Benny - I am not aware of the late model HPOP's bleeding down like the earlier ones.

I am wondering more about an injector. Even the FICM can sometimes act up cold and not warm.

IIRC Ed at FICM repair.com has even mentioned that heating up the FICM w/ a heat gun or hair dryer and then trying the "cold" start sometimes works.

Regardless, it is more and more evident that owners need a scantool to troubleshoot their vehicles.

A scangaugeII can be had for $135. The DashBoss is pretty nice too I hear - if you have the electronics for it.

OP - The front cover component is not just a pressure relief, but it is primarily a pressure regulator. The relief valves are for bypassing the the oil cooler and the oil filter. They are rarely an issue. Is your oil pressure gauge not showing any pressure on the long cranks?