Joel's_84_944

Hey Guys,

IS there a way to rebuild a OPRV?. I checked the oil pump and it is ok, the Oil sender works, but i still get no pressure to the engine. So I was wondering if it is worthwhile to try and rebuild the OPRV or just get a new one.

any thoughts?........

xsboost90

im guessing its a two piece early style unit? Did you square the housing up on the block? Not sure you can really rebuild a spring and a plunger, but if its wedged in there it wont move.

rlm328

The older ones can theoretically be rebuilt. They were upgraded for a reason though....

Jeff N.

Just went thru this. If you have an 86, you could still have the 3 piece unit. The way to tell is via the OPRV bolt head. If the bolt head has a flange on it, you have the older style. If no flange, you have the newer style.

Pulling and inspecting your unit would be the first step. Swapping for a known good unit would be the second step. You may need to verify the alignment to confirm the housing to block alignment is OK. If there is any misalignment, the unit won't work properly. I just pulled and re-installed my housing and it was right there at the bottom of the barrel for fun jobs. No room, oil everywhere, lots of funky connections to deal with.

Not fun to deal with...never liked no oil pressure problems. Good luck.

Joel's_84_944

thanks for the quick responses guys. When i get home this weekend I will check which type I have. I can only work on her during weekends, since i Go to School out of town. I noticed the cheapest OPRV i found so far is from Lindsey racing for $326. I'll check the old one, then order the new one ASAP.

Thanks again guys...

Jeff N.

There are frequently used ones available here for much less. Lart, others have them. I don't think you need to buy a new one. My used one I picked up here is working just fine - went from the old style to the new style.

Make sure you order the right new style if that's what you need. There's the 86 replacement and then the 87+

Joel's_84_944

Thanks for the info Jeff,

I'll take it used if I can find one....I got feelers out looking for one right now.

Grandpa#3

Hi Joel, I checked an old thread and it shows good pictures of the up dated one piece OPRV. Notice the length and the bottom threads of the two. If you pull the oil cooler you have to use the alignment tool to make sure the cooler is on correctly. The 87 up engine takes a longer OPRV than the early style. The old 3 piece style can be cleaned up, but should not have any pits in the metal. If you order the new style be sure to order the o-ring and crush washer as they normally don't come with them.

https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-...highlight=OPRV

http://www.944online.com/pdf/oilcoolertech.pdf

Cheers,
Larry

Chris White

The old 3 piece valve is notorious for developing problems – even more so if they have been taken apart. The piston develops a wear pattern with the bore and if you disturb it you can run into problems…
Get the 86 retorfit part – and don’t worry about the oil cooler alignment, not a big issue with the later valves.

Jeff N.

Hey Chris, you've dealt this this much more than I have but I did have alignment issues (somehow). My 3 piece quit working and when I tried to replace with the one piece, the one piece wouldn't install without binding.

I had to pull the housing, reseal and re-align. Icky job; didn't like it.

My question is "what happened to misalign the dumb thing in the first place?" Dunno - can only think when I put in the second oil cooler rig I and disconnected on line at the cooler I disturbed the housing somehow. Still, wasn't wrenching on housing itself, just the cooler line.

So...go figure. Nothing like being the exception.

Joel's_84_944

Do I have to pull the oil cooler to get to the OPRV?. Oh man I think this is gonna take longer than expected.....OH well. If it needs to come out, then so be it.

thanks for the info guys

Chris White

I would have to guess that your housing had been removed at some point in the past – if you just took out the old 3 piece and installed a new 1 piece than the alignment didn’t change from the factory.

If you have removed the housing then all you need to do is insert the new 1 piece before you tighten up the housing – it will self-align the housing. Since you need to do the same thing with the ‘tool’ it actually makes the tool unnecessary (unless you need to assemble the housing and you do not have the new OPRV on hand)


Answer to last post - no you do not have to pull the housing, but you may have fun if the piston is jammed in the bore....