My '05 has 55k on it. It was built in April 2005 and has an S in the eighth place in the VIN. Bought it last Summer. This is the part number on the current OPDA. Is this the original or has it been replaced?
What is the OPDA and do I need to change mine?
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
I should have done more research before I asked but now I see the Crown part has same part number so I still dont know if its Mopar or a replacement.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NEW6GTA/?tag=wranglerorg-20
That looks a lot like mine, same sticker (my Crown replacement does not have it) - I am fairly confident that's stock and worth spending the 45 minutes and $100 to replace it (of course, remember to keep the OEM sensor). If nothing else, get to TDC and pull it out to check the gears on it. If they are worn, shine the light into the opening and check the cam gear too.
I should have been even more clear, the stock part has the same part number as the Crown replacement, at least according to the amazon page and my parts list. Sounds like I need to replace it though. Thanks!
MountaineerTom
LJ Enthusiast, Retired USAF Weapons Loader
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overthehill
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Welp. Wish I had read these posts sooner. '06 LJ with 70k miles threw error code P0016 Crankshaft Position - Camshaft Position Correlation (Bank 1 Sensor A) - DTC Code. Brought in to dealer and the ODP (OEM replaced with a 2014 build date code dealer says) gear is toast, the washer ate away and killed the camshaft. They want over $3k to repair the cam and lifters, or $7k to replace the whole engine. I'm thinking of going with stroker longblock instead. Anyone with more information of doing this type of thing?
Welcome. Hell of a first post
, sorry to hear you are having these problems. The OEM design of the OPDA on the 05-06 is definitely a weak spot. Most that need a rebuild look at everything from R&R'ing the camshaft on their own to replacement HEMI's with side by side PCM's etc. Personally, I think a replacement stroker is a solid middle of the road option since it is a straightforward "drop in" and keeps the TJ with its 4.0 heritage. I think 4k for an engine and 3k to install sounds about right to me if a dealer does a typical engine replacement. If mine ever bites the dust (knocks on wood), a stroker is likely what I would do. While it would be nice, I really don't need a 400HP HEMI engine in my TJ! That said, there are pros and cons to all the routes one could take. I like what I see with the Golen 4.6 strokers, but I don't have any first or second hand experience with them. They are also very expensive compared to some of the other 4.0 replacement options. I guess you are paying for the valve cover, other goodies they throw in, along with their experience and warranty. I'd probably be inclined to find a builder that can do something similar for me at a lower cost, or try to do it myself with the engine still in the Jeep if possible.
Have you been able to inspect the OPDA gear and matching camshaft gear wear yourself? Any pics? When I experienced the P0016 on my 05 last year, I immediately replaced the OEM OPDA (LDI Inc.) with the Crown unit. My 05 was a later build and was not in the OPDA recall. It had 103k at the time. My OPDA gear showed a little wear, nothing major, and the shaft had a little play which was causing the wearing issue and the code to pop. My camshaft looked OK from what I could see without removing it. I believe the OPDA gear took the brunt of it (as designed). I've driven around 2k since then on the Crown OPDA without issues, but I do plan to remove and inspect the OPDA every 5000 miles or so to keep tabs on it (every 2 to 3 years for me), unless I hear something funny or pop codes before that.
One other note: About 6 months after the OPDA replacement, I've also added a thin shim (foil washer I made) to pull the camshaft sensor back away from the OPDA tone wheel a tad bit (~0.001-.003"). In very cold weather (0-5 degrees), I was getting a P0344 (Camshaft Position Sensor Circuit Intermittent) on start. After warm, no issues. This is because the tolerances are so tight and the OPDA shaft (with tone wheel) likely wobbles ever so slightly on startup in this drastic condition. Also, the aftermarket camshaft sensors and the newer Mopar sensors to some extent, also have problems operating in the cold without throwing this code. On higher mileage engines, sometimes tolerances become off just a bit and adjustments like this become required (unless you want to rebuild the engine). I've seem manufacturers selling these shims for similar camshaft and/or crankshaft sensors due to the "old age" out of tolerance conditions. This is our only option since we can't adjust the cam sensor "air gap" on the 4.0L.
mgroeger
TJ Enthusiast
Just met a guy today with a '05 LJ Rubi and we got to talking about this topic. We told/showed me he had replaced his.
I have an '04 LJ with, what appears to be a completely different opda on it.
My question is this, I am randomly having my oil pressure gauge tank and bounce around on me. Others have said they are known for that and that it's the sensor.
I noticed that after I changed my oil and went with 5w-30 (114k on engine and really freaking hot here in the summer) it almost completely stopped the bouncing gauge.
Now it will happen very randomly. When the gauge doesn tank the idle is effected a very little bit.
Would it be wise to replace the opda or just the gauge sensor?
Also are your 4.0L engines "chatty" almost "knocky" especially at cold start up?
I have an '04 LJ with, what appears to be a completely different opda on it.
My question is this, I am randomly having my oil pressure gauge tank and bounce around on me. Others have said they are known for that and that it's the sensor.
I noticed that after I changed my oil and went with 5w-30 (114k on engine and really freaking hot here in the summer) it almost completely stopped the bouncing gauge.
Now it will happen very randomly. When the gauge doesn tank the idle is effected a very little bit.
Would it be wise to replace the opda or just the gauge sensor?
Also are your 4.0L engines "chatty" almost "knocky" especially at cold start up?
mgroeger
TJ Enthusiast
One other thing to note. Months ago I did have the chirping/squeal described by some in this thread. It happened a handful of times at cold startup in the fall/winter and has never happened since. It did sound like it was coming from the opda when I popped the hood and poked around.
OP
4.0s are known for lifter tick on start-up, it's pretty common.
Your issue with the oil gauge sounds like either a bad sending unit, or an oil pump that is on it's way out, not a bad OPDA.
That could be the OPDA, but also might be a serpentine belt. Pull the OPDA out and inspect the worm drive gear on the end of it. It's easy, and will tell you very quickly what sort of condition it's in.
lucky 13 years since the 4.0L went out of production. I'd bet either someone already did the change or no, unless you have one of those 30K mile unicorns..... yer fine.
Correct. They can still fail on the older TJs, but the older OPDA design allows for better oiling of the OPDA shaft bushing and is less prone to failures. It seems like when I hear about the older ones failing, they tend to have a lot of miles on them (150k+ etc.). For the newer ones, there was a TSB (or maybe a recall, I can’t remember) with a VIN range that affected many of the 05’s. However, the 06’s and 05’s not affected by this still have more issues than TJs with the older OPDA design.
Welcome. Hell of a first post
Have you been able to inspect the OPDA gear and matching camshaft gear wear yourself? Any pics?
Ok, so update on this. I just had the dealer install a new OPDA. It had already been changed once, and I figured putting a new one in, despite the camshaft gear worn, would at least tighten up the tolerances, and I was right. I've taken the top off the jeep, and just figured I'd drive it around until it completely failed. So far going on 2k miles. I'm tempted to just to a camshaft swap myself, and even install a bronze gear on the OPDA and just change it every so often. With that said, I do have some money in the stroker piggy bank. Will keep saving it up. No real time to build one myself currently.
OP