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Oil pressure relief valve

To: spridgets@autox.team.net
Subject: Oil pressure relief valve
From: Dave Hiley <dhiley@cadvision.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1999 15:52:12 -0600
Reply-to: Dave Hiley <dhiley@cadvision.com>
Sender: owner-spridgets@autox.team.net
Hi everybody

Since shortly after my rebuild last summer I had an oil leak at the left
front of the block.  I followed the advice of a number of listers and
replaced the head gasket and that leak seems to have stopped.  Last fall I
was also having considerable oil coming out of the bell houising so I added
a PCV valve and it stopped.

However, since I put the head back on yesterday and did some wonderful
cruising in the sun I have re-developed the bell housing leak.  And it's
not just a little leak either.  There was a pool the size of a dinner plate
on the garage floor this morning.

I am speculating that if the oil pressure relief valve is not functioning
properly the first symptom may have been the head leak and now it has no
where else to go so it is going out the back of the block.  I noticed today
that even at full normal operating temperature the oil pressure will
indicate 75+lb when the engine is under load.  It shows 55 at cruise, 20-25
at idle.

Are there any symptoms of oil pressure relief valve failure or malfunction?  

I looked back in the archives and found a reference of using a ball bearing
instead of the plunger. ???  Any comments? 
  
tia
dave
'72 Midget MKIII 

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