Wheel your EcoDiesel? Get a fuel filter skid.

[Divided_Wood]

My buddy and I went to Moab last weekend to break in my JT Rubicon EcoDiesel. Our friends in another vehicle hadn't arrived yet so we hit Elephant Hill on Thursday.

I was aware of the issues a few folks in the JL have had breaking their fuel filter housing, so I was extra attentive to keeping it off the rocks but figured with a skid there was still some protection.

On SOB hill (big rock descent at the top you have to crawl down), I was dragging frame and trying to push through it a bit--something I've done many times in my JKU--when I heard the unmistakable bang of something breaking, followed by the smell of diesel. Killed the motor, hopped out and confirmed my fears that I had busted something in the area of the fuel filter.

Not really having any other options, we stacked rocks to help back the Jeep up, get it clear of the filter, then ease it down to a flat spot in the clearing where I could get a closer look. At least it was pretty...

After taking it apart and inspecting the housing and lines for leaks, I realized I got incredibly lucky. I stopped after the pop (turned out to be the head of one of the bolts holding the fuel skid on busting off) and got it clear rather than dragging more. The filter cap had basically jumped threads, stretching out the O-ring and causing it to sit slightly askew and leak fuel.

I had a spare filter with me so I popped it in along with the O-ring, got it all back together, primed it, and made sure it wasn't leaking before (slowly) continuing on the trail.

The skid is now held on with 2 bolts and is pretty crooked... need to get a closer look to see if any of the tabs holding the housing on are bent, but in any case it got us home and through a weekend of wheeling.

Note that some of the damage above is from grabbing the skid with vice grips and hammering it on a rock to try to bend the brackets back into place.

We ran into another group with some EcoDiesel JLs in it and one of the guys had the Asfir skid covering his fuel filter which definitely would've saved my ass here and the rest of the weekend. I'll definitely be ordering one, along with an extra filter housing to keep as a spare when I wheel.

Could've been much worse for us. After a whole weekend of wheeling this thing, I'd like to know why a bunch of Jeep engineers decided this was a good place for the fuel filter on an off-road vehicle to live. The Jeep did awesome all weekend but this definitely feels like an Achilles heel.

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[rharr]

Good to know, keep us posted on upgrade. Now I need to order some spare filter parts to take with me

 

[Mike-len]

My buddy and I went to Moab last weekend to break in my JT Rubicon EcoDiesel. Our friends in another vehicle hadn't arrived yet so we hit Elephant Hill on Thursday.

I was aware of the issues a few folks in the JL have had breaking their fuel filter housing, so I was extra attentive to keeping it off the rocks but figured with a skid there was still some protection.

On SOB hill (big rock descent at the top you have to crawl down), I was dragging frame and trying to push through it a bit--something I've done many times in my JKU--when I heard the unmistakable bang of something breaking, followed by the smell of diesel. Killed the motor, hopped out and confirmed my fears that I had busted something in the area of the fuel filter.

Not really having any other options, we stacked rocks to help back the Jeep up, get it clear of the filter, then ease it down to a flat spot in the clearing where I could get a closer look. At least it was pretty...

After taking it apart and inspecting the housing and lines for leaks, I realized I got incredibly lucky. I stopped after the pop (turned out to be the head of one of the bolts holding the fuel skid on busting off) and got it clear rather than dragging more. The filter cap had basically jumped threads, stretching out the O-ring and causing it to sit slightly askew and leak fuel.

I had a spare filter with me so I popped it in along with the O-ring, got it all back together, primed it, and made sure it wasn't leaking before (slowly) continuing on the trail.

The skid is now held on with 2 bolts and is pretty crooked... need to get a closer look to see if any of the tabs holding the housing on are bent, but in any case it got us home and through a weekend of wheeling.

Note that some of the damage above is from grabbing the skid with vice grips and hammering it on a rock to try to bend the brackets back into place.

We ran into another group with some EcoDiesel JLs in it and one of the guys had the Asfir skid covering his fuel filter which definitely would've saved my ass here and the rest of the weekend. I'll definitely be ordering one, along with an extra filter housing to keep as a spare when I wheel.

Could've been much worse for us. After a whole weekend of wheeling this thing, I'd like to know why a bunch of Jeep engineers decided this was a good place for the fuel filter on an off-road vehicle to live. The Jeep did awesome all weekend but this definitely feels like an Achilles heel.

After watching a dirt lifestyle video on YouTube where they were running the Rubicon and there was a diesel gladiator in the group who’s cover got busted, I looked underneath mine to see what it looks like and mine is surrounded by a pretty beefy metal metal cover. That looks like a “skid” to me? Mine is a 2022. Did the previous gladiators not have this?

 

[terpsmandan]

They do but if you drop it on a rock that doesn't hit the frame and you keep moving you can knock it askew.

 

[Divided_Wood]

After watching a dirt lifestyle video on YouTube where they were running the Rubicon and there was a diesel gladiator in the group who’s cover got busted, I looked underneath mine to see what it looks like and mine is surrounded by a pretty beefy metal metal cover. That looks like a “skid” to me? Mine is a 2022. Did the previous gladiators not have this?

Yep, mine has a metal cover too... see the second pic in my post. But it gets hung up on rocks easily since it sticks out and doesn't really prevent the filter from getting screwed up.

 

[Sandevino]

Gladiator full belly pan

I looked at this full belly pan but it‘s pricey, requires a 1.5” lift and removal of the stock fuel filter skid is required.

 

[John in the Woods]

Thanks for sharing the real world lesson. My @ASFIR 4x4 skids, including the fuel filter cover, go on this weekend.

 

[PlayfulBird]

Gladiator full belly pan

I looked at this full belly pan but it‘s pricey, requires a 1.5” lift and removal of the stock fuel filter skid is required.

Have you considered nextventuremotorsports
https://nextventuremotorsports.com/...ucts/jt-gladiator-diesel-aluminum-belly-skids

Also expensive but worth it, also doesn't look like you need to relocate or change anything. Install pdf is there. Might be wrong, as we have the 3.6 and have not pulled the trigger yet due to the hassle with import to Germany. I would go with them though.

 

[Sandevino]

Have you considered nextventuremotorsports
https://nextventuremotorsports.com/...ucts/jt-gladiator-diesel-aluminum-belly-skids

Also expensive but worth it, also doesn't look like you need to relocate or change anything. Install pdf is there. Might be wrong, as we have the 3.6 and have not pulled the trigger yet due to the hassle with import to Germany. I would go with them though.

A similar design and it does require a lift to account for the height of the skid. It appears to come unfinished (bare metal) and you finish it yourself which I prefer.

 

[Sank]

A similar design and it does require a lift to account for the height of the skid. It appears to come unfinished (bare metal) and you finish it yourself which I prefer.

Continuing down this rabbit hole, I've been considering metal cloak's option:
https://metalcloak.com/jt-gladiator-undercloak-armor-skid-plate-system-diesel.html

 

[PJZ]

I have the ASFIR aluminum skids that @John in the Woods is going to install. Did a couple trails this past weekend in Big Bear CA. Gold Mountain and John Bull. Gave these skids a serious workout and held up great. If you wheel hard all the time they would likely wear down, but good enough for my use.

 

[Divided_Wood]

Thanks for sharing the real world lesson. My @ASFIR 4x4 skids, including the fuel filter cover, go on this weekend.

I'm definitely picking up some of these, at least the fuel filter skid. The ones I saw mounted up looked pretty solid.

 

[PJZ]

There is a discount code in one of the threads GLAD5. Not sure if it still works but worth a try.
When installing the engine skid it was a PITA to get the motor mount bolts out. They were tight and not much room to work. Actual mounting was super easy.

A lot of horrible noises were heard over the two days. Only real damage was the frame side front lower control arm bracket. Need to bend them back to shape and probably going to weld on a diy slider. Cant seem to find anything that works with the drop bracket for the lift. Pick below is the worst of the two. Have sliders on everything else except front diff - waiting on my Next Venture one. Issue with the diesels switching axles in '22 and have been received two so far that dont fit. They are working hard on it - good service.

 

[Divided_Wood]

There is a discount code in one of the threads GLAD5. Not sure if it still works but worth a try.
When installing the engine skid it was a PITA to get the motor mount bolts out. They were tight and not much room to work. Actual mounting was super easy.

A lot of horrible noises were heard over the two days. Only real damage was the frame side front lower control arm bracket. Need to bend them back to shape and probably going to weld on a diy slider. Cant seem to find anything that works with the drop bracket for the lift. Pick below is the worst of the two. Have sliders on everything else except front diff - waiting on my Next Venture one. Issue with the diesels switching axles in '22 and have been received two so far that dont fit. They are working hard on it - good service.

Awesome. For what it's worth, I love my Next Venture diff skid. Have one in the rear. Didn't use it as much as I expected but when I did, it's really nice that it covers the pinion.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Have you considered nextventuremotorsports
https://nextventuremotorsports.com/...ucts/jt-gladiator-diesel-aluminum-belly-skids

Also expensive but worth it, also doesn't look like you need to relocate or change anything. Install pdf is there. Might be wrong, as we have the 3.6 and have not pulled the trigger yet due to the hassle with import to Germany. I would go with them though.

I can’t say enough about next venture skids. I have their belly pan and diff skids. I’m mostly bullet proof now. My friend was driving mine in Moab two weeks ago and a tire slipped off a rock. The whole belly came down on a boulder like a ton of bricks. Not a single issue resulted. He had a look on his face like he was really sorry if he broke something. I just told him to keep driving. No harm. Just skids. I highly recommend the UHMW upgrade from them. It’s a true game changer.

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