extreme high oil pressure

My 2002 Venture has blown the oil pressure valve and oil filter due to extreme high oil pressure...my mechanic is puzzled........anyone have any insight?

I had the same problem 14 months ago. My 99 venture did the same thing. The leaking intake gasket allowed coolant into the oil system. The water evaporates over time and the Dexcool turned into jelly. Eventually a piece of jelled antifreeze worked its way into the oil relief valve and plugged it. When the relief valve is plugged, the oil pump by design can go well over maximum pressure for the oil filter cannister. The result for me was total oil loss and a rebuilt engine as I did not believe the dash light. Lesson learned. I was surprised by the engine though. With no oil I still ran for 22 minutes at highway speed before it dry seized.

Oil relief valve, I agree for sure. The valve/piston is stuck allowing max pressure and blowing the filter off. It could be from dirt in the oil jamming the valve, or it could be from leaky intake. If your intake gaskets are o.k, its most likley dirt or carbon on the valve. There are two ways to fix one way will fix the other way you have a good chance of fixing it. The first it to drop the oil pan and replace the oil pump. The second is to use a thin cheap oil and dump crankcase cleaner(the GM crankcase cleaner is best for this). I would use two bottles and follow the directions, let it idle and hopefully it will dislodge the dirt and allow the pump to function normally. You also have to get a something like a K&N oil filter where the burst strength is very high(around 500psi).