What is the OPDA and do I need to change mine?

Chris

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One of the most common issues with the 4.0 engine in the later model Wrangler TJs is the OPDA (oil pump drive assembly). The factory OPDA is designed with two oil impregnated bronze bushings separated by an oil seal. The upper bushing is cut off from lubrication by that seal, resulting in premature failure. Over time, radial movement develops in the shaft. Eventually, the complete assembly and camshaft will fail.

Jeep / Chrysler is well aware of the OPDA issue with these cars as they issued the E05 recall for some of the 2005 model 4.0 engines due to premature oil pump drive gear wear. This recall involved engines that were built between 10/20/2004 and 02/01/2005. However, don't be fooled by the recall dates as there are many owners of 2006 models (and even the years prior to 2005) that have experienced OPDA issues, including complete failure.

A worn oil pump drive assembly will show symptoms, such as a check engine light or a squeaking noise coming from the oil pump drive assembly itself (some people describe the noise as a loud screeching sound or something similar to a laughing barrel of monkeys).

The fact of the matter however is this is no laughing matter. Ignoring a bad OPDA can and will result in catastrophic engine failure which will put you in the hole for thousands of dollars. On the contrary, a replacement OPDA is only a bit more than $100, and it's a very easy thing to change out as well.

If you recently purchased a used Wrangler TJ one of the first things you should think about doing is to change out the OPDA with the redesigned Crown Automotive OPDA, regardless of what year your Wrangler TJ is.

The reengineered Crown OPDA moves the seal above the upper bushings, allowing oil to lubricate it. An oil channel was also added to the shaft to increase overall lubrication to the area.

You can purchase the Crown OPDA here

The video below perfectly demonstrates step-by-step how to change out the OPDA.

 
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So years ago I was concerned about the OPDA issue. I found a Chrysler/Jeep 1-800 number and after telling them my serial number I was told my '05TJR had been upgraded to eliminate my concern with a recall in '07. They also updated my contact info so any future concerns could be sent to me, the current owner.

No doubt the industry has built a niche market serving the fear we all have of catastrophic engine failure. 160K miles later my TJR is running strong.

Not to minimize the issue. But a call to Chrysler might prove the issue has been addressed.
 
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So years ago I was concerned about the OPDA issue. I found a Chrysler/Jeep 1-800 number and after telling them my serial number I was told my '05TJR had been upgraded to eliminate my concern with a recall in '07. They also updated my contact info so any future concerns could be sent to me, the current owner.

No doubt the industry has built a niche market serving the fear we all have of catastrophic engine failure. 160K miles later my TJR is running strong.

Not to minimize the issue. But a call to Chrysler might prove the issue has been addressed.

The only issue I have with this is that Chrysler most likely just replaced the OPDA with another new Mopar OPDA.

I don't know for certain, but I am fairly sure that Chrysler never actually redesigned the OPDA like the Crown Automotive one. So, in other words they may have just put another faulty OPDA in there. However, that could still yield 100k miles or so since some OPDAs (even on the affected vehicles) never even had issues at all.
 
It was a recall. I doubt the repair put in the same part. And 8 years with that upgrade I have no issues. I think most of the guys with OPDA issues have problems before 160K miles.

Not to criticize the Crown part but I think the industry is preying on fear of a blown engine. My point is.. find out if the issue has been addressed before spending money to do it again.
 
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Not to criticize the Crown part but I think the industry is preying on fear of a blown engine. My point is.. find out if the issue has been addressed before spending money to do it again.

I'm sure you're correct about that one. I have 76k miles on my original OPDA and no issues whatsoever. I have the Crown one sitting in my garage just to replace it, but in the meantime I've run into no issues.

I know that the OPDA issue however is one of the biggest 'issues' with the 4.0 engine. I don't consider it to be much of an issue since it's easy to fix, but if someone was purchasing a used TJ I would tell them to listen to the OPDA and make sure it doesn't sound like a laughing barrel of monkeys.

Last think you need is your OPDA failing, that would be a very expensive fix!
 
Chrysler never redesigned the OPDA, that's why Crown and Dorman stepped in. If your OPDA was replaced by a Jeep dealer in 2007, it has an OPDA that could potentially have a catastrophic failure. The issue is overblown and lots (most) people probably won't have any issues but I consider it a cheap insurance policy. I think I got my Crown for around $100 and installed it myself.

A friend of mine had the laughing monkeys. I helped him replace his OPDA with the Crown and it fixed it right up. The gear on his OPDA as worn out badly. Mine wasn't as bad as his but it certainly showed abnormal wear.
 
My Rubicon has 75k miles on it and no history of the OPDA ever being changed. However, it's not loud at all. I simply bought the Crown OPDA as a cheap preventive maintenance measure. I have yet to install it, but I am planning on doing it soon.
 
My Rubicon has 75k miles on it and no history of the OPDA ever being changed. However, it's not loud at all. I simply bought the Crown OPDA as a cheap preventive maintenance measure. I have yet to install it, but I am planning on doing it soon.

Do it soon buddy! Some of them fail without any notice at all.

I read a lot... way too much about the OPDA before buying my LJ.
 
Do it soon buddy! Some of them fail without any notice at all.

I read a lot... way too much about the OPDA before buying my LJ.

I was going to do it this coming week. Seems like the hit and miss. Some people can have 200k on a stock one with no issues, while other people had laughing monkeys at 30k miles.
 
Here's the Chrysler announcement info I found and pulled from another Forum.

2005 JEEP WRANGLER Bulletin - Vehicle Safety TSB ID 9419
NHTSA Item Number: 10013784
Service Bulletin #: 05
Replacement #:
Vehicle/Equipment Make: JEEP
Vehicle/Eqipment Model: WRANGLER
Model Year: 2005
Mfg Component Code: 060000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
Date of Bulletin: 2005-03-01
Date Added: 2005-04-26
Summary: THE OIL PUMP DRIVE GEAR ON ABOUT 16,000 OF THE ABOVE VEHICLE MAY WEAR OUT PREMATURELY AND CAUSE ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO A LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE.

E05 MAR 2005 Campaign - Engine Oil Pump Drive Gear/Cam Replacement .

Revised June 2005

Dealer Service Instructions for:

Customer Satisfaction Notification E05
Oil Pump Drive Gear

A revised drive gear parts package has been released. The second roll pin hole must be drilled in the revised drive gear.

2005 (TJ) Jeep(R) Wrangler

NOTE : This notification applies only to the above vehicles equipped with a 4.0L eligible ("S" in the 8th VIN position) and an engine build code between 902944 (October 20, 2004) and 900325 (February 1, 2005).

IMPORTANT : Some of the involved vehicles may be in dealer vehicle inventory. Dealers should complete this repair on these vehicles before retail delivery. Dealers should also perform this repair on vehicles in for service. Involved vehicles can be determined by using the VIP inquiry process.

Subject

The oil pump drive gear on about 16,000 of the above vehicles may wear out prematurely and cause engine failure due to a loss of oil pressure.

Repair

The camshaft position sensor/oil pump drive assembly date code label must be inspected. Units within a specific date code range must have the drive gear replaced.

All unsold vehicles must have the oil pump drive gear replaced prior to retail delivery to eliminate the risk of engine failure due to premature oil pump drive gear wear. On sold vehicles, the cam/crank angle must also be checked with the DRB III scan tool. Engines found with excessive cam/crank angle must have the oil pump drive gear and the engine camshaft replaced.

Alternate Transportation

Dealers should attempt to minimize customer inconvenience by placing the owner in a loaner vehicle if inspection determines that an engine camshaft is required and the vehicle must be held overnight.

Parts Information

Special Tools

The Special Tools may be required to perform this service procedure.

Completion Reporting and Reimbursement

Claims for vehicles that have been serviced must be submitted on the DealerCONNECT Claim Entry Screen located on the Service tab. Claims submitted will be used by DaimlerChrysler to record Customer Satisfaction Notification service completions and provide dealer payments.

Use one of the labor operation numbers and time allowances shown.

Add the cost of the parts package plus applicable dealer allowance to your claim.

NOTE : See the Warranty Administration Manual, Recall Claim Processing Section, for complete claim processing instructions.

Dealer Notification

All dealers will receive a copy of this dealer notification letter by mail. Two additional copies will be sent through the DCMMS. This notification can be viewed on DealerCONNECT by selecting "Global Recall System" on the Service tab, then clicking on the description of this notification.

Owner Notification and Service Scheduling

All involved vehicle owners known to DaimlerChrysler are being notified of the service requirement by mail. They are requested to schedule appointments for this service with their dealers. A generic copy of the owner letter is included.

Enclosed with each owner letter is an Owner Notification postcard to allow owners to update our records if applicable.

Vehicle lists, Global Recall System, VIP and Dealer Follow UP

All involved vehicles have been entered into the DealerCONNECT Global Recall System (GRS) and Vehicle Information Plus (VIP) for dealer inquiry as needed.

GRS provides involved dealers with an updated VIN list of their incomplete vehicles. The owner's name, address and phone number are listed if known. Completed vehicles are removed from GRS within several days of repair claim submission.

To use this system, click on the "Service" tab and then click on "Global Recall System." Your dealer's VIN list for each recall displayed can be sorted by: those vehicles that were unsold at recall launch, those with a phone number, city, zip code, or VIN sequence.

Dealers should perform this repair on all unsold vehicles before retail delivery.

Dealers should also use the VIN list to follow up with all owners to schedule appointments for this repair.

VIN lists may contain confidential, restricted owner name and address information that was obtained from the Department of Motor Vehicles of various states. Use of this information is permitted for this notification only and is strictly prohibited from all other use.

Additional Information

If you have any questions or need assistance in completing this action, please contact your Service and Parts District Manager.

Customer Services Field Operations
DaimlerChrysler Corporation
 
I went to Jeep's website, opened a Chat and asked if my vehicle was affected. They had no record of the issue. I went back to them and asked for the build # of my engine. They told me it was the letter "S". I replied that it should be a 6-character #. They couldn't give it to me. I gave up on Jeep / Chrysler. That said, it's probably moot. One guy stated that his Chrysler-replaced OPDA failed with the issue after 20K miles, which brings one back to the main thread above.

BTW - It appears that it's really a "Engine date code". It's supposed to be stamped on the starboard side of the engine, but I couldn't find it on mine. Here's how the code is supposed to be setup.

1st Digit-The year (8 = 1998).
2nd & 3rd Digits-The month (01 - 12).
4th & 5th Digits-The engine type/fuel system/compression ratio (MX = A 4.0 Liter (242 CID) 8.7:1 compression ratio engine with a multi-point fuel injection system).
6th & 7th Digits-The day of engine build (01 - 31).
 
I was going to do it this coming week. Seems like the hit and miss. Some people can have 200k on a stock one with no issues, while other people had laughing monkeys at 30k miles.
Chris - Did you ever swap yours out? How did it go?
 
Chris - Did you ever swap yours out? How did it go?

I did. It was actually pretty easy following that video in the original post. Maybe a 1-2 hour job tops. Took me about an hour I would say.
 
With a few months of hind-site, how do you feel now about this importance-wise as preventative maintenance?
 
With a few months of hind-site, how do you feel now about this importance-wise as preventative maintenance?

Mine wasn't making any noise at all so it wasn't necessary. However, it is a 2005 so I wouldn't have skipped $80 over something that could potentially destroy the entire engine had it failed.
 
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Thanks. Will add it to my Spring 'to do" list. Nice to-the-point video. Only thing missing was a zoom-in on where he ratcheted the crank shaft.