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Charcoal canister skid?

12K views 58 replies 18 participants last post by  Firemedic831 
#1 ·
Looking to protect my charcoal canister as I get into bigger and bigger rocks that could smash this pricey little plastic box. Last year at Summit a stock FJ dropped off a ledge and destroyed theirs, and I made a mental note to deal with this before wheeling season ‘19. So was wondering if anyone had fabbed something or knew of any for sale on the market?
 
#4 · (Edited)
Deb not sure if you saw this one. I know the user said he didnt want to ship...but may feel differently now. And, I know this is not specifically for the charcoal canister but my understanding is that it covers and protects it.

https://www.fjcruiserforums.com/for...oyota-fj-cruiser-rear-skid-plate-kit-nib.html

In the past when I bought something from someone, I just asked for the box dimensions and weight and went to my Fedex account to see how much it would cost to ship (I am just a residential user...not a business). And, I could generate my own printing label that would charge to my credit card and send it to the user via e-mail. Couldnt be simpler for them - they have to do is tape label on box and drop off box at Fedex facility.

Seller may not know how simple the shipping part can be.

OP last logged in about 3 days ago.
 
#10 ·
Maybe a skid / air tank holder combo or something .
For the '08 TT models, Toyota offered an optional, very robust aluminum rear skidplate that covered the entire underside of the vehicle behind the rear axle. Last time I looked, some were still available. Pricey, but well worth it if it prevents the destruction of the $1K canister assembly.

I installed one on my '14, and documented the installation process here:
https://www.fjcruiserforums.com/for...em-toyota-aluminum-rear-skid-plate-14-fj.html

The '13 and '14 models added a fuel-pump ECU to control fuel pump speed, so I had to re-locate the ECU because it interfered with the mounting of the forward crossmember that's added to support the front edge of the skidplate.

No modifications are needed for earlier FJs without the fuel pump ECU.

Coming around a very tight switchback at the '17 Summit, my passenger-side rear tire dropped into a deep washout at the exact same time that a pumpkin-sized rock was passing under the rear of the vehicle. The skid plate came down HARD on the rock, right at the trailing edge. The plate got slightly dented, but undoubtedly saved my rear bumper cover from getting torn off. Had the rock been 18 inches to the left, my canister would potentially have been at risk.

5 minutes with a 20-ton press easily straightened the plate back to as-new condition.
I wouldn’t be able to use the OE skid because of my @Iconic_ Fab bumper - no mounting spots. Also it’s a high departure setup and the OE skid sitting below the bumper would get in the way. I do appreciate you both telling me about this option -didn’t know such a thing exsisted! Thinking about using a smaller steel plate fabbed to wrap just around the cannister.
 
#7 ·
For the '08 TT models, Toyota offered an optional, very robust aluminum rear skidplate that covered the entire underside of the vehicle behind the rear axle. Last time I looked, some were still available. Pricey, but well worth it if it prevents the destruction of the $1K canister assembly.

I installed one on my '14, and documented the installation process here:
https://www.fjcruiserforums.com/for...em-toyota-aluminum-rear-skid-plate-14-fj.html

The '13 and '14 models added a fuel-pump ECU to control fuel pump speed, so I had to re-locate the ECU because it interfered with the mounting of the forward crossmember that's added to support the front edge of the skidplate.

No modifications are needed for earlier FJs without the fuel pump ECU.

Coming around a very tight switchback at the '17 Summit, my passenger-side rear tire dropped into a deep washout at the exact same time that a pumpkin-sized rock was passing under the rear of the vehicle. The skid plate came down HARD on the rock, right at the trailing edge. The plate got slightly dented, but undoubtedly saved my rear bumper cover from getting torn off. Had the rock been 18 inches to the left, my canister would potentially have been at risk.

5 minutes with a 20-ton press easily straightened the plate back to as-new condition.
 
#11 ·
Due to a tragic turn of events Deb no longer has a factory rear bumper crossmember. :rofl: Buying something off the shelf will be tricky for you but I bet the OEM skid could be modified to work alright with all my parts including recovery points.
 
#18 ·
"why is the charcoal canister made out of plastic ?"

they all are (whole industry)

Strange fact: with the emissions regulations now requiring compliance through 10 years, gas tanks, which have been made of steel since forever, are now all made from plastic because only it can hold up and remain vapor barrier capable for long enough.
 
#23 ·
"So they’re plastic just because the whole industry builds them that way? But why.....?"

I guess I wasn't clear enough in my original explanation: they are all plastic now because that is the only material which can last long enough.

steel corrodes, eventually, but the plastic that is used to make the tanks from maintains its vapor barrier far longer
 
#24 · (Edited)
More likely it's related to the cost-effectiveness of mass-produced, injection-molded plastic components. A robotic TIG welded, fabricated stainless-steel canister housing could be produced in production quantities for ~$60 and would have a functional life of 50+ years. An injection-molded plastic housing can be made for ~$8 and have a functional life of 15+ years, assuming that you don't crush it while rock-crawling, or burn a hole in it with a defective exhaust system.

Both designs would meet all the functional requirements; which one is more cost-effective?
 
#26 ·
It's technically a wear and tear item, exposed to the elements, sometimes the canisters gunk up, etc. Whether you make them steel, plastic, it's possible it will need rebuilding/ replacement so I say, smash away.

If you're really concerned, just make a bash/ skid plate for the canister itself since an extra layer of protection is all you'll need. You can fab one out of scrap
 
#28 ·
It is tempting to think that plastic would be cheaper than steel, and that metal would be superior to plastic, because that is usually how it is.

But in this case, for fuel tanks, though it seems counterintuitive at first, the opposite is true.

I was there when we made the transition at Toyota, I work in the same department with them and went through the same kind of Scooby Doo "Haruuu?" when confronted with the facts.

The cost of a steel fuel tank was significantly less than one of these modern, space-age, NASA tech molded fuel tanks. Heck, the resin they are molded out of has something like 7 different layers, made up of different materials, each performing a specific role. Setting up the tooling to mold a new one is unbelievably difficult and process intensive.

Steel would have cost less, and been far easier to produce. Toyota made the steel ones all in-house, locally at each plant, making them insanely cheap. But, even out of stainless they couldn't meet the regulations so were all phased out and higher cost, molded resin tanks replaced them.

As a side benefit, the plastic tanks are slightly more burst-proof on impact (they can deform further before beginning to split).


Getting back to the charcoal canister, you all are right: they are plastic, and have been made out of plastic since 1971 when they were first adopted, simply because they are cheaper to make that way. Originally, they were located in the engine compartment, well out of harm's way. It is only recently (like, since '05 or so) that they grew in size (to meet the LEVII regulations) and had to be moved to be near the fuel tank due to packaging limitations.


Of course, none of this is unique to Toyota, the whole industry has adopted similar tech to meet the ever more challenging regulations to deal with pollution.


Norm (Toyota engineer for 28 years) Kerr
:)
 
#29 ·
Thanks Norm that’s really interesting background! And to further the point on plastic on the fuel tank, the OE plastic skid is terrific at bouncing back, and not piercing the tank. No interest in a steel tank skid. I get it about plastic for the canister and keeping production costs down, but wonder now about the mounting location...couldn’t it have been positioned against the chassis but with better protection from a crossmember or something? It’s current location just screams “hit me” :rofl:
 
#30 · (Edited)
#31 ·
Good thought! Makes sense to mount it on the two adjacent support members. Thanks for the suggestion :smile And while it’s a relatively infrequent occurance, with the advent of my high departure angle bumper I’ve been tackling more extreme drop offs and rock gardens that place rocks more in the canister vicinity :grin No need for senseless destruction when a simple plate will prevent it!
 
#34 ·
I was working on a box to cover it. IDK. I'll look at it some more tomorrow and see if my idea will work. Is protection there necessary? No. But it is piece of mind and cheap insurance. Plus I live for modifying the FJ in different ways.

You guys could just get body lifts. Mine is 1.5" taller than all of yours. :rofl:
 
#35 ·
I don't believe the rear factory skid mounts to the bumper.... it has mounting point before it reaches the bumper and just sat below the bumper. I've removed mine to save on weight in the back... at some point I'll likely put it back on but I will have to tweak it a bit due to the Exp1 rear bumper.
(this is going off memory as it's been a few years now... the skid has been sitting in the corner or my garage for a bit)
 
#36 ·
My 2008 Trail Teams was the one year that all TTSEs came with that factory rear skid and after reading this thread I'm glad I still have mine! It works in conjunction with my ARB rear bumper and like Winterpeg said, I don't believe it mounts to the actual bumper. So you may be able to get it to work Deb!
 
#37 ·
My charcoal canister is smaller than yours, and is mounted in the engine bay aft of the fuse box.
i see no reason why you couldn't just bolt a piece of Al plate between the chassis rails to protect the delicate bits there. I of course have an OEM 80L aux tank wrapped in a steel skid in that location...

:)
 
#47 ·
Hi Deb,
You are correct, in order to meet LEVII emissions it was necessary to greatly increase the volume of the charcoal canister, for which there simply wasn't room in the encopa (Japanese for "engine compartment"). So, it was moved to where plenty of space was.

At the same time, the little pump, and the periodic self sealing check were also adopted, as per the regulation.

I wouldn't be surprised if the one in the Prado (Lexus GX in this country) had it in a similar location but possibly better protected. Remember that the FJ was rather hastily developed off of the Prado and certain compromises were made (small gas tank, etc.).

N
 
#54 ·
Cool idea, to insert hitch from the back! Or even design something specifically to protect the canister that’s mounted this way. Hmmmmmm.... In the short term, before any specific skid is built it would be easy enough to swap direction of the hitch if I know I’ll be wheeling in a boulder garden, which is where I’ve been most nervous about crunching the canister.
 
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