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

For anyone who's interested, here's a 1-minute video of the "laughing monkey" squeal of the OPDA gone bad. Looks like you need to listen to location, since a bad serpentine belt idler pulley or belt tensioner can also make a similar squeal, but from the front of the engine.
 
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Yes, if you hear that noise DO NOT put it off. It could be catastrophic.
 
Chris, I'm glad you got your ass in gear and finally replaced it!

was I right or was I right?

Did you have to try a few times before getting it 100% correct? Manually cranking the damn engine was a total PITA, especially when you overdo it by just a hair and have to crank it all the way over again! Ahhhhhhhhh!

Did you get thrown into limp mode?

Right when I thought I was golden,
LIMP MODE. *pulled out hair*

Finally just the smallest adjustment of the OPDA, I think I turned it less than a centimeter clockwise and it was good to go.
 
Chris, I'm glad you got your ass in gear and finally replaced it!

was I right or was I right?

Did you have to try a few times before getting it 100% correct? Manually cranking the damn engine was a total PITA, especially when you overdo it by just a hair and have to crank it all the way over again! Ahhhhhhhhh!

Did you get thrown into limp mode?

Right when I thought I was golden,
LIMP MODE. *pulled out hair*

Finally just the smallest adjustment of the OPDA, I think I turned it less than a centimeter clockwise and it was good to go.

No, I got super lucky I guess and got it in without zero hassle whatsoever. It literally just went right in. Lucky me!?
 
I replaced the OPDA on my '05 Wrangler X on 04/19 with a new Crown Automotive 53010624AC model at 81,595 miles. I followed the video and the swap out went smoothly - I aligned everything, used the plastic pin, have good oil pressure and no leaks. I drove the Jeep back and forth to work a few times and it ran fine. After several drives and about 60 miles total I experienced a sudden surge / drop off of power when exiting the highway to park for the train to work. The check engine light came on and it idled poorly in 2nd gear for about 5 min., but did OK in 3rd. I limped into a parking lot and it started driving OK again. I did the key check and and found it was displaying a P0344 error (Camshaft Position Sensor Intermittent Interruption Bank 1 Sensor 1). After work, I was able to drive it home fine with no problems. I verified the P0344 error with a code reader.

Any ideas? Was there anything I should have done to prep the new OPDA - I basically just lined everything up, pulled the old one out, slid the new one in and bolted it down. I no longer have the old OPDA, but did think to keep the plastic pin in my parts box, so I can pull the new one. Thanks for any advice.
 
Thanks both Jerry and Chris. Of course I threw out the original unit a day before the problem arose. I'll call Morris 4x4 and see if they'll send me a new sensor or a new Crown OPDA under warranty.

Chris - You might want to edit the original post of this chain to add a note about that, since the Crown unit is specifically referenced as the one that fixes the original OPDA design defect. Though, I guess this chain accomplishes that. Appreciate the help.
 
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

We recently bought a 2004 Wrangler (lots of discussion on this forum regarding pulling behind RV), and I have an "S" in the 8th VIN position. I guess I should start worrying. 66k miles. Crap.
 
We recently bought a 2004 Wrangler (lots of discussion on this forum regarding pulling behind RV), and I have an "S" in the 8th VIN position. I guess I should start worrying. 66k miles. Crap.

Don't worry too much. I think there's far more people who haven't experienced an OPDA issue than those who have experienced it.

The reason you read about all the OPDA issues all the time is simple: People rarely ever get online to brag about reliability and all the problems they haven't had. Most people get online to ask for advice, help, or complain about problems they are having with their TJ. That being said, it may seem like crap tons of people are having OPDA issues (and I have no doubt there are a lot of them), but I will say that I'm willing to bet the percentage of people who aren't having OPDA problems, outweighs the people who are.

Mine has 76k miles on the factory OPDA (near as I can tell), and it doesn't have any sign or symptom of it being bad at all.

Keep an eye on yours, make sure it doesn't start making noise (the moment it does, change it out), and if you want to prevent a possible catastrophe, order up the revised / upgraded OPDA here: Jeep Wrangler TJ Crown Automotive OPDA
 
Newbie here .....
Will be purchasing an '04 TJ Sport tomorrow. Listed in the 'build sheet' for this vehicle is ..... Upgraded OBD-II Connectors
Question: Does this listed 'upgrade' have anything to do with the oil pump drive problem discussed in this thread ?
Thank you,
HL
 
Newbie here .....
Will be purchasing an '04 TJ Sport tomorrow. Listed in the 'build sheet' for this vehicle is ..... Upgraded OBD-II Connectors
Question: Does this listed 'upgrade' have anything to do with the oil pump drive problem discussed in this thread ?
Thank you,
HL

OBD II stands for On-Board Diagnostics 2. It's the on-board computer on all newer vehicles that monitors operation, controls ignition timing and other things. The Connector is under the steering wheel to the door side. It has nothing to do with the OPDA. If you don't hear screeching, you probably don't need to to be overly concerned about the OPDA. If you do, don't ignore it. I replaced mine out of an over abundance of caution and because I have been using my TJ to better learn auto mechanics and wanted a project. The swap-out was straight forward with the help of the video. However my new unit had a faulty sensor. Crown replaced the sensor free of charge, but in hind site, I should have pulled the sensor off the original unit to have as a spare. Good luck with your new TJ.
 
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Newbie here .....
Will be purchasing an '04 TJ Sport tomorrow. Listed in the 'build sheet' for this vehicle is ..... Upgraded OBD-II Connectors
Question: Does this listed 'upgrade' have anything to do with the oil pump drive problem discussed in this thread ?
Thank you,HL
That 2004 is good to go as is, it does not have the OPDA issue that only happens with 2005-2006 4.0L engines.
 
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Has anyone on here had a problem with the OPDA/cam gears actually grinding, and did the crown unit fix it, for good?
I had a dealership replace my cam and OPDA last year. No laughing monkey noise, just the CEL. I got 15000 miles on the 24000 mile warranty and the cam gear was destroyed. They denied the warranty saying it was my oil pump that caused the failure. Instead of having them replace it again for $3000, I got a remanufactured engine, installed it with a new Dorman OPDA, I used this because that's what the dealership put on(I know). Well, after a 1000 miles I pulled the assembly and found that the gears are already severely damaged. Now I have another remanufactured engine coming, but i don't want to r and r the engine only to start chewing up a new cam. The company supplying the reman has been extremely cooperative. They have offered to transfer the warranty if I trade it in within a month, they have already shipped a replacement, but I'm not sure I want to go through the trouble. I'd like to hear from somebody that has had the same problem and a definitive answer on the fix.
17155502_760547010766419_683704982799720009_n.jpg
 
Has anyone on here had a problem with the OPDA/cam gears actually grinding, and did the crown unit fix it, for good?
I had a dealership replace my cam and OPDA last year. No laughing monkey noise, just the CEL. I got 15000 miles on the 24000 mile warranty and the cam gear was destroyed. They denied the warranty saying it was my oil pump that caused the failure. Instead of having them replace it again for $3000, I got a remanufactured engine, installed it with a new Dorman OPDA, I used this because that's what the dealership put on(I know). Well, after a 1000 miles I pulled the assembly and found that the gears are already severely damaged. Now I have another remanufactured engine coming, but i don't want to r and r the engine only to start chewing up a new cam. The company supplying the reman has been extremely cooperative. They have offered to transfer the warranty if I trade it in within a month, they have already shipped a replacement, but I'm not sure I want to go through the trouble. I'd like to hear from somebody that has had the same problem and a definitive answer on the fix.
View attachment 12549

Wow, you must have some really bad luck! Most of the guys I hear with OPDA issues have resolved the issue after putting in the Crown OPDA. From what I've read, the Crown OPDA has some design features that differ from the Dorman OPDA (and the OE Mopar one as well) that make it the right choice for a replacement, trouble free OPDA. Of course, you can't quote me on that entirely, as I haven't compared the units side-by-side, so I wouldn't know for certain. I am just going off of what others have said.

I know that I replaced mine with the Crown OPDA and never had an issue. It sounds to me like there's an issue with tolerances between the OPDA and the cam gear or something.
 
Put it in neutral and get a huge socket and breaker bar in the crank pulley I assume?
I put mine in neutral and did it with a regular 3/4 wrench. There should be a notch in the crank pulley and a needle like pointer fixed to the block. Just line the two up.
 
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I'm not getting any monkey noise from my OPDA but I did pull it to replace the gasket between it and the block, I was leaking oil bad there... I did not replace the OPDA, just the gasket. Put everything back together properly, drove for a day and my my check engine light is on. All the gears on the OPDA looked good just off visual inspection but the shaft itself has a little up and down play, is this normal?
Autozone pluged in their scanner and came up with P0016 code: crankshaft/camshaft timing misalignment. I'm at a loss as I was good with TDC and drove for a day without a check engine light.

image.jpg
 
I'm not getting any monkey noise from my OPDA but I did pull it to replace the gasket between it and the block, I was leaking oil bad there... I did not replace the OPDA, just the gasket. Put everything back together properly, drove for a day and my my check engine light is on. All the gears on the OPDA looked good just off visual inspection but the shaft itself has a little up and down play, is this normal?
Autozone pluged in their scanner and came up with P0016 code: crankshaft/camshaft timing misalignment. I'm at a loss as I was good with TDC and drove for a day without a check engine light.

As impossible as it sounds, I think your timing is off. Either that or one of your sensors (Camshaft or Crankshaft) decided to crap out coincidentally.
 
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