Locking Fuel door mod

Since Toyota did not offer the option, I thought I would take a stab at creating it. I made a couple mistakes along the way, but I'm satisfied with the results. Now my fuel door is locked shut until I push a button in the cab to open it. I also have an emergency manual release for the door which is accessed through the useless storage bin behind the fuel door in the bed.

I'm sure others will refine this mod, and I hope this helps you make it better.

First, get yourself the electric motor/solenoid that is used to lock the fuel doors on many late model cars. I chose one from a Mazda Millenia because it was handy. I thought I would be able to modify the locking tab from the Millenia door for my project, but I had to make a new one. The Millenia solenoid proved to be about half an inch too long--it interferes with the storage bin, so you might look for others that are slightly shorter.




Next, remove the storage bin from the bed near the fuel door and remove the pin your door's spring clip fastens to when it is closed. Remove the spring clip from the fuel door and hang onto the screw. The Millenia solenoid has a spring built into the mount that kicks the door open when activated. Look for something similar when you get one or you will have to add a spring somewhere to open the door. I used the solenoid mounting plate to mark the holes needed. I eventually slotted the holes so I could have a range of adjustment for the solenoid to keep the door closed flush with the body. The plastic surround for the fuel filler is easier to drill.







Fabricating a new tab for the solenoid to lock into took quite a bit of trial and error. I eventually found a bracket I cut down to size and bent as required. The red marker helped me see where the hole needed to be for the pin from the solenoid to engage. You can see I tried to used an alternate mounting point, but the original mount/screw on the door works best.




The wiring just uses a free blade in the engine compartment fuse box which is "hot" all the time (added and inline fuse) and used a ground from the trailer hitch connections. Used a rubber grommet on the back of the cab as the exit point and covered the exposed wire with rubber tubing to protect it and isolate it from all that fuel stuff.




I had this old RSCA OFF switch lying around and found that two of the poles provide a "momentary on" connection, so I just used it as my switch. Works great.




If you have suggestions or questions, let me know.

 

sounds nifty, but i'd like to see some pics

 

What's up with the pics

 

You have some weird picture code. The image tags are all screwed up. I fixed them here.

 

Since Toyota did not offer the option, I thought I would take a stab at creating it. I made a couple mistakes along the way, but I'm satisfied with the results. Now my fuel door is locked shut until I push a button in the cab to open it. I also have an emergency manual release for the door which is accessed through the useless storage bin behind the fuel door in the bed.

I'm sure others will refine this mod, and I hope this helps you make it better.

First, get yourself the electric motor/solenoid that is used to lock the fuel doors on many late model cars. I chose one from a Mazda Millenia because it was handy. I thought I would be able to modify the locking tab from the Millenia door for my project, but I had to make a new one. The Millenia solenoid proved to be about half an inch too long--it interferes with the storage bin, so you might look for others that are slightly shorter.




Next, remove the storage bin from the bed near the fuel door and remove the pin your door's spring clip fastens to when it is closed. Remove the spring clip from the fuel door and hang onto the screw. The Millenia solenoid has a spring built into the mount that kicks the door open when activated. Look for something similar when you get one or you will have to add a spring somewhere to open the door. I used the solenoid mounting plate to mark the holes needed. I eventually slotted the holes so I could have a range of adjustment for the solenoid to keep the door closed flush with the body. The plastic surround for the fuel filler is easier to drill.







Fabricating a new tab for the solenoid to lock into took quite a bit of trial and error. I eventually found a bracket I cut down to size and bent as required. The red marker helped me see where the hole needed to be for the pin from the solenoid to engage. You can see I tried to used an alternate mounting point, but the original mount/screw on the door works best.




The wiring just uses a free blade in the engine compartment fuse box which is "hot" all the time (added and inline fuse) and used a ground from the trailer hitch connections. Used a rubber grommet on the back of the cab as the exit point and covered the exposed wire with rubber tubing to protect it and isolate it from all that fuel stuff.



I had this old RSCA OFF switch lying around and found that two of the poles provide a "momentary on" connection, so I just used it as my switch. Works great.

 

Nice