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***Warning*** Artec Skid plate, possible fuel line issue?

anotheraznguy

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Just wanted to put this out there as a warning to be wary of this and inspect your fuel lines. In now way am I knocking @Artec however hopefully they can look into this issue further and possibly take some action. To my knowledge I haven't seen anyone else have this occur to them however it only takes 1 to possibly cause a fire and other ramifications.

I have had the Artec Skid plates on the 3.6L engine JLUR for about 3 years and over 25k Miles. A lot of wheeling has been done in both 100+ and below freezing conditions. Never had any issues with the skids and will still be using them in the future. Recently my Feed line from the gas tank to the engine burst and had to be replaced.

We were snow wheeling at the time and coming back into camp and the fuel line burst causing us to lose power and careen into a ditch almost crashing into a few trees. We attempted to restart and fuel started gushing out from underneath the vehicle.

The fuel line burst next to the transmission and we were able to patch it up however we worked with the dealer in replacing it. The dealer did cover it under warranty but they believe the issue is the aftermarket skid plate and suggested that it can reoccur in the future due to lack of bracing.

The factory fuel skid plate has an attachment point that connects to the fuel line to prevent flex of the plastic lines. The artec skid does not have a provision for this front clip. IF you look at the picture below the first picture is from artec's install video showing the clip you need to remove. IF you look to the left of it you see the vertical plate which is also visible in the second picture taken from the front. I was dead in the water and had to get towed back into camp and we were able to resolve this issue with a male/male 3/8 nipple as shown in second picture.

I will now be looking into how to properly attach this to a bracket to prevent this in the future.

Jeep Wrangler JL ***Warning*** Artec Skid plate, possible fuel line issue? capture


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limeade

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Glad your Jeep didn't catch on fire, could've easily happened!

Looks like a pretty solid trail fix, it drives home the point to always have some universal parts/supplies on hand to fix things like this.

I'm very surprised and impressed the dealer fixed this under warranty, as this would've been easy for them to prove it happened due to an aftermarket part. Kudos to them!
 

Kreepin1

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Please post up your fix, Artec is at the top of my list assuming they come out with a 2021 and up 2-door version in the near future...
 

Windshieldfarmer

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Thank you for sharing. I can see how this could become a problem, especially in snow an ice when the line could get weighted up with icy slush and mud. I too will be looking for a fix....
 

Chocolate Thunder

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I can’t quite tell exactly where this area is where your fuel line got damaged. Are you able to post more photos or even better, a short video that helps show where it’s located? I’d definitely like to check mine out to see if there’s any problem.
 

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anotheraznguy

anotheraznguy

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I can’t quite tell exactly where this area is where your fuel line got damaged. Are you able to post more photos or even better, a short video that helps show where it’s located? I’d definitely like to check mine out to see if there’s any problem.

This is located on the passenger side. If you crawl under the jeep from the passenger side and look at the crossmember that supports the transmission you should be able to see the line.

I haven't done any work yet since I took a pretty bad fall so I am out of decommission for a few days. But i am probably going to just make a L bracket and tie it off the existing vertical skid if possible.
 
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anotheraznguy

anotheraznguy

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Hopefully these pictures help.

This is passenger side front. You can see front of fuel tank skid just go in deeper

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You see those two plastic lines right above the engine skid, those are your fuel lines. Just follow them to the back of the vehicle

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The OE clip is right behind that vertical shield. This was shot after dealer replaced my fuel line.

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DanW

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What did you do/use to patch it up on the trail?
 

Gorilla57

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Did you leave the factory “support” clip on? I left mine on and it is right behind that plastic shield you can see in the pics. The lines seem to have minimal movement on mine and nothing is rubbing anywhere.
 

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Thanks for the pictures, I’ll take a look tomorrow. I don’t remember that vertical shield, I’ll have to see what my lines look like in this area.
 

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anotheraznguy

anotheraznguy

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What did you do/use to patch it up on the trail?
3/8 male to male nipple and 2 hose clamps. It will be a part of my kit from now on in case it happens again

@Gorilla57 yeah the clip is still there and there is a decent bit of movement if you grab the line for me.
 

Windshieldfarmer

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I took a look at mine this evening...the gas lines had a lot of movement but I can’t imagine that causing line failure like OP had. That said, why take chances. Using a couple of zip ties I loosely attached the part that was previously clipped to the gas tank skid to the fiberglass shield located in front of the gas tank. I drilled a couple of holes into the shield to attach a zip tie to this part. Not a great solution but will stabilize everything until Artec comes up with a better solution, which is something they should do...to avoid liability. I will check this area regularly going forward. I’m also ordering clamps and the male to male joint...just in case.
 

Wightmn

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We just added the aluminum artec skid system to a JT. Nowhere in the instructions was that Christmas tree clipped bracket mentioned.

Thanks for bringing this up. Will have to temporarily secure.
 

Chocolate Thunder

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I checked mine yesterday. Line is intact with no sign of abrasion at all. The lines don’t seem to be in a position to where they could contact this shield at all. If they were, the easiest solution seems like it might be to get a few inches of rubber hose, like fuel line, split it lengthwise, and slide it over the sharp edge of the shield as protection against rubbing the fuel line.

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Kreepin1

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I checked mine yesterday. Line is intact with no sign of abrasion at all. The lines don’t seem to be in a position to where they could contact this shield at all. If they were, the easiest solution seems like it might be to get a few inches of rubber hose, like fuel line, split it lengthwise, and slide it over the sharp edge of the shield as protection against rubbing the fuel line.
Could it be fatigue from flexing while unsupported that breaks the line? @anotheraznguy - did your line fracture or did it have a spot that got rubbed through?
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