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2005-06 Jeep OPDA_CPS_Distributor Failure

971K views 6K replies 527 participants last post by  ha1o2surfer 
#1 ·
This post is meant to consolidate the information originally found in these threads.

MAJOR UPDATE: 4/17/12: Video of porous upper bushing in Differences Section.
UPDATE: 4/13/12: Included brief explanation video of one of the alternate designs. It's added in the Alternate Designs section under the Oil Bath.
UPDATE: 4/11/12: Included Clocking video that shows how to align the OPDA for TDC removal in the Removal Section. Big thanks to Bigbob!

UPDATE: 4/5/12: Added link to 2002 Jeep OPDA with abnormal wear. The link is in this intro post below.
UPDATE: 2/25/12: Included Oil Flow Through Design in Alternate Designs Section.
UPDATE 2/21/12: Included OPDA replacement in Q&A Section.
UPDATE 12/22/11: Included links to Shell Rotella Oil to the Oils and Grease Section.
UPDATE 12/14/11: Included new Laughing Monkey video to the Problems Section. Video provided by DME.
UPDATE 12/10/11: Included additional link to Oil Cup Alternate in the Alternate Designed section below. I recommend this over the grease fitting.
Update 9/16/11: Cleaned up the links below. Added link to newest Poll.
Update 7/12/11: Cleaned up the Q&A section and added links to help navigate the 100+ page thread.
Update 4/27/11: Included additional section. Section 11: Alternate Designs. See below for more info.
Update 2/21/11: Included link to Crown correspondence for a replacement aftermarket OPDA.
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/new-opda-design-05-06-tjs-crown-1171313/#post11017999

Update 1/30/11: The sections below will be updated as we find more details and facts. At the top of each section I will include a BOLD Update notifier and a brief description. If you have a question regarding an update please let me know. I'm trying to make the first page easy to navigate. Also be aware that the Q&A section near the bottom will be updated with questions as I receive them. I may make small edits to conserve space, but I will like the original post in the Q&A for further review.

Section 1: What Is It?
Section 2: Problems
(Laughing Monkey Video)
Section 3: Differences
Section 4: Dissection
Section 5: Acquisition
Section 6: Removal
(Removal Video)
Section 7: Modification
Section 8: Oils and Grease
Section 9: Questions and Answers
Section 10: Results

Section 11: Alternate Designs

For those of you new to this problem, please understand that while the 2005-06 OPDA is flawed, the cam and lifter issues are wide spread over other model years. This is covered with the ZDDP and engine oil changes over the years.

First Discussion Thread!

First Discussion Thread Spreadsheet (Thanks RubiOR)

Laughing Monkey!

Registry!

Poll Thread!

Catastrophic Failure!

And for those of you who think you're not affected, below is a link to a 1999 distributor with the laughing monkey. (though as you'll read the 2005-06 is more susceptible due to the upper bushing problem)

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/name-noise-video-971819/

Here is a link to a 2002 with the same unusual wear of the 2005-06!
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/opda-failure-2002-a-1350053/

I will split the information up in sections.

Full Disclosure
The fixes and modifications on this subject were a group effort from members of this forum and supporting contacts. There is only a small amount of information regarding the results of these changes. I'll update as more information is provided.
Also, I'm not a tech guy so if there are some details that are omitted please let me know. The hope is to limit this thread to only a few pages of actual information regarding how to handle this problem.


 
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#2,251 ·
This is from earlier this yr.
Dorman has a complete ’04 OPDA with a gear that is supposed to work by re drilling it.
Rock Auto has them I think the # is DORMAN 689-200. It is called Camshaft Synchronizer. It is $32.


Not the same as the Crown gear.


Also note that for either gear you don't have to drill a new hole through (into) the shaft.
 
#2,256 ·
So you can remove the shaft and drill the bushing as part of the mod. You definitely want to go back to and re-read about it.
 
#2,257 ·
It's to FogMod it. Even though it's new, it still needs to be modded. I got the pin out by setting it on a 2x4 and punched the pin out.

To be honest, I don't even know if mine is going bad, I'm just doing this out of paranoia. I'm assuming it is because it's got over 100k miles on it.
 
#2,258 ·
I pulled my opda yesterday and replaced it with a new unit,although I found unusual wear on the gear and a groove cut in the shaft the assembly seemed to turn smooth with no binding.I have a 2005 wrangler with 62,000 miles and missed the recall date by 4 days.I will be ordering another new unit and doing the modifications to it,my question is when I get the new unit and dissasemble it can I reuse the same rollpin to put the gear back on or should I go with a new one?thank you
 
#2,259 ·
You can use the same roll pin. Size 3/16 punch. Make sure the gear goes back on the same way. The hole is offset on the shaft so if you put the gear on backwards it will wedge and eventually break something. It will be pretty obvious if the gear in on wrong. Look in the hole and if you see any gear on the other end it's wrong.
 
#2,260 ·
I'm going to chime in here with a couple of questions of my own on this issue. I'm sure my question has been covered already but with 2 small children at home i dont have the luxury of time to read every post on this subject. I have read a large portion of the posts on the threads of this topic. I have a 2005 LJ Rubi which i purchased from the original owner. Original owner said they always changed oil with mobil1 full synthetic oil and i have continued to do the same. The jeep now has 52,000 miles on it and i am experiencing no issues that i atribute to the OPDA subject. I checked with the local dealer here and it appears my OPDA was replaced back in 2005 while the Jeep was still in their stock. From what i gather there was no upgrade or repair to this issue so what did they replace it with? Just another factory OPDA of the same stock? Anywho, i have a feeling that i will at some point experience an issue with this OPDA. I am very proactive in the preventative manintenence dept. so i would like to address the issue before it becomes a problem since i may be taking this Jeep on a 3500 mile journey soon. What i gather from the posts i have read here is that i should buy a stock replacement OPDA from the stealership and do the fogmod upgrade to it. Do i have this correct? Thanks in advance for any beneficial advise.
 
#2,263 ·
dandaman,
If it’s an early ’05 it may have been part of the ones that had the gear replaced as part of the infamous E05 TSB. It was discovered early on that some gears were “bad”. The TSB went out & the dealers were instructed to replace the gears. Apparently most were still in dealer stock so they were replaced before delivery. Mine was one of those but still had premature gear wear at less than 20k miles. I would recommend you pull it for inspection before deciding what to do. It may be good & you may not benefit from a new one. Maybe just mod the one you have.
 
#2,265 ·
Dan, I just noticed your location. Say hi to Santa! Is there really a dealer at the (in) North Pole? Went by there on the train to Fairbanks in route to Prudhoe Bay some yrs back. I would think jeeping in AK would beat jeeping in NV. From your profile photo it looks like yours is a twin to mine.
 
#2,268 ·
The "factory grease" is some sort of oil-soaked packing material resembling cotton or flax. I picked out as much as I could.
 
#2,271 ·
Here are some update shots. I pulled the OPDA during an oil change before winter. These results are with 78598 miles. This is nearly 10K more miles than my last inspection back in March 2011.

Gear wear looks good. Maybe a little worse than previous pics. It's so close I can't say for certain.




Shaft pics. Scoring and discolored. I think there was some leftover Aeroshell in the oil groove.






Upper shaft wiped with rag. I'm still not impressed with the discoloration.


With the OPDA apart, I though I'd take the opportunity to convert to the oil cup. I think it will eliminate all the guess work with grease. I used the existing FogMod hole and bought the fittings from McMasterCarr.com. Because of the placement of the original FogMod fitting hole (a little too close to the target wheel housing) I had to file down the edges of the grease fitting adapter.

I wiped down the shaft with 5w40TDT and filled the reservoir. I used an old syringe for giving medicine to my cats. I precision oiler from Radio Shack could work too.







 
#2,275 ·
For those of you with the FogMod who are interested, there may be some clearance issues due to the grease fitting placement. You may have to modify the adapter to fit. I don't know it the oil cup is a required change. Rubi4MyMrs has had it for several months with no issues and with the recent number of grease questions I think it's a better alternative.

I was really happy with the gear wear though. I think the 5w40TDT is good stuff. Ultimately it may have more to due with camshaft gear damage.
 
#2,276 ·
Willy, your gear looks like it's wearing good, just a small wear pattern in the middle of the teeth which is what you want.

I think the oil in the bushing will be better than grease. Let us know how it works for you. I still haven't gotten around to getting my oil cup installed. I wondered why you put in the coupling between the oil cup and the other fitting? Was it to give more "storage" space for the oil? Looks like it would be better to not have the oil cup sticking out so much, if possible. Especially since it's threaded into aluminum. Could a guy get an oil cup like you have, but with female threads and screw it directly on the fitting without the female/female coupling?
 
#2,277 ·
Willy, your gear looks like it's wearing good, just a small wear pattern in the middle of the teeth which is what you want.

I think the oil in the bushing will be better than grease. Let us know how it works for you. I still haven't gotten around to getting my oil cup installed. I wondered why you put in the coupling between the oil cup and the other fitting? Was it to give more "storage" space for the oil? Looks like it would be better to not have the oil cup sticking out so much, if possible. Especially since it's threaded into aluminum. Could a guy get an oil cup like you have, but with female threads and screw it directly on the fitting without the female/female coupling?
The adapter has female threads, but I couldn't fit the oil cup directly. I figured when I tightened everything down it would be closer together. I did find a half coupling that will get the oil cup closer. It's in with the other MMC linked parts. If I had it to do over I would trim the nipple and use a half coupling. That will get it real close. The whole extension is aluminum too so it have minimal weight. I don't think there will be a problem as is, I just wish I had of thought of the half coupling prior.
 
#2,279 ·
One thing for sure that gear wear on willydigger's unit looks great! I may stick with the Mobil 1 TDT now. I'm going to pull my OPDA again next oil change for pics. That will be 10,000 miles since the modded unit was in place.
 
#2,284 ·
Willy, that gear looks great. I don’t remember, how bad was the old one when you replaced it with this OPDA?

Monitor oil coming over the top of the bushing. I got a little almost immediately. If I let it go it seems like when the level in the cup gets down to a certain point it more or less stops. When I first installed it I wanted the cup to stay full so I was adding a little from time to time to keep it full. That only added to the “overflow” so I cut back & have not added any for some time now. Of course at some point the level in the cup could be no higher than the hole in the bushing & little if any oil would be getting to the bushing & it is hard to tell exactly where that point is.

Here is a refresher on mine. The first one shows the oil in the top when I pulled it recently to replace the gear. Because of concerns mentioned at the time by someone I added the support under the fittings. The screw doubles as a way to keep the overflow oil from dripping out.
 

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#2,298 ·
Willy, that gear looks great. I don't remember, how bad was the old one when you replaced it with this OPDA?

Monitor oil coming over the top of the bushing. I got a little almost immediately. ...
My stock OPDA was never disassembled. I was still "under warranty" so not knowing any better I took it to the dealer and had to fight with the dealer to replace it. They tried "it's electrical" and I continued to argue. They eventually agreed for a $100 deductible. The symptoms were laughing monkey and a binding shaft. I pulled it prior to taking it to the dealer to see for myself. The gear was shot and the cam shaft looked worn too. This was around 60K miles.

Oil on the top means it's working! I'm okay with a little cleaning. :D

I will secure a half bushing and try to reduce the length. If I remember right yours didn't have a tapered thread and that's the reason for the o-ring and support?
 
#2,286 ·
popeyesides said:
Hey guys, I need to replace my OPDA with a new one, which I have, do I use the TDC method or the sharpie method. Thanks.
New one requires TDC.
 
#2,301 ·
Man I'm sick to my stomach, So what is my answer to my chewed up gear? Replace? Just the gear or whole assembly?
Take a deep breath. Most of us get upset at first. After a year things calm down. :D

My advice is to purchase a completely new assembly. Dodge-wholesale.com. Link on first page.

FogMod new unit. Either with grease or oil cup. This will prevent binding (a known issue). Link and specs on first page.

Change oil to Mobil 1 5w40 TDT or Valvoline VR1. I can't speak personally for VR1, but many credible people here recommend it. I can say for certain Mobil TDT works for me.

Change oil as recommended. Keep 6 full quarts. Check the OPDA as your paranoia requires (1-2 year is my paranoia level).

If you don't feel comfortable with the FogMod send me a PM and I'll help you through it. Messing with engine components can get scary and you don't want to mess this up considering your working with aluminum.

Good luck. Most reference info is on the first page. I try to update as I get more info.
 
#2,302 ·
Take a deep breath. Most of us get upset at first. After a year things calm down. :D

My advice is to purchase a completely new assembly. Dodge-wholesale.com. Link on first page.

FogMod new unit. Either with grease or oil cup. This will prevent binding (a known issue). Link and specs on first page.

Change oil to Mobil 1 5w40 TDT or Valvoline VR1. I can't speak personally for VR1, but many credible people here recommend it. I can say for certain Mobil TDT works for me.

Change oil as recommended. Keep 6 full quarts. Check the OPDA as your paranoia requires (1-2 year is my paranoia level).

If you don't feel comfortable with the FogMod send me a PM and I'll help you through it. Messing with engine components can get scary and you don't want to mess this up considering your working with aluminum.

Good luck. Most reference info is on the first page. I try to update as I get more info.
Ok, deep breath followed by hyperventilation! :rofl:
I will do everything you recommended.
Just to clarify, a new unit without doing TDC just needs to be lined up how I marked my old unit that came out?
 
#2,292 ·
I don't have any noise from mine at all, but I ordered a new unit to Fogmod and replace. Because it's a new one, I need to have the dealer install it?:confused:
Why is TDC required for a new one but not when reinstalling the current one? What's different?
 
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