Installing the Pressure Relief Valve on the M35A3

[glcaines]

I finally got around to installing the 4820-01-490-1773 pressure safety relief valve on my M35A3 compressor. The installation is covered by MWO 9-2320-386-20-2. All M35A3s were required to have this kit installed prior to 30AUG05, but for some reason my truck did not have the kit installed. Catastrophic failure of the air pressure system can occur if the air pump continues to build pressure uncontrollably. I'm not sure what the weak link is that lets go under these conditions. It only took about 20 minutes to install the kit. According to MWO 9-2320-386-20-2, you are supposed to replace the compression nut and attached ferrule. I did not do this because to do this required cutting the copper tubing to shorten it and there is not enough room to use a tubing cutter without removing the section of copper tubing to grant more room. The existing nut and ferrule were in excellent condition and after assembly, there were no leaks. I did have a little trouble screwing the 'T' into the top of the compressor because the hose next to it was in the way. I was able to pull on the hose and gain just enough clearance to screw it in. According to photos in the MWO, the hose is mounted slightly to the side to gain more clearance. My truck was not like in the MWO photo.