No jumping... Both of these guys were on intermediate trails (light wheeling). They are certainly not rough on there rigs at all. Under normal flex the artec truss will hit the upper edge (aluminum) of the 3.6l pentastar motors. You need to notch the edge of the top plate back flush with the rear vertical plate right under the "upper" oil pan.

 

Here are pics from both Jeeps that got damaged by the Artec Truss on the 3.6 engine. This occurred on each vehicle the very first time they went out after the truss was installed (approx 2 mos apart). We had to use epoxy on the cracks to get them home. Notice in the second pic where we ended up trimming the top of the truss so it wouldn't hit any more.






FYI - I just sent these to Artec and will update with there response.

Response from Artec below:

Ticket status: Completed

Department: General

Subject: Artec Truss hitting upper oil pan on 3.6 pentastar motors

John,

Yes, the space in the JK is very tight and it why we have disclaimers on the product page and instructions to verify clearances.

We suggest extended bumpstops to help stop the contact, but a trim may work provided it does not compromise the integrity of the truss.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Artec Industries

 

This thread was brought to my attention and I wanted to come here to make sure these issues were addressed properly.


The truss for the JK provides a ton of strength and adds durability to the axle, but as this thread has gone over can be a problem on some instances.

We have tried to provide as much relevant information on our product page and even gone as far as highlighting the notes that there may be clearance issues due to the tight space in the JK. Unfortunately sometimes this is still missed and proper care is not made to ensure there is sufficient clearance between the truss and oilpan.


If any of you have some suggestions on how we can better present these warnings we are open to ideas to help your fellow Jeepers. Please reply here and I will make sure I get notifications.

Thank you.

 

Hey thats a good looking truss

 

I only saw a warning about running this with "no lift".

 

I'll be honest in saying that you should have checked clearances before taking it Offroad -but- Not everyone has the knowledge or "common sense" (no offense intended). If reading the notes on your page, it does, in fact, say to check clearances - IF INSTALLED ON A JEEP WITH NO LIFT. Now this is one of those things similar to the old lady and McDonald's coffee, where she spilled it on herself and sued for millions- and actually won- because there was no "HOT!" Warning on the cup. I think it is what it is. I don't believe it's artec's fault this happened nor should they be held responsible, but I do think this is a learning experience and Artec should update their site and directions saying to check clearances regardless of lift size, although there is a greater chance of contact without a lift.

Edit--
And then I reread the OP's original post and seen where he stated the damage occurred on a jeep with NO lift. I still hold strong to my opinion that it should have a note saying to check clearances regardless of lift height, but in this instance that point is moot.

 

Agreed, the warning seems that you should only be concerned with "no lift" and should be ok with "minor lifts".

In this thread 3 jeeps have been damaged with a lot more than "minor lifts"

1st - 4-6" long arm lift
2nd - 4" short arm lift
3rd - 4.5" short arm

If the truss over hang is just trimmed back to the weld it should prevent damage and my suggestion would be that everyone installing this on a 3.6 "MUST TRIM" this during install (as shown in previous pics)

 

I recently just busted my upper oil pan as well from the Artec Truss on my 2013. I like the company and customer service from this group. I currently have a 4 -6" long arm lift from Teraflex and 3.5" coil and Fox 2.0 shocks. I hit a bump in a construction zone at 15 mph (recommended speed from construction zone) of everything I have put my jeep through this little bump busted my upper pan. Currently the jeep is getting a new pan. I have bump stops on top extended for the 3.5" lift. I never had a problem till I went with the long arm kit. the installer who did the long arm, should have said something and tested the suspension prior to returning the Jeep to me. Along with some other stuff I found after the install. I will not recommend this person to anyone. If someone has pics of their trussed where they shaved it could you please post it. I plan on shaving mine and getting better and big bump stops.

 

If you look at the top piece of the truss in this picture you will see how we trimmed the overhang back to the weld. This was enough to clear the upper oil pan.

 

I've read all the posts in this thread a couple of times, and was worried that my pan must be destroyed by now since I've been wheeling for over a year with my Artec truss on my D30 on my '12 two door.
Just a note I have the early triple rate RockKrawler 2.5 X Factor lift in my rig with 3" bumps. I initially got close to 4" of lift, and am still over 3 with some heavy crap on it. Not even a scratch on the pan.
I do have the front axle pushed forward just a bit, though. It appears(sitting in the driveway that I have almost 1" of clearance forward of the front edge though....???🙃