Need Help! Exhaust + Fuel Line issue!

[leetz]

Ok so I go today to my local muffler shop to get my exhaust moved up 3 inches. Reason being I had a 3 inch body put on after I already had the exhaust. So it sat 3 inches lower, I finally got around to doing it today, it's been this way for about 6 months.

Well I come back and he tells me you need to go to autozone right away and get some heat tape!!!! You have just enough time to get there, or your lines might melt. I'm in like panic mode now and he is really scaring me. So I don't take the chance and get my buddy to drive me. We go to 3 different stores locally and can't find the header/ heat tape. So I go back and the guy that did my stuff is gone. There is like the head mechanic there, so I talk to him. I say look man I can't find any of this tape stuff and I really do not want to drive it home like this. The guy says to me that the guy likes to exaggerate and he's not even a real mechanic he just does exhaust work.He says it will be fine for ya know like a 10 min drive. Your truck isn't gonna blow up on ya. He takes a look at it and tells me that if I have had the exhaust for at least a year all the melting is probably accumulated over time and didn't just happen, and it's prob not going to change with 10 mins.I started thinking this whole shop is sketchy anyways I don't really want to leave my truck here I have alot of audio stuff in there that could get stolen. Well I got comfy and drove it home. Pretty stressed out the whole time.

Now that I know that there is a problem there I am really scared to drive it anywhere I took a picture of what it looks like and you guys let me know what I need to do.

I really think that line needs to be replaced with maybe a better material or something or the same one just with heat tape on the exhaust. I called my buddy boominexplorer on the forums here and he said he is looking for some for me. Will the tape be safe enough for me to drive in the mean time until I can get new lines there? The guy at autozone told me that there is alot of pressure going through those lines and could cause serious problems def. if it was burned through. I'm getting 2 diff. opinions on this and really need some of you guys who know alot about explorers to help. Please help me out guys Thanks!

 

[Lee S.]

Are you sure he didn't do that when he was welding the exhaust pipe?

 

[leetz]

I'm not sure it could be a possibility I have no way of proving it though. I never noticed it until he showed me. I never really looked at those lines until now. So it could have been him or it could have already been like that.

 

[Doug246]

It does look like it was done by a torch. If you look at the shock absober there is no evidence on a lot of heat. Why don't you go for a drive and then check to see what the temperature of the line is?
doug

 

[marragtop]

Looks like a fresh weld and fresh damage on the line, so there's little doubt in my mind that the mechanic did it. If that's a fuel line, I think you'll find that it is rather expensive to replace.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Well Leetz, as I've said; it is best to replace the line. Now, saying who pays for it and what not - that is up to you and your exhaust company. What I would do is contact the company, and see if they would like to go ahead and come up with some type of agreement on fixing the problem. If not, then contact your local Better Business Bureau. I have contacted them before against 4wheelparts.com, and I've had my complaint handled. No company wants to deal with BBB, so the compay may contact you eventually and want to fix your problem. What you could do also, is go ahead and replace it, and if they do finally contact you - just tell them to pay for the part. Keep the reciept! That is my best advice. Hope it all works out. Here are the pictures you asked for:

-Drew

EDIT: and be sure to tell the BBB that your life has been threatened by this fuel line that could leak and cause a fire. They will not be happy with a company allowing you to leave with this type of problem. Fuel leaks are dangerous!

 

[ExplorerDMB]

I just remembered, before I got my exhaust fixed (from infront of the shock to behind it), the pipe actually hit the shock. You can see where it hit sometimes -- which means that exhaust got hot, and was next to that shock boot. Now, shock boots aren't very high heat resistant - and that thing didn't even melt with just the heat of the exhaust. So obvoiously there is a problem that "exhaust heat" can cause your fuel line to melt like it did. You have a problem, and that's with the BBB and a crappy half-a$$ exhaust shop!

-Drew

 

[leetz]

I have gotten opinions now by 4 different auto technicians and you guys on the board. I am going to wait until I see customers in the store and then talk to them. I will start out being nice about it, and then raise kane if I don't get what I want. I didn't realize how blatantly obvious it was until people explained to me how obvious it was. It is exactly where the weld is. They were trying to take advantage of an 18 year old kid. Which is pretty sad, but now I am angry and I am going to make sure I get what I want.

I am going to demand that they pay for the ford dealership to replace the gas line. I do not want them touching my truck at all again. I obviously cannot trust their work if they lied to me about hitting the fuel line while trying to move the exhaust up. So basically I'm going to get it repaired and bring the bill to them, If they don't pay up I will go to 10 on your side news channel and then to the BBB. I can see it now "local muffler shop takes advantage of an 18 year old kid, could have caused a dangerous gas line leak." What do u guys think of my plan? I think it is pretty fair conisdering what they did. Some people say I should ask for a refund on the exhaust work also. What do u guys think?

 

[boominXplorer]

he came over to my house and it looks hidieous....

.........Then I did a burnout in his g/f's car

 

[leetz]

lol ya he did it was sweet.

 

[marragtop]

If the shop is part of a national chain, and they won't give you satisfaction, tell them you want the name and number of the regional rep. They have to give you that info, and the reps hate these types of problems. If it's not part of a national chain, then go the BBB route. Good luck.

 

[DeRocha]

I'm not sure it could be a possibility I have no way of proving it though. I never noticed it until he showed me. I never really looked at those lines until now. So it could have been him or it could have already been like that.

Of course you can...Get a piece of similiar plastic and tape it under the damage. If the exhaust is realy the problem the plastic will melt, if not the shop is @ fault. BTW like everyone else has already stated it looks like a welding issue (the guy didn't protect the surrounding area with a welding blanket). Unfortunately it is a mistake on the part of the exhaust guy; he should grow a set and own up to it or the entire shops rep will go down the toilet.

 

[leetz]

I think also, I am going to go to another muffler shop and have them look at it and tell me what they think. Also, I just got inspected about a week ago. I am going to go to the shop I got inspected at and ask them if that's something they would have checked or noticed.

 

[leetz]

ya good idea, I am going to buy a similar one at autozone and drive around with it taped on if they have something to say about it. Then Drive it up to them and have them look at it. The thing I'm worried about is them saying it was the exhaust shop who did the exhaust a year ago. Chris and I would have noticed it though when we put my shackles on I would think. Is there anyway to tell it is a fairly fresh burn and not a year old?

 

[BuffaloXplorer]

Where, exactly, is the damage? Is this right above the rear axle?

I had a custom single-in/dual out installed a couple years back (since removed down to si/so) and i recently noticed a leak in the purge (?) line that comes out of the tank to the right of the filler tube. I remember someone telling me at an exhaust shop that it was dangerously close to the line and could cause it to melt. However, i didn't have a problem 'til after the old exhaust was removed.

My Thread HERE

I haven't gotten beneath it to fix it yet, but plan to real soon Until then, i'm enjoying my 10mpg!

 

[leetz]

They fixed everything,Ordered the part from ford and put it on in 5 mins. It actually was not a gas line they said, but a vapor line or something. Thanks for the help guys

 

[Lee S.]

So they admitted that they caused the damage?

 

[gijoecam]

Yeah, that's the vacuum line that runs to the cannister in the front of the truck. It's just a vent tube.... there's no raw fuel running through it, and it really wasn't much of a fire hazard. Should it have melted through, the worst thing it would have caused would be a gross evap system leak code to be thrown and some possible erratic idle.

Glad they owned up to it and took care of the customer.

-Joe