seal portion that had separated, so it simply dropped after removing nuts. The metal frame is paper thin so does not apply adequate pressure on the seal face across the span as shown by large swaths of red dust across seal surface. Additional fasteners would have prevented this. May fabricate a better frame.


New rubber case assembly seal Amost like a speaker cone surround...and just as thin


Backside of seal (faces up)


Necessary Nuts with integral rotating washers to avoid ripping plastic or painted metal.surfaces. There are about 30 of these underside the vehicle; on brake and fuel line covers, fuel and brake line retaining clamps and here.. If fasteners appear rusty, be sure to use generous dousings of spray penetrating oil (WD or PB) to avoid snapping off pressed-in body studs.

 

hmm. well that's not quite the news i wanted to wake up to. But because they don't make that seal anymore would it be a good idea to attempt to find a car at a junkyard and try to pull it? Or is there a way to reseal it or is pretty much the only way just to fab your own?

 

Any donor car you find is going to have a 20+ year old piece of rubber in similar condition to yours.

So every LS400 has this same issue


Now, if I am not running afoul of the moderator here, it might be possible that Toyota would entertain RFQ for a group buy and place it with their OEM supplier for quotation and minimum quantity production run...probably a minimum of 100 -250 pieces. It would make sense to order sets of both sides


Unsure how coordinating the effort would work, but would be inclined to let one dealer intake and manage it

 

what's on the other side of this? just the tank to the inside of the car?
rather than bother with a OE solution, i would try to see if i can seal this from the tank side (assuming the tank does not have to be removed for access).
if the tank needs to be removed, i would just put some type of sealant from the outside to prevent any water intrusion - black silicone RTV sealant perhaps.

 

It's sometimes difficult to get a decent diagram of Toyota parts and I don't always believe Toyota parts inventories that are online but it looks like parts are still available (I checked a few online dealership sites as well).

Is this what you're looking for P/N 77606-50020)?



https://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/...tra2=&filter=()

Or this (P/N 58366-50010):



https://www.lexuspartsnow.com/parts/...tra2=&filter=()

 

77606-50030 is discontinued.............................

 

On those return lines, did you remove them at any point?

If so, was there a rubber gasket behind the line(s) or only the two washers?

Thanks in advance.