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Does anyone have any information of the necessity of the oil relief valve on the oil filter housing in the pan of a L96? I want to use my Autokraft pan, but I don't know what will happen if I don't use it.
I guess the first question is, why is it there? Is it something that is used often or even necessary?
I took mine out on the LS3 because there was a fitment issue with the crank scraper I put in. So I spoke with the folks at Improved Racing and said it is a standard item across a lot of different engines but is really in place to protect Displacement on Demand and VVT engines. They said no harm in removing from the LS3 as I don't have either of those. My engine goes back in and fired up in a few weeks so we will see if there is a problem.
From what we understand, DOD and VVT engines use the high-flow oil pump because these mechanisms are hydraulically activated by oil pressure and require more oil flow to maintain oil pressure when active. The problem is that when they are not active, the pump will be pumping too much oil. This causes oil starvation issues at the track because the pump will drain the oil pan faster than the oil can make it back to the pan. What that relief valve does is return that extra oil directly to the oil pan when DOD and VVT isn't active.
So, if you remove it, your pump will flow too much oil at times. If the car is raced at all, this greatly increases the risk of oil starvation. If it's only a street car, it might be okay.
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Thanks for the info. So, just out of curiosity, for a street cruiser, an Autokraft pan is OK to run with considering there is no provision. The other think I had thought about was somehow modifying the setup to include the relief valve.
Thanks for the info. So, just out of curiosity, for a street cruiser, an Autokraft pan is OK to run with considering there is no provision. The other think I had thought about was somehow modifying the setup to include the relief valve.
There are a lot of people driving around with the high-flow pump because they think it's an upgrade. You'll probably be okay for a street cruiser, though officially we still wouldn't recommend it. Just be very careful if you ever take it to the strip or anything. It will be much easier to starve for oil, but the trap doors in the Autokraft pan will help.
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I know this is a bit of a resurrection, but is there any new information in oil pans and this valve. I do plan to remove VVT in the future, I just hadn’t planned on doing it before a bunch of other stuff.
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L96 Oil Relief Valve 
