New Wrangler Forum Member

David Jackman

David Jackman

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Apr 9, 2016
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Hello! New to the formum. We don't have a Jeep yet but we are looking for one to pull behind the RV. We are looking for 2000-2006 Wrangler. Can I pull auto/trans Jeep? What kind of hook up to y'all recommend? How do I make the Jeep help the RV stop? How about making the brake/turn signals work when being pulled by the RV? Told y'all I was a noobie.

David
 
An auto Jeep can definitely be flat-towed behind your RV and welcome to the forum David. Keep in mind you'll need to have the transmission in Park (yes), transfer case in Neutral, and ignition unlocked so the wheels can turn to follow the RV. I'd stick with a '97 to '04 Wranglers, there are problems with the 05-06 oil pump drive assembly that aren't all that easy to completely resolve. There are wiring setups using diodes to allow the TJ's tail lights to be used but personally I'd just get magnetic tail lights and use them.

Good luck finding a good TJ for toad duties! :)
 
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Thanks, Jerry. That's good info. I'll re-arrange my shopping criteria. We don't plan on going off road or trail blazing. Just want to enjoy the scenery when we travel. We are pulling a trike motorcycle right now, but we are going through another "change of lifestyle". Thanks for the response.

David
 
I pull my 05 with very little issues. I did hard wire my lights because I didn't like messing with the magnets and for what ever reason I had one come off. That drug the other one off and destroyed both of them. Blue Ox makes a wiring adapter as do several other companies.
Make sure that whatever tow bar set up you go with that the bar is as close to level when hooked up as you can get it. If not the bar can be pulled off the ball. Don't ask me how I know that! It was an expensive lesson.
If a manual TC in neutral and the tranny in the highest gear.
Have fun. We have towed our for over 60,000 miles using three different kinds of towers.
 
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Thanks, guys. I just watched that video about changing the OPDA. It didn't look too bad. Even if I had to have it done, $200-$300 is a lot less expensive than a new or rebuilt engine. I can already see there is more good info on this site than I can ever absorb. I'll be back often with more questions. This is going to be interesting.

I have been surfing the net for used Jeeps. The two problems I have encountered are (1) high mileage and (2) too many on the market are set up for "trail" ready. I"m not trail ready. If I get too far off a paved road, I have made a wrong turn somewhere. We are looking for something fairly dependable and will be used mostly for sight seeing around the country and state and national parks. It's gonna be fun!
 
Regardless of what that video said, I personally would still limit my choices to avoid 2005—06 4.0 engines. The OPDA kits from Dorman and Crown are not guaranteed to permanently fix that issue.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Regardless of what that video said, I personally would still limit my choices to avoid 2005—06 4.0 engines. The OPDA kits from Dorman and Crown are not guaranteed to permanently fix that issue.
Click to expand...
The OPDA issue is the principle reason I decided to swap engines. Dealer replaced two under warranty and it was starting to show signs that another was going to be needed soon.
I had 4.2. 258 in a 91 YJ that, once I ditched the carberator in favor of a Howell throttle body injection, was better that my 05 4 liter. IMHO
 
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So then the issue with the 05-06 engine isn't as simple as replacing the OPDA? If that's the case, and the OPDA being swapped to a new one isn't the issue, then what is the issue?
 
Chris this was the era the 4.0 was being phased out. The tooling for the 4.0 was wearing out and of course whoever,owned Jeep then wasn't going to invest in new tooling for a soon to be gone engine. From what I have been able to glean from others that are much more familiar with this issue than I all of the clearance tolerances were as on the money as previous years?
 
I guess I am just lost.

The engine in a 2004 doesn't have the OPDA issue. However, the engine in the 05-06 does.

So why can't I just take an OPDA from a 2004 (since it doesn't have the issue) and put it in a 05-06 engine and be good to go?

Then I would have the OPDA from a vehicle prior to the OPDA issues, and if the OPDA is indeed the issue on the 05-06, that should fix it.

If that 04 OPDA (or one of the Crown replacements) doesn't resolve the OPDA issue, then that means it can't be the OPDA that is the issue to begin with, and it must be something else.

That's where the confusion is on my part.

Maybe @Jerry Bransford knows?
 
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