The valve would have been relieving pressure much too early... that usually means a piston moving TOO freely; most likely a weak spring, since the spring sets the resistance and thus calibrates the pressure.

A sticking piston would be expected to impede piston travel, so would typically prevent pressure relief, (or prevent the valve from closing properly, and ALL exhibited pressures would then be low...)

Sounds like a weak spring to me...

Keith

 

Low oil pressure can be a sign of worn crank bearings....

 

CAN be, yes. but then warm and at idle, you'd have bugger-all pressure.

His pressures were completely normal everywhere they shoudl have been below 3bar or so. Worn crank bearings (enough to batter oil pressure) would be low ACROSS THE BOARD.

His weren't.

Keith

 

It was definitely not a false low. I really don't know what was wrong with the old valve. I took it apart and noticed some SLIGHT scoring on the piston, but nothing else out of the ordinary. The oil pressure went completely back to normal after the new OPRV ~4.8 bar cold idle, and never less than 2 bars at idle HOT.
Now its the rest of the car that has been giving me hell. Started with leaking fuel lines, and now its a small coolant leak. Of course this would happen after fixing the power steering and oil pressure...... I have been looking at Z3 M coupes.......

 

+1 for this thread.